Have you heard the buzz about the new social media app Periscope? Are you keen to learn how you can harness this amazing tool in your marketing? Today, I’m going to give you 10 Periscope marketing tips that the pros are using everyday on this new platform, and they’re still learning too. I first download it onto my phone about four weeks ago when traveling around Southern Australia. And I’ve gotta say, I am so addicted to this app! It is amazing and has incredible potential. First of all, some people you might want to follow who are starting to write about and provide training on Periscope include Dan Norris from the 7 Day Startup and WP Curve, Sue B Zimmerman (aka the Instagram Expert), Kim Garst from Boom Social and Chris Ducker of Virtual Freedom fame to name a few. All are using Periscope to maximum advantage and sharing awesome content, so go and check them out.
My Early Experiments with Periscope
My first Periscope was a tour of my mum’s creepy spare room so that was a bit random and it kind of went downhill from there, but after being in a few scopes (yes, that’s a word now), I’ve been trying to figure out how I can add value in a unique way. Of course, it pays to observe first and learn from people who are already adding value. Here’s what I’ve learned about Periscope marketing so far:
Top 10 Periscope Marketing Tips
1. There are some big advantages to jumping on early. One of the biggest advantages is that you can connect with the key influencers who have also jumped on early and are trying to figure Periscope out. If you’re a Twitter user, all of the Twitter contacts you have that are also on the platform, show up as people you can instantly connect with and if any of them do a “scope”, you are able to view it. Some really big names are already on board and they are reading the comments as they roll through, which gives you a unique opportunity to connect with them directly. I’ve already connected with Sue Zimmerman and a couple of other people I admire and have invited them onto my podcast show. It makes connecting so easy, particularly if you frequent their broadcasts. So that’s the number one tip, stalk the broadcasts of influencers you want to connect with, just not in a creepy way. 2. Make sure you let people know you’re about to scope. If you don’t let people know, you may not get good quality interaction on your broadcast so jump into your groups you run on Facebook or LinkedIn, or tweet your followers on Twitter to give them the heads up. 3. Be sure to write a compelling headline. One cool tip that Kim Garst gave recently was to write your heading beforehand and place it in “Notes” on your smartphone then cut and paste that into Periscope so that if your session drops out (which it may if you’re competing with John Mayer, ehem) then you can pop the topic right back in there again and keep going. 4. Ask people to share as soon as you begin your broadcast and people jump on. They can do that by swiping left to right and clicking on share. This enables them to share with their followers on Periscope or Twitter. 5. Acknowledge people in the comments. I was a bit like a rabbit in headlights the first scope I did and I didn’t realise people could comment as I went, so I didn’t acknowledge them during the broadcast. As a view, I love it when the Scoper (yes, that’s also a word) reads your comments so it makes sense that if you’re going to broadcast to be sure to chat with people who are watching and commenting. Also, if you want to have mini convos with others in the chat, you simply @tag them in your comment and it will show as a reply. 6. Ask for hearts! Hearts are an indication of how engaging you are, but it doesn’t hurt to ask for them. That also shows you who’s really digging your content. You can see who hearted and how many they gave you in the replay. 7. Understand that a Tweet automatically goes out on Twitter when you start a Scope but that it will not have an active link in it after 48 hours. (Hat tip to Tanya Van Rickley, a business Periscope friend in San Diego who shared that one with me one morning). Personally, I think that’s a flaw in Periscope that they should address. They should have on each tweet “expires in 48 hours.” Otherwise, it has the potential to reflect badly on the person sending it in my opinion. 8. Go and look for new people to follow everyday. New people are jumping on Periscope every single day and pretty soon it’s going to get crowded. Go and find the key people you’ve connected with on Twitter and start looking out for their Scopes. It’s a great way to build relationships. 9. Watch for when influencers are broadcasting online. This tells you they are online at that time, which can facilitate discussion if you reach out to them on Periscope or any other platform. I’ve found most US influencers, in the social media community anyway, are on there early in the morning AEST. 10. Be sure to share the replay from your broadcast and download your video if you want to repurpose your content. It doesn’t stay on Periscope forever. 48 hours tops.
Recap
Periscope is a terrific way to deepen your connections with influencers and share your content in a unique way. Have you jumped on board Periscope yet? Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments. I hope to see you on Scope soon! I promise no more random videos from me.
