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Meerkat & Periscope - Part 2

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How to get started with live video streaming?

 

Getting Started

Step one with either Periscope or Meerkat is pretty simple: Download the app and sign in with a relevant social network account.

Planning

The challenge in using either service is deciding what you want to stream, and organizing any prep work that needs to happen beforehand. While it can be tempting to just press the start button and launch into a streaming session, prep and planning can go a long way to ensuring you not only have an engaging session, but also protect against damaging your brand and/or customers.

Top tips to ask before streaming:

  • What do we want our viewers to get out of a live streaming session?
  • What do we expect to get out of this session? (Views, Feedback, Followers, etc)
  • How can we align the content so that both needs will be met?
  • How do we respond to negative comments (if at all)?
  • What ‘rating’ is our stream? Are we an ‘all ages’ stream, or are we okay with a bit of swearing and/or off color language? If all ages, have we prepped all participants with that expectation in mind?

You’ll also want to consider more brand-specific questions around terminology, topics to be avoided, and any major risks that may be associated with engaging in a dialogue with the public.

In short, it’s best to remember that if anyone may be watching, then it’s best to assume that EVERYONE is watching. What you do and say on stream can directly impact your brand image, both negatively and positively. Keep that in mind, and you should be able to plan content that’s both fun, and doesn’t place your brand at risk.

Ideas

Here are a few video streaming ideas to help get you started!

Introduce the Team

Help put a human face on your organization by introducing one or more of your team members. Have a few questions prepared to help break the ice, and then open up the conversation to viewers.

Educational

Live video streaming can be a great way to present more educational oriented information, in a way that allows your community ask additional questions, or seek better clarification without having to resort to contacting customer support. Released a big new feature that may not be easy to understand at a glance? Set up a session in which you walk through the process and answer questions from the community.

This can also be a great way to get more feedback on what is confusing and/or overly complicated about your product, directly from customers who might not otherwise take the time to send in a support ticket.

Q&A Session

Plan a Q&A session following a successful product launch or new feature release. Promote the upcoming event via your other social channels, and encourage active participation by answering select in-app comments.

Behind-the-Scenes

Share a little of the behind-the-scenes elements of your business with your community. This can be as simple as doing a quick tour around the office!

Sneak Peek

Have a new feature that you’re releasing soon and want to build excitement around? Provided you have approval to do so, showing off the new features prior to launch can be incredibly powerful. Just make sure you are prepared to deal with questions that you may not be able to answer at that time, and don’t accidentally give away any privileged and/or confidential information.

Celebrations

Celebrate big milestones by doing a steaming session in which you chat with and thank your community for their part in your success! A genuine, heart-felt thank you goes a long way, and including your community as part of your journey is a great way to show your appreciation, and gain valuable feedback along the way!

Resources:

Questions & Comments?

Have you enjoyed the series? Would you like to see a cheat sheet? Let us know and we might make one up for y’all.


Drop us a line via our Twitter account @wipsters!

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