Deciding which social media tool to use can be a big step especially for well-established brands or even ones just starting out. Why may you ask? Because you want to be sure to pick the tool that will enhance and compliment your business. You don’t, however, want to jump on every new social media bandwagon because it may not do any justice to your brand at all. For now, let’s take a look at Periscope and Instagram two of the hottest tools around right now.
Instagram allows users to share and to connect instantly with friends, family, and brands through a quick post of a picture. The reach on Instagram is incredible, and it seems as if almost every major brand has an account. The beautiful thing about this tool is that you can be as creative as you wish. Posting pictures are the main feature of the company; you can adjust the filters, brightness, contrast, color, and more. It’s perfect for professionals if they are familiar with these types of editing tools.
The video is another excellent feature of this application. Sometime after the company had launched it introduced video capability. At first, they only allotted 15 seconds for a video post, but it recently expanded to 30 seconds giving people, even more, time to share their stories or messages.
Hashtags make it easy to connect on Instagram if you don’t know the purpose of hashtags is follow, find, or even contribute to a conversation. For example, when the Grammy’s are on to see who is talking about the award show you can enter #grammys and all of the discussions revolving around the show will pop up. Hashtags are neat because you can create your own for your brand as there aren’t any specific guidelines. I would recommend keeping them relevant, short, and memorable.
Periscope a live video streaming application is the new kid on the block so to speak. It’s owned by Twitter and was launched a little over a year ago. The tool is fantastic especially for brands that are more visual or may need to provide tutorials or anything related to speaking or showing. This tool is a mobile application that allows you to broadcast videos live from wherever you are. With a few clicks you can connect with people in almost any part of the world. Once you start a live broadcast it is entirely interactive, viewers can comment and ask questions.; this is an excellent way to engage with your audience and even meet others within your industry.
Well, back to my thoughts on the showing and telling part of this application. I think this tool would be useful for someone in the fashion industry, who perhaps wants to show an audience how to style an outfit or even an artist who wants to display their work. The great thing about this tool is that there isn’t a time limit on how long the videos needs to be like on Instagram. Although I would suggest keeping them under 1 hour to 45 minutes or perhaps even shorter, the goal is to get people to view your content and listen in. If the video is too long, I am confident you will lose them. Also, keep in mind even though the application is available on the desktop the majority of users are probably viewing from their phone. So, instead, consider doing short 15-minute video series and break them up over a course of a week.
Another great thing with Periscope is that you have the option to allow your videos to be viewed a minimum of 24 hours after you post or you can keep it up indefinitely. If you decide to take the route of creating a mini-series, your audience can always go back and view the missed videos at their convenience.
One last difference is unlike Instagram where you will have to build your audience from scratch; Periscope is amazing because if you have a Twitter account, you can instantly connect with your Twitter followers that already have an account. If you are familiar with the application and have been a little hesitant to try it, you may want to note that you no longer need a Twitter account to open an account to broadcast from Periscope.
Social media has to be one of the greatest tools ever invented for connecting with people and business. With a simple a click of a few buttons, people can share thoughts and comments, short video clips, pictures, i.e. It is a great tool for branding and getting your message across to potential clients and business partners. While Periscope and Instagram have the same concept which is connecting people, they do vary in how content is shared and the time it takes to create a post. If you don’t have an account for either of the application or are still on the fence, you can click the links below to learn more and to download.
Share your comments below.
Sunsets and Sequins 
Astrid,
I liked your first post about some of the tools used by businesses in social media. I totally agree that both Instagram and Periscope are excellent choices for a lot of entertainment, leisure, travel, cuisine and fashion industries. I’m sure there are many more out there but for times sake, lets just leave it at those. The reason I chose these industries is because I feel that they have the most to gain from these applications. Especially with travel. When selling travel, video, audio and pictures help to portray the destination and experience you are trying to sell. Most travelers today use these applications to share with friends and family their experiences abroad. The travel industry owes a big thank you to the social media outlets who have increased their business significantly over the years. If you take a look at my second blog post I share some statistics that may blow you away. I really have never used periscope myself but I can see how this is attractive. One industry that has been using this feature most is the radio industry and morning talk shows. Have you ever wish to be in the studio so you could see what’s going on? What they look like? Who they have on air? I always have and not with Periscope they can make this possible. A local radio show called “Greg and the Morning Buzz” uses Periscope as well as Facebook live when they host live events in the studio or may have a special guest in studio with them. I have to tell you that hundreds if not thousands of listeners tune into their live broadcast as its happening and may more watch it afterwards. Very cool applications over all. This world has turned into an audio visual world where a news article must come with a direct link to a video for listeners to engage Reading takes too long and a 30 second video can give me the audio visual experience I may not get through reading it in a shorter period of time. American especially are always on the go, so I can see how this new feature may be appealing.
My one question I leave with you is, how do you know, “as a bossiness” which application, social media tool is appropriate for you? If you owned a business would you handle social media yourself or hire a third party company to do it for you? I personally would pick the latter.
