Should My Brand Use Twitter’s Periscope?

5 Powerful Periscope Payoffs
By David Landis, LCI President
I recently had the pleasure of co-hosting a seminar for PR News’ August 10 Social Media Summit with my colleague and pal James Mowdy (@JamesJetsOften), head of B/Spoke, a brand consultancy. The subject? How best to use Twitter’s Periscope to amplify your business’ video strategy.  What follows is a summary of some of the highlights. Be sure to follow me on Twitter: @david_landis.
 
“A great brand is a story that’s never completely told.” – Scott Bedbury
Periscope is, in a word, a powerhouse. Founded in 2014, the platform provides live video broadcasting and storytelling via a smartphone app – for any brand. It now boasts 10 million accounts and nearly 2 million daily users.  Seizing the opportunity for their own users, Twitter acquired the company in March, 2015.
Think of it this way: Periscope (via Twitter) provides every brand with its own broadcast TV channel, a distribution network and instantaneous engagement.

Here are 5 Powerful Periscope Points and Payoffs:

1. Should brands consider using Periscope?

• It’s affordable (no additional budget is required)
• It’s accessible to anyone with a Twitter account and a smartphone
• It’s powerful (it’s propelled by Twitter’s velocity and reach)

2. Why Periscope?

• It’s a perfect tool for storytelling
• It’s terrific for breaking news
• It amplifies brand recognition
• It helps with sales conversions

3. Is Periscope right for your brand?

• YES, if your brand already has a social/Twitter presence
• YES, if you are looking to launch a new product
• YES, if you are announcing news
• YES, if you are trying to reach a broad, consumer audience

• NO, if your brand is a highly regulated business
• NO, if your brand has top-secret or confidentiality issues

4. Who has used Periscope successfully?

Many brands, including Experian (#CreditScope), Adobe (#CreativeCloud) and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), but one of my favorites was #DoritosRoulette for Doritos.  Doritos was one of the first to use Periscope to promote a contest. The purpose? To draw attention to its new product, “Roulette,” a chip so spicy that it “may just be too hot to handle.” The contest included online games of chance, a live giveaway styled like a gameshow and many opportunities to win prizes (after tagging 3 of your social media buddies).

5. What are some best practice Periscope takeaways?

• Periscope is perfect for business-specific breaking news
• Periscope’s broadcast focus provides evergreen storytelling
• The newness of Periscope helps your brand gain market share
• Periscope guarantees that your brand is televised
• Periscope fortifies, empowers and expands your brand’s Twitter – and video – strategy
• Periscope+Twitter supports audience development and leads to sales conversions

 
What’s your brand’s best Periscope story, case study or video? We’d like to hear! Engage with me @david_landis, email me at: [email protected] or comment below.