Five Things I learned about Periscope in Ten Minutes
‘Social Media Expert.’ You’ve heard it used many times. Hell, you probably are one. I certainly am, on paper at least. Oh, no, don’t worry about how many followers, fans or viral tweets I have (I have exactly as many as I want to have, thank you very much). When it comes to social media, I’d consider myself within the realm of early adopters – not quite the first person in the queue to set up a new Squattr profile or Seahorse channel (you haven’t heard of them yet?), but definitely someone who’s at least comfortable enough saying ‘Venmo me for the Sprout subscription’ without batting an eye.
Yes, keeping up with the Joneses (Keeping up with the Zuckerbergs?) online is an enjoyable pursuit, but inevitably, one platform or another simply evades my time and attention for too long, and I’m forced to catch up. Alas, Periscope became one of lost children – sure, I ‘have an account’, and I ‘know what it is’, but I hadn’t really interacted with it in a meaningful way, and I’m much much too proud to Google ‘what exactly can you actually do with Periscope?’ I basically knew I could watch people broadcasting stuff in real time from their phones. That’s…kind of all I knew. What was a ‘like’ called on Periscope? How did you find content? How the hell could I use it as a digital marketer?
So, I poured myself a tea, set a timer for exactly 10 minutes, and told myself I was going to boot up Periscope and go hog wild – click every button, watch as much as I could, and learn all the key features. Here’s the riveting synopsis of what I’ve found.
1. You Can Keep Your Pants On
Having ChatRoulette Flashbacks even considering opening up the Periscope app? I don’t blame you – we all remember our first time clicking that ‘next’ button one time too many and realizing not everyone kept their webcams facing their face. Well, a few years have passed, and perhaps the population is feeling a little less coquettish or exhibitionist in the second half of our decade, because I came across nary a phallus or nipple in my ten minutes. Good news, right? For me, at least, it was.
Maybe it’s the fact that Periscope accounts must be tied to real Twitter accounts, which removes at least one tier of anonymity, but I found a legitimate and digestible amount of real people talking about real topics that interested them – and happy to put their faces on camera.
2. You’re promoting you, not your stuff.
Similar to Instagram, you get only one place to put a link – in your profile. Don’t be worried about people spamming links. Or if you’re promoting something, then don’t be disappointed. On Periscope, you are the product: your opinions, your thoughts, your level of engagement.
Get yourself a seat, label your channel clearly with what it’s going to be (use lots of emojis, apparently!), and hit the ‘broadcast’ button – and before you know it you can have dozens of viewers interacting with you in real time. Viewers can shoot Hearts your way – an endorphin-boosting animation that’s the live-streaming equivalent, I suppose, of a whistle from a dive-bar audience member, or a ‘Keep Going!’ shouted by Mom from the sidelines at a middle-school track meet.
3. Everyone’s still kinda fumbling through it – together.
And that’s the fun of it. “Scoping”, as it’s known within the community, is still very much burgeoning. Videos stay live for 24 hours once they’re broadcast, so taking a day to see how your idea performs never hurts. Feel like reviewing a movie you’ve just walked out of with your friend? Do it. Want to invite people to watch you cook a recipe, or cook with you? Give it a shot.
Whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish, this isn’t the time to be bashful. Save that for the anonymity of Reddit.
4. Don’t be surprised if you see someone you recognize.
In selecting my viewing area, I tapped on the pulsating blue bubble floating over Los Angeles on the map. There, the bubble opened up to show various feeds I could choose from – I selected one near Culver City, and stumbled onto a feed with two 20-something girls talking to the audience, responding to comments, and generally having a jovial time. It didn’t really hold my interest so I kept exploring. About a half an hour later, I was happening to make my way to the Culver City light rail, climbing the long stairway up to the elevated platform, and, lo and behold, the same two girls were sitting on the highest stair, still broadcasting live on Periscope. Then I realized: these are real people in your neighborhood. Don’t be surprised to run into them if you’re a regular user.
They’re not necessarily celebrities; they’re not necessarily marketers; they’re just people who feel like sharing.
5. Your audience is captive
People open up their Periscope app because they are fully intending to spend time watching some live streams. They want to explore, listen, and interact. As marketers, we know the inherent value of this attention. On top of that, the move to make brands more transparent, authentic, and ‘human’ has been the siren call to social media for marketers the world over. In this vein, what is more transparent than the CEO of T-mobile, John Legere, sitting calmly in his den, talking directly to customers about everything from quarterly results, to customer service issues? You can’t fake that on practically any other medium.
I mean, just look at the guy go – are you telling me you’re going to let him run away with all the Periscope glory? What are you waiting for?
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