Peri-What? Live Broadcasting and Your Online Presence

If you haven’t already heard about Periscope, you’re probably about to hear the name more and more. Periscope is Twitter’s live streaming app for iPhone and Android that is really heating up for small biz right now. Its tagline is Explore the world through someone else’s eyes and it allows you to connect with your audience in a very “real” and casual kinda way. What better way to convince people to know, like & trust you than to give them the opportunity to interact with you LIVE and IN PERSON (well…via video)?

There are 5 things I’ve learned so far about ‘scoping (both as a viewer and a broadcaster) that I want to share with you:

1. Don’t be intimidated by the platform. Sure it’s LIVE. LIVE is sorta scary, because your audience will see every mistake you make. But you know what? Mistakes make you human. Mistakes make you approachable. Mistakes can actually increase your KNOW LIKE TRUST factor.
2. Remember to ask for the share and ask for the follow. Your audience can share your ‘scope with their own followers and/or on Twitter while you stream live by swiping left > right on iPhone or swiping up on Android. Also remember to share to Twitter yourself – right before you start your broadcast, click the birdie on your title screen to post a link to your ‘scope on Twitter.
3. Just because it’s not perfect doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. My first ‘scope was kind of a disaster. My caption card displayed as though it were mirrored, even though I had the lens set for a straight shot. I must have said ‘um’ about twenty times in the 7½ minute broadcast. I totally forgot to watch for comments and questions as they rose up in bubbles while I was streaming. And toward the end, my train of thought went entirely off the rails and it’s evident. But you know what? People sent me direct messages on Twitter thanking me for some of the tips I shared. People on Facebook said I was “real, honest, genuine, informative” and/or that they enjoyed it. All positive feedback. I guess Ken Keyes was right: Everything is perfect, either for our growth or our enjoyment.
4. Broadcast replays are available in the app for 24 hours only. If you want to continue to use the ‘scope as content, be sure to enable Autosave broadcasts in your settings before broadcasting for the first time. After the livestream, you’ll be able to grab the file off your phone and post to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, your website, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
5. It’s all about them hearts. Bout them hearts, bout them hearts… Tap anywhere on the screen to give the broadcaster some Periscope luv, the equivalent of applause to show you like what they’re doing or saying. Hearts collected over all broadcasts are a popularity metric on this platform. You can give a single heart at a time or you can really lay it on with what some people call a ‘heart party’; I call it a ‘heart attack’. (I might be just a tad twisted.) You tap like crazy to give the person a ton of hearts. And, yes, you can also heap a person with hearts during replays. It’s akin to ‘Liking’ something on Facebook, with the exception that on Periscope you can like something a WHOLE BUNCH of times.

So go download the app if you haven’t already and prepare to connect with your audience like you’ve never connected before. A moment’s courage and it’s done. Like me, you’ll never have to do it for the first time ever again!

What are some of the things you’ve learned about Periscope while exploring this new app, whether triumph or tragedy?

Please share your experiences with the rest of us in the comments below. I look forward to reading your stories!

Award-winning web professional Bonny Clayton, aka Your Web Chick, offers web design, support and maintenance for small business, with a specialty in WordPress.

A Tech Geek with a Creative Streak℠, she helps small business owners and entrepreneurs everywhere establish and maintain their online presence. She is committed to serving them according to their needs, whether that means “giving them a fish” or “teaching them to fish”.