New social media platforms are appearing everywhere, making it difficult for businesses to identify where they should spend their time and resources. One important consideration in making the assessment is understanding which forms of social media have, and are likely to maintain, a broad reach.
Two newer mobile social media platforms have emerged that appear to have sizeable user bases and some staying power: Snapchat and Periscope.
Snapchat allows anyone – or any business – to post photos and videos to their followers. The trick is that what is posted will disappear 24 hours later. Periscope enables the livestreaming of video so that it can be shared with other users in real time. Let’s consider the potential of both of these offerings in more depth:
Snapchat
Snapchat, launched in 2011, and originally named Picaboo, enables users to take photos and videos and share them with followers. Users can enhance their photos and videos with emojis, various types of filters, and a drawing function. After 24 hours, the content disappears.
About 150 million people use Snapchat every day. It is especially popular among millennials. Perhaps Snapchat’s best-loved feature is “Stories,” which allows users to string together images and videos throughout the day, creating a public slideshow. The feature is popular enough that Instagram recently rolled out a very similar version of the same video capabilities.
Businesses on Snapchat
Disney, Taco Bell and Acura are a few of the notable companies using Snapchat. Just about all the major North American professional sports teams also have Snapchat accounts. Individual athletes successfully use personal Snapchat accounts to give fans behind-the-scenes updates on their lives. Prominent business leaders like Gary Vaynerchuk, Mark Suster, and Justin Kan have also used Snapchat to grow their personal brands.
Periscope
Periscope, a video livestream mobile app, describes its mission as allowing one “to discover the world through someone else’s eyes.” Owned by Twitter, Periscope launched in 2015 and quickly accumulated more than 10 million users.
When a user logs in, he or she can find live broadcast streams from people he or she knows, or search for others based on subjects of interest. There is also a chat function that allows users to post comments and interact with other users in real time. Once the live streamer stops his or her live broadcast, the replay is available for 24 hours. Periscope posts can be accessed via Twitter.
Businesses on Periscope
Doritos, Nestle and Red Bull are among the major brands using Periscope to bolster their brand messaging, most typically by running contests and promoting events in which they’re involved. GE has used Periscope to provide a “peek behind the curtain” at some of its facilities, helping to demystify and humanize the company.
Any business might leverage Periscope and Snapchat to livestream conferences or presentations, or to create stories that heighten engagement with its audience. There are many more potential applications as well.
If you’re interest in learning more about Periscope, Snapchat, or other innovations in social media that might be employed to support your business, let us know. We are ready to help.