Social media is a constantly evolving form of technology. From the early days of Xanga and Myspace, to the global Internet takeover by powerhouse companies such as Facebook and Twitter, social media has a huge impact on the way people have lived their everyday lives for the past two decades.
When a new social media platform, or application, pops up on the radar, it’s important for businesses to research how they can utilize this new tech to become more connected with their customers.
So what are the newest apps that are making waves in the social world? Introducing: Meerkat and Periscope.
What Are They?
Meerkat and Periscope are both apps that allow users to live stream video of whatever they’re doing, whenever they’re doing it, through the ever popular 140-character quick info app Twitter. When you start streaming your live video, your followers will get a notification telling them you are streaming live video. They can open up Twitter and watch your live stream. They can also leave comments while the video is playing. Periscope even has the option to watch video in the app itself, without having to log in to Twitter.
Meerkat was the first one of these two apps to premiere to the world, first showing up at the annual South By Southwest (SXSW) tech, music, and art festival in Austin, Texas, and quickly sent media and tech journalists into a frenzy. Although Twitter now limits the usage of Meerkat on its site, and is quickly being surpassed by Periscope in terms of active users, it was touted as the “next big thing” in social media and interactivity.
Periscope launched its own app shortly after, and has given Meerkat some very stiff competition, due to the fact that it is owned and endorsed by Twitter.
Effectively Using These Apps
So, what’s the point of these two apps, and how can your business use them to optimize connectivity with customers?
The No. 1 reason why these apps are great for business is they can give you the unprecedented opportunity to connect with people in a way that’s more honest and open than ever before.
Live streaming is different than posting a short video on other apps, like Instagram and Vine, because there’s no editing involved with them. What you stream is what people get, no matter if you make a mistake or shoot the wrong angle of something you’re trying to capture.
Although this can be intimidating to some people, it can be worth the risk because people will appreciate the honesty and realness of your interaction with them. That’s why more people are using Twitter and Facebook to voice their opinions to companies: because they know they can interact with businesses directly.
These apps can also be used for promotions. For example, you can send out a Tweet to all your followers that if they tune in to your live stream at a certain time, they’ll be treated with a promotional discount code, or exclusive offer. It’s a win-win situation for both parties. Not only will your customers appreciate the discount, and might possibly refer your company to others, but your company can bring in more potential customers through your promotion.
And make no mistake about it, customers remember the kind things you do for them, and will stick with your company if they know you care about them.
So don’t be afraid of the new tech that’s coming out each and every day in today’s world. There’s always something new and better, and there are always ways to use it to create a more connected and honest relationship with customers!
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