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My creative side was drawn to the word “artist” in your title, so I knew I had to check it out. Before reading this post, I did not know much about Periscope. I had heard of it, but never really understood how it was different from Snapchat or Instagram. I really appreciate the level of detail that went into describing the tool, as I feel quite informed now. I definitely agree with your thoughts about how fashion companies would find the tool useful. One thing about other platforms, is that the posts can be redone over and over again before a follower sees it. The post can be perfected. I think it adds extra edge and a bit more transparency when the videos broadcast live. After reading your post, I found an article that suggested someways in which businesses could use Periscope. One of those suggestions was to build Twitter followings, which makes sense since you mentioned that it is a owned by Twitter. Another suggestion, was to use it for live question and answer sessions, which you also mentioned in your post. I think that idea is amazing! Social media tools have really opened up a more instant line of communication for businesses and their consumers.
Edwards, S. (2015, July 01). How Brands Are Paving the Way for Periscope Marketing. Retrieved June 23, 2016, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/247920
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Hi Astrid!
Periscope is a very interesting social media platform. It is great that it connects with Twitter so that you don’t necessarily have to find a new set of fans and followers. Periscope is great for businesses that want to show off product demos or behind the scenes (McCullough, 2015). It is also exciting that you can interact with the videos. This is a great way for businesses to develop deeper relationships with influencers (McCullough, 2015). Another great suggestion from McCullough (2015) for using Periscope is “… to tune into specific broadcasts, turn on your push notifications and then mute everyone except the people you want to connect with.” Sometimes it is easier to communicate via pictures or videos, so Instagram and Periscope are excellent choices for this.
Reference
McCullough, C. (2015). 6 Ways to Use Periscope for Your Business : Social Media Examiner. Socialmediaexaminer.com. Retrieved from http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/6-ways-to-use-periscope-for-your-business/
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Astrid,
I very much enjoyed your first blog post; periscope and Instagram tools for the artist in you. You clearly and concisely described the benefits of two social media platforms identifying the associated pros and cons of each application. Your blog informed me and inspired me.
I looked into the history of Periscope as I was less knowledgeable on this application and learned that it was developed by Beykpour and Bernstein while traveling abroad in 2013. The idea was first realized when Beykpour traveling in Istanbul learned of the protests breaking out in Taksim Square and began following the updates on Twitter. Twitter was a great way to read about the protests but not to see what was happening; thus Periscope. Amazing how ideas come about.
As you outline in your blog Periscope was acquired by Twitter, coincidentally, in 2015. Most recently in the news was the use of Periscope in politics! Democrats broadcasted their “sit-in on the house floor” in protest to the GOP’s failure to bring gun control legislation up for a vote after the mass shooting in Orlando. (Trujillo, 2016) This is a prime example of how social media is shaping how we receive information.
Reference:
Trujillo, M. (2016). Periscope shines during House blackout. Retrieved June 25, 2016, from http://thehill.com/policy/technology/284805-periscope-shines-during-house-blackout
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Hi Astrid,
Very interesting post. As the presence of the social media is currently seen in the various ways and means of communication. For example, television, radio and press have created profiles in the social networks in order to remind of their existence, to inform about the latest news regarding the program or content, as well as to represent themselves. It means that a significant amount of energy, resources, and effort is invested in and dedicated to the communication in the Internet environment. The social media Web sites are supplemented along with the homepages; thus the notion of the mass media cannot be interpreted only in the usual sense – it is also viewed as a transformation.
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Astrid,
Interesting blog. I don’t have periscope and didn’t realize all the capabilities behind it. My first opinion was no one would be interested in watching my everyday life because it is not that exciting. Although from a business perspective, I can imagine why having it would be beneficial. My question to you is how much data would Periscope use for users? I would assume a good amount since it involved live streaming. I recently entered a contest to win free rent for a year in Cambridge, MA (wish I won) and they announced the winner over periscope. I had no idea how to access the video after the live feed and figured I didn’t win. I would still prefer Instagram as a better business opportunity right now however based on the recent trends. For example there are over 300 million daily active users of instagram (Expanded Ramblings) and about 1/5 of internet users utilize Instagram. Really powerful numbers. Nice blog!
Resources:
180 Amazing Instagram Statistics. (2014). Retrieved June 26, 2016, from http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/important-instagram-stats/
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Astrid
Thank you for you post and you did a great job! Also, thank you for explaining the concept behind Periscope as well. I mentioned it on my post, but only did a little snippet of it because I have yet to explore Periscope. However, I do believe it is a very interactive social media platform which allows a person to be able to express whatever it is they want too. I do believe both Instagram and Periscope brings out the artistic side of people. This is another reason why I love social media because I am able to express my creative side that I do have. Shout out to all the different social media platform out there who has made our lifestyle even better than before!
-Tyrrell Bennett
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Hello Astrid!
What an informative and substantive post! Definitely an enjoyable read. I completely agree with you that Instagram and Periscope are great tools for both creative, artistic people and business professionals. While I am more active on Instagram than on Periscope, I certainly see the value in being involved with Periscope. After reading your post, I feel that businesses should be more active on Periscope because it allows them to truly connect with their clients in realtime. While there are many potential drawbacks to this interaction, I feel the positives will definitely outweigh the negative! Furthermore, I enjoyed how you presented your information to the readers. Your post has lots of valuable information while not being boring. The way you presented factual information along with your own opinions and thoughts made your post enjoyable and easy to get through. I thoroughly enjoyed your past and can’t wait to see what else you have to say!
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