I’ve discovered a new favorite Social Network… Periscope.

First of all, what is Periscope? Here’s the official description direct from trafficgenerationcafe.com. Periscope.tv is a life-streaming app owned by Twitter, which allows you to share, watch and engage with comments to live video broadcasts. With only 10 Million users since its launch in March, it’s really a baby in the world of social networks, but a baby who could quickly grow.

Since my last article about the trends happening in 2016, I downloaded Periscope and began to use it immediately and found it very easy to set up and use. Since then I’ve heard all sorts of reasons why people are afraid of using Periscope. I heard everything from, “the whole world is watching you” to “do you know what kind of terrible stuff is on?” Then I thought about Twitter, itself. Your Twitter account is as good as your followers. The same applies to Periscope. Your Periscope account is based on whom you choose to follow.

I look at many of the social media platforms in a very different way. As I learn about a social media platform, I think about my clients and how it might work for them. As I was cruising around Periscope, one that came to mind is a new client we have, a tanning salon. Their client base is the millennials. There are so many ways to show snippets of sunless spray tan and how to use tanning beds, the list could go on and on.

Then there’s my cosmetic ecommerce client with aloe-based products. She will have fun with this as she uses Periscope to show the world how to use the anti-aging masques and foundations. There will be a multitude of ways she will be able to engage with clients. It will be a great resource for her to connect not only to Twitter, but also her Facebook client base.

Oh, did I mention how cool it can be for realtors? Imagine a live broadcast on the day of an open house. Make it personal. A house is a home. Imagine involving Periscope to humanize the house buying process by showing people going through the house as you broadcast it to your followers or potential buyers who happen to come across the broadcast on Twitter.

Wouldn’t it be neat to watch an old diesel train as it travels down the rails? This is a must for WK&S Railroad to show all the happy travelers as they take them back in time on one of their special excursions. My favorite part would be when the shift the engine from the front to the back of the train, or is it the back to the front? I guess it is the back to the front because the caboose is always behind the engine on the way up the tracks. All these would be ideas to live broadcast and for the world to see. There’s nothing private about that live broadcast.

So what can you do on Periscope? Three things: broadcast, watch broadcasts and comment to broadcasts. There are two types of broadcasts: Private and Public.

Can you control who follows you? Yes. I’ve only been on Periscope for less than a month. In the beginning, because I didn’t understand how to control the followers, I ended up with people all over the world viewing and following me. I quickly learned, through a great tutorial, how to block followers. Because I only want people who I know, I have “zero” followers and I am only following five people. I have six broadcasts. My suggestion would be to connect through Twitter, if you have a Twitter account and then make any changes you like to your account, once on Periscope. With all this said, I’d love to change those followers from “zero” to 100. Follow me @gomaava. [Hey, I needed to take this opportunity with a shameless plug!]

Can you control who views your broadcasts? Yes and no. If it is a public broadcast, no. If it is a private broadcast, yes. As a public broadcast, viewers will have the opportunity to view as it is being broadcasted and replay within 24 hours of broadcast. They will have the opportunity to comment as well. With a private broadcast, you invite your friends to view the broadcast. This is great for webinars.

Only 24 hours? What happens to your broadcast after 24 hours? No worries. It is still part of your account. You do want to save it to your camera roll to be able to share it later through YouTube, in emails, Twitter, and Facebook. Wherever you want. One of my clients who uses Periscope to broadcast forums actually goes on YouTube and uses it to create a small snippet of the Forum, as a way to send out through his other Social Network channels and encourage people to view the whole forum.

Before broadcasting, be it private or public, you can tweet on Twitter that you have begun a broadcast. It’s very easy to do. It will pick up the title of your broadcast, your name, and a small URL to go directly to the broadcast. I strongly suggest doing this for any broadcast you want to have seen or on replay.

Just like Facebook likes and Twitter re-tweets, Periscope has an easy way to show you like a broadcast. As you are watching a broadcast you can double tap on the screen and you’ll see a stream of hearts appear and disappear. You just liked the broadcast. You want hearts so that you appear on the “Most Loved List.”

I hope this quick overview of Periscope has shared with you some idea and what to and not to do when getting involved with Periscope. If live broadcast or video is something you would like to incorporate in your business marketing, Periscope needs to be on the top of your list. Next month, Facebook marketing for your business.

Alyse Mitten and the team of Interlace Communications provide businesses and nonprofit organizations with Online and Print strategies to market their businesses. Give them a call to learn more about how to create a website focused on marketing and incorporate social media and email engagement along with your website. Iciconnect.com | alyse@gomaava.com | 484.709.6564.