Periscope: Social media is getting ‘Live’lier

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or in an internet dead zone,you’ll have heard the word ‘Periscope’ thrown around here and there in the past few months, so we thought we’d wager in.

What is Periscope you ask? Owned by Twitter, Periscope for all intents and purposes is a “live video streaming platform” that allows you to transmit live recordings straight from your phone. No matter where you are in the world, if you’ve got internet access you’re good to go.

Of course like any social media platform you can ‘follow’ accounts and likewise have your very own ‘followers.’ Also, because Periscope is owned by Twitter, it automatically links up with your Twitter account, making it easier to build your audience from day one. You can ‘like’ streams that you enjoy, add comments during a live broadcast that the user will see, and can engage with.

Does my business need it? We live in an age where consumers want everything as quickly as possible. Instant news, next day delivery, coffee to go (an argument could be made for this to be a necessity) and what’s more, they are searching for it.

We don’t need to go into ‘how well visual content works’ because, well, we all know how well visual content works. Creating shareable and engaging content can help to grow your businesses reach, not just on Twitter. And there are so many ways to utilise it …

Live updates: Something new going on within the business? Make a live announcement.

Q&As with your audience: Engage with you audience, answer their questions, ask them questions – is there a better way of finding out how they think?

Product demos/ customer support:  Whether you’re showcasing a new product or offering customer support, the possibilities are endless. 

Is it a game-changer? This could change the way things like news are reported. Whether it’s festivals across the world, behind the scenes at the Champions League final, or a live stream of political debates, the doors being opened are endless. Not only that, but you can create private broadcasts only allowing certain people to see. Imagine attending a birthday or wedding and being able to set it up for family and friends that can’t be there. Connecting people, it’s the goal social media started with and holds true to, to this day.