Periscope – the all new brand promotion platform. Here is how you can use it.

Ever since Twitter purchased Periscope in March of this year, the online audience has been in awe of the live video streaming mobile application that has made real time video-sharing an interactive experience. With over ten million users across the globe, the potential of Periscope for a brand is astounding.+

When brands everywhere are fighting for a slice of the consumer mindshare, it is only natural for you to ask – How can I use Periscope to better my brand’s reach?

Simply put, Periscope is a smartphone app that integrates live video sharing with a social platform (Twitter) to offer an interactive take on user-based perspectives of their activities in real time. It combines features such as discussion boards, comment sharing, notification delivery and location services.

Considering the digitization of consumer groups, and the growing segments of technology-savvy individuals, it is a wise move to integrate Periscope into your branding and communication strategy, particularly if you aim to build a highly interactive and customer-centric brand; here are some ways to use Periscope to increase your brand’s footprint.

#1 As your brand’s story-teller
An interactive and interesting way to share your brand’s story is through hosting a live video session – you can share with your followers the history behind your brand, its mission and values, and what makes your brand different. Let your followers know who you are, where you come from and what solutions you bring to the table.

#2 As a customer engagement platform
The great thing about Periscope is that it equips users with the ability to interact with the broadcaster via live comments and ‘hearts’ (equivalent to likes) and have the broadcaster respond to them in real time. Leverage this feature to create an interactive customer support platform – follow your customers and clients, respond to their scopes (a video broadcast) through comments and valuable information. Utilize the live video streaming capabilities to provide real-time support and response to customer queries and feedback. An added advantage of using Periscope is that you can save your videos and play them later for references or share them on other video-sharing platforms.

#3 To demonstrate your products
Showcasing your new products and services or demonstrating how your product functions via video-streaming is a fantastic way to generate topics for conversation with your audience. Invite your brand’s Twitter followers to witness a live product assembly video or an inside-the-workplace tour of areas that are open to public. Using Periscope to broadcast your product videos can boost your credibility as a domain expert and create an impression of an interactive and transparent brand persona around your business.

#4 As a Customer Feedback tool
Online reviews have always been held up to a certain level of regard among the digital audience; using Periscope to have reviews delivered serves as a more interactive and shareable platform for receiving feedback. Not only do your customers know that you get to view their reviews directly, you can also respond to their reviews of feedback efficiently – use the comments feature to revert to reviews in real time.

#5 To share relevant news
Since all activity on Periscope happens real-time, leverage this feature to share breaking news, updates, announcements, launch dates and other relevant information with your followers. You can also respond to any queries that your followers may have regarding what you have shared, in a timely manner. Be on the forefront of sharing news that is important to your customers!

#6 To host live Q&A sessions
You can invite your brand’s followers to submit relevant questions during your broadcasts. Encouraging consumer questions and responding to them real-time builds credibility around you as a domain expert and around your brand as communicative and responsive. Hosting live Q&A sessions is a great way to clarify any areas of confusion that may exist in the minds of your followers regarding your brand and your value proposition.

#7 To broadcast your events
What can be better than to share your brand events with a large base of your followers, with absolutely no investment for the extra bandwidth? Use Periscope to cover any brand events such as trade-shows, product launches or industry meet-ups – give your audience a glimpse of your brand’s participation at top events or when you are rubbing shoulders with the who’s-who of your domain! Additionally, you can share behind-the-scenes footage of various events with your followers, to keep things light and informal.

#8 As a promotional platform
Live-sharing the snippet about promotions, offers, deals and partnerships is a smart way to garner the attention of your followers. Experiment with a host of promotion formats such as discounts, samples, giveaways, incentives, free consultations and so on. Not only will this generate a buzz around your brand through your existing follower base, the likelihood of your promotions getting shared increases, thus gaining new followers.