A new social media is in town

What is this Periscope thing you've been hearing about recently?

Periscope is a new social media platform owned by Twitter that lets you use video broadcasts to share cool things that are happening around you. In real time.

Yup, it's live broadcasting.

Replays to your videos are only available for 24 hours. After that, they're gone, so there's a real sense of urgency for people to join you live.

You might be thinking, “No, not another social media platform, I have enough of them to deal with!”

But you're here now reading this blog post because you might be curious.

Maybe this is a social media you can actually enjoy doing.

Maybe it'll be the game changer for your creative business.

Why you should care

Periscope is a whole different level of marketing.

Prior to this, we could sit in comfort behind our computer screens and promote our work via the written word or through pictures.

We had chances to press the delete or ctrl+z buttons and edit our photos.

There was a huge barrier between who you really are, what you do, and how you communicate it with the world.

This translates into a fancy word branding people call “authenticity“.

How much of you are you really showing to your customers?

People only buy from people they know, like and trust.

Step out of your comfort zone

I'm scoping because I want to grow as a person.

I used to grumble over how pictures of myself turned out.

I used to worry about saying the wrong things or people not understanding a word I'm saying.

I'm an introvert and I'm looking at Periscope as a way for me to step out of my comfort zone.

I've talked to many bloggers and creative entrepreneurs who are scared to use Periscope.

“Do I have to put on some clothes now?”

The expectation that Periscope is creating for us actually benefits us as “normal” people.

There's no expectation to put on make-up before you scope.

You don't have to dress up.

You don't have to come up with hours of content.

You just have to show up and be yourself.

It's a super casual environment and no one expects you to be flawless.

Periscope can help you:

• connect with your peers and customers at a deeper level
• be more comfortable in your own skin
• build community + friendships
• grow your email list
• make more sales and get booked

The technical stuff

To use Periscope, download the Periscope app to your iPhone or Android smartphone.

Because the app uses your phone primarily like Instagram does, your followers will get notified through their phone when you're broadcasting.

Once you stop broadcasting, your video will be available for replays for the next 24 hours.

After that and it gets deleted, but you have the option to save it to your phone for future repurposing.

When you broadcast, you can share it on Twitter to get your fans to join you.

A few extra things to note:

• Beware of trolls. The moment you spot one, don't engage and block them right away. I had two trolls in each of my first two scopes.
• Welcome people as they join your broadcast. Say hello!
• Have a plan for what you'd like to talk about and keep it short (a few minutes).
• Answer questions and comments as they come in so your audience feels like they're having a two way conversation with you!
• Put your phone on airplane mode with wifi on so you don't get interrupted with phone calls

How other creative businesses are using it

@AmandaSueHowell at Cheeky Visionaries talks about how she works as a mompreneur with kids around the house. (And don't you just love her hair?!)

Amanda's scope was the first one I'd ever been on, and as a watcher it was so much fun.

I gave her hearts (tap on the screen) and made conversation with her and she talked right back with me!

Just being able to chat with her live and see her response in the video was an amazing feeling.

I loved watching Danielle Spurge + The Merriweather Council Blog showing off the result of her collaboration that's been five years in the making.

It wasn't more than a few minutes which made it easy to watch.

Danielle had just gotten her package of purses (with her embroidery on them) and we got a chance to experience it in the moment. It was so fun to be a part of the reveal!

Fine artist @SuzeFord from SuzeFord.com shares how art commissions work and gave great tips on how to approach an artist for one.

We get to see Suze hang out in her cool art studio with some jazzy John Mayer in the background.

And you have me on the bottom right, scoping about how to deal with copycats in your creative business.

I had @JohnnyCupcakes tune in – they're a huge t-shirt brand that I've been a fan of for years and it was awesome to see him be a part of the conversation.

How you can use it for your own business

1. Live Q&A sessions/customer support
2. Product demonstrations
3. New product releases
4. Studio tours
5. Behind the scenes/Work in progress
6. Casual chats around a topic relevant to your audience
7. Showcase your packaging
8. Share news and updates
9. Host interviews
10. Share your promos + sales
11. Share how your customers use your products/services + testimonials
12. Market research/surveys

What next?

Install Periscope on your phone and follow me @mei_pak (or search Mei Pak).

Join me in my upcoming broadcasts on small business tips and strategies!

Don't forget to say hi, ask questions, share my scope and leave some hearts.