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Now you may look at Periscope and think you have a pretty good idea who the early adopters are. I mean it’s not shocking to think “Who would like live video?” and come up with the following lists:
- Big companies with big marketing budgets who always want to try ‘the next thing’.
- Bored people.
- Teenagers.
- Sports people. (Think about it, what else besides sporting events and The Bachelor do we all collectively watch live really?)
In our little series here, we’re going to treat businesses that sell products and businesses that sell services separately, not because they are actually very different but because some of the applications can be seen as slightly different. Here are a few types of service providers I found one afternoon on Periscope…
Workout Professional
If someone is going to be yaking in your ear for an hour as you huff and puff on the treadmill, wouldn’t you want to know this person’s style first? My one and only session with a personal trainer didn’t go so hot because we just didn’t jive and I would have loved to be able to have known that up front.
Getting to know personal trainers on Periscope is a low risk method. In learning not only whether someone prefers squats or stair climbs, you can also find out a little deeper about their personal philosophy, experiences, and more. We found a rooftop chat from a Denver area fitness professional:
Note from Paranoid Middle Aged Nicole: You may want to be careful about broadcasting where you live. You can actually disable location settings with Periscope. If you are a parent/wanting to be extra careful about this kind of stuff generally, this article has a pretty good non-technical explanation of some concerns.
Financial Planners
As we’ve worked with financial planners in the past, I know what a landmine social media can be for them in regards to all the regulations on their industry.
I saw a financial planner on Periscope and my first thought was “How is she getting away with that?”
Turns out live video broadcasts straddle the line between ‘public communication’ and ‘broadcasting’. (You can register and read the article we read here.)
Again, if I am going to be sharing my personal finances with someone and need to trust them, what better way than seeing them on video to give me an idea of if we’ll get along or not?
Social Media Consultant
This one’s a no brainer. But I liked this person’s application of the Periscope technology. Videotaping a conference presentation on Periscope not only allows non-attendees to see what you have to say but lets people know you are speaking at that conference. Sort of instant cache. And if you want to get better as a speaker, what better way to get feedback than from stone cold strangers who don’t want to look you in the eye? (In this case, there were glowing reviews but you get what I’m saying; if someone was going to be critical, this would be a relatively ‘safe’ way for them to do so.)
Think about it, if you’re going to hire someone to do services for you or your business, don’t you want to get to know them? That’s what Periscope allows you to do… from the comfort of your own smartphone.
Service businesses can communicate a lot about not only the owners but the customer service experience using video. If someone wants to know if your cafe is loud or what it’s like to get a pedicure at your spa, video is a great way to show not tell. We all are getting to the point in our Instagram lives where we kind of know those photos are staged but staging a perfect 20 minute live video would be difficult to impossible. (Aside: this video about ‘Instagram Husbands’ made me chuckle the other day.)
If your a service professional, how do you see yourself using Periscope? If live video isn’t your thing, how do you educate you prospective customers?
Previous posts:
Non-profits and Live Video
Product Businesses and Live Video