Just when we thought we were overwhelmed with Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest, something new comes on the scene – Periscope.

All of a sudden, there’s another platform that many people are talking about.

The question is – is it just another fad that will be here today, gone tomorrow?

Is it just another distraction? Is this something that you, as a blogger (or marketer), should be paying attention to? My answer – it depends.

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What is Periscope?

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Periscope for Bloggers: Why and How to Embrace This New Trend

Periscope is a mobile app owned by Twitter that brings live mobile broadcasting to you and I at the touch of a button using our smartphones.

It makes it very easy for you and I to have an audience almost instantly and connect with our audience (or potential audience) at a deeper level.

It’s available both on Android and iPhone and is generating a lot of buzz at the moment.

It, and its competitor Meerkat, takes social media to the next level, allowing your audience to follow you in ways they were never able to do before.

Why it’s significant

Imagine this – You’re sitting in the park reflecting on life. All of a sudden, you are hit with a brilliant thought that you’d love to share with your audience.

Rather than going through your normal process of coming up with an outline, writing out your post, formatting it, adding pretty pictures and making it ready for publication, you do something much more simple.

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Sharing Ideas to an Audience

You pull out your smartphone, open up the Periscope app, click on the start broadcast button and simply share that brilliant idea you thought of.

Within five or ten seconds, five (or a hundred) people show up to hear what you have to say.

Imagine taking your audience behind the scenes of your life and connecting with people all over the world around your passion.

Imagine doing what I did a few days ago – starting a scope (that’s how the cool people call it) while on your lunch break, and having a deep conversation with someone you met at a conference earlier this year.

This technology allows us to connect with an audience in a deeper way, because it’s raw, unedited and because of that – more like real life.

Should you use it?

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Mobile Broadcasting

Before you decide to use Periscope as a core part of your marketing, here’s what you should do – Step back and take a look at what you are trying to accomplish with your business.

Remember that time is a limited resource and that you cannot be everywhere at the same time and accomplish anything significant.

However, if you do decide that live mobile broadcasting is a strategy you would like to take advantage of, Periscope is the place to do it.

What should you talk about?

When it comes to periscope, what I love about it is that there’s not one thing that you have to talk about. I would venture to say that it’s one of the most spontaneous social platforms out there, because you can simply hit record and you’re broadcasting instantly to the world.

However, it’s always good to be strategic. What’s your niche? Who are the people you want to follow you? What content are they looking for? What can help you nurture a better relationship with them?

I’ve found that the content that works best is “behind the scenes” content. When I broadcast on periscope, I’m taking the viewers with me as I do what I do, and educating them in the process.

Advanced tips for good quality

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What should you talk about in Periscope?

What you’ll find if you look at a few scopes is that the quality isn’t great. They aren’t professionally produced videos like you’d often see on Youtube. In fact, the medium makes it so that they are almost intentionally raw and uncut. This adds to the simple feel that you get on the platform.

However, there are a few things that you can do to make sure that even your spontaneous banter has a decent quality:

  1. Make sure to have decent lighting. This makes the world of difference in your video quality. When I scope in my office, I sit in front of the window. That works well for me because it’s not too bright, but bright enough for a good quality.
  2. Use your headset. These have a microphone in the cable, which brings it closer to your mouth (the source of sound).
  3. Consider using a mini-tripod (or a selfie stick). Hands are notoriously unstable. Using one of these devices makes your shot much steadier and easier to watch.

How to use Periscope for business

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Periscope for Business

Periscope is fun, but to have it make sense for your business, you have to have a clear monetization strategy. What do I mean? Well, here’s an example (my monetization strategy). When I scope, I do so to provide value to and connect with my audience.

The more I do that, the more they are going to want to check out my stuff. However, the only way they will know that I have more to offer is for me to let them know. One easy way of doing this is to briefly introduce yourself, your blog and where they can find out more about you.

I’ve seen people do this at the beginning, middle and end of their scopes. Try out different times and see what works best for you.

What about you?

Are you using Periscope? Do you see yourself using it? Let me know in the comments.

Resources Mentioned

  • Periscope – a mobile app owned by Twitter that brings live mobile broadcasting to your phones.
  • Meerkat – Periscope's competitor.
  • Sunpak 4200 XL – A tiny tripod you can use for your phone while recording your scope.

Infographic

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Periscope for Bloggers: Why and How to Embrace This New Trend

Transcript

Some people just love being able to read along with interviews, or they might just prefer to skip the audio completely and just read through the transcript. Hey, if that’s what floats your boat, it is all good. Here’s the transcript just for you.

Click here to download transcript.

About the Author Leslie Samuel


Leslie Samuel a business coach for high-performing entrepreneurs. As the host of the Leslie Samuel Show, he teaches how to build an online business. "Changing the world one post at a time” is the mission he strives towards. As a former university professor, he has a passion for education. He's the founder of Interactive Biology, a blog and YouTube channel dedicated to making biology fun for students and teachers. As the head of training for the Social Media Marketing Society, he helps social media marketers get the training they need to stay on the leading edge of social media.

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