Meerkat, Periscope, and the Future of Mobile Video

Apr 2015

If you’ve been following the latest scoop in content marketing universe over the past few weeks, chances are the names “Meerkat” and “Periscope” have crossed your radar at least a couple of times.

Introduced at South by Southwest (SXSW) back in mid-March, Meerkat kicked off a worldwide conversation about the rise of live mobile video. It certainly wasn’t the first app of its kind on the scene (Ustream has been offering a streaming video app since 2009), but it was the first to boast an automatic social media function — as soon as you started broadcasting, the app would automatically tweet a link out to your Twitter followers.

Not to be outdone, Twitter got in on the game by buying Periscope, which launched a couple of weeks ago. Unlike Meerkat, Periscope allows the broadcaster to replay the footage after the ‘cast has ended.

The Rise of Live

Believe me, I can hear the face-palming from here. “I just got the hang of YouTube,” the beleaguered content marketer wails, “and now I have to start broadcasting live?”

Welcome to the latest irony to hit the field of online and offline interaction: Now that on-demand has become de rigeur, we crave live experiences all the more, particularly those experiences that allow us to hold a conversation in real time.

Witness the rise of live-tweeting around popular TV shows. Networks arrange for cast members to be on Twitter to interact with the audience even as the action is taking place on their screens.

And the last time you went to a conference or other in-person event, did one of the screens feature a real-time Twitter feed to capture the “conversation about the conversation?”

So in a way, it’s only natural that live is the next big thing when it comes to video. Whatever the reason, it’s here to stay … now, how do we use it?

How Live Video Works

With live streaming video, you can have your own online channel that’s dedicated to broadcasting your live streams. Your channel is always there, regardless of how much or how little you choose to broadcast.

When you’re not streaming, visitors to the channel will see some kind of placeholder. As soon as you tap the “broadcast” button, your audio and video will go out to all who have your channel pulled up on their devices.

How to Use Live Video

First of all, relax — good old on-demand video isn’t going anywhere. Those video assets of yours on YouTube, Vimeo, SlideShare, and other sites are as valuable as they ever were.

That said, there are certain opportunities that are made for sharing in a live setting:

1. Big Announcements

Live video lets you call host your own press conferences without leaving your office. Invite your contacts just as you would for an in-person announcement and give them the link to your channel, plus the date and time of your broadcast.

2. Live Events

Any time you host a live event — from an intimate workshop to a full conference — you can stream the proceedings live from your channel, offering a glimpse to those who were unable to attend. (Some of the larger conference organizers offer an “online ticket” and charge for the privilege of attending via your live channel.)

3. Q&A and Live Conversations

If one of your subject matter experts (SMEs) is hosting a live “ask the expert” event on Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit, live video adds a more personal component to the conversation. Just make sure you also have a moderator to feed incoming questions to the SME and keep the conversation lively.

4. Free Access to Paid Content

One of the most creative uses of live video comes from the online classes provider CreateLive. You can access just about any class live for free via live video streaming, or you can attend on-demand for a fee.

So if you’re planning a paid content asset, a live broadcast allows you to launch it with a splash and test it with a live audience before putting it out there as a product.

Want to learn more about using video content to attract and retain business? Join us on April 22 for our next VIP Webinar, Action! Boost Your Brand with Video Content — grab your spot today!

2 Comments

Martin Lindeskog says:

April 9, 2015 at 1:17 pm

Rachel: Have you tested Bambuser live video service? I have downloaded Meerkat and Periscope on my smartphone, but I haven’t tested them yet. I wonder if I can incorporate these services into my podcasting schedule and content creation.
- Rachel Parker says:
  
  April 9, 2015 at 7:35 pm
  
  Hi, Martin! I had not heard of Bambuser — have you used them? You might think about doing a “live” version of your podcast — create it as a live streaming video, then save the audio and upload it as a podcast episode. Let me know how it goes!

Our Clients Are Saying

Added 5 figures to my business in less than 4 weeks

Rachel took the overwhelm and stress out of writing content for my marketing campaign! When I approached Rachel, I was really concerned that I wouldn’t have the time to focus on writing copy for a lengthy marketing campaign that included sales pages, solo emails, newsletters and social media updates. Well, let’s just say I’m glad I hired Rachel because I couldn’t have done it without her support and expertise. I loved how she used my voice and words to craft content that helped me reach and attract my ideal client. As a result of working with Rachel, I added 5 figures to my business in less than 4 weeks, hundreds of new social media followers and exceeded my sales and list building goals! You know your marketing copy is working when you hear someone say, “I see you everywhere”. Thank you Rachel for helping me not only get seen by my ideal clients but get paid!
Increased our likes and interaction rates

Working with Rachel was a delight. Not only does she communicate very well, but she provided valuable insight about our social media platforms and followers. We have much better engagement with our fans and followers, which increased our likes and interaction rates.
Social Media Ranking Better Than Ever!

We are so happy to have hired Resonance for our social media needs. We spend most of our time serving our clients and studying our field so we can provide the highest quality possible. We no longer worry about our social media, as we have total confidence in the wonderful work Rachel and her team have accomplished.

Our social media is active, promoted, and is ranking better than ever! People often comment about what they see on our Facebook page. Resonance has added a creative, and artistic twist to our social media that is appealing and captivating to our audience. This has allowed me more time to work with my team and clients, so I can focus on service towards the people that help our business grow.

I know there will be wonderful content on Facebook, and that Rachel will answer to posts, comments and questions as soon as a comment arrives. I am often impressed at how quickly she responds! Thank you Resonance! I highly endorse Resonance and encourage companies who need social media strategies to work with Resonance! You won’t regret it!
Professionalism and Sincere Desire to Help

I just didn’t seem to be able to find the time or the right words to explain what I offer and how my company helps people accomplish their goals. Rachel was able to ask me some questions, do some research and capture my voice while writing my website copy exactly as I needed it to be written. Now, the copy on my website is much more professional than what I would have created and having this task handled by Rachel and Resonance freed up my time to complete other tasks I am better suited to do.

It was a joy to work with Rachel. Her professionalism and sincere desire to help was apparent from the first communication until the final delivery. I will definitely use Resonance again and highly recommend their services.
Event Sold Out Two Years In A Row!

Rachel worked with me on creating a content marketing calendar and content for the Big Social Media Summit (Big SMS) three years in a row. She is very organized and knows just the right amount of posts on social, email newsletters and content to send. Her content marketing efforts helping us sell out our event three years in a row! I am expecting the same for October 2014.

Rachel was hired to write content for our email newsletter and content for our social platforms. In addition, she had a budget to do advertising on social media. She participated in the event live and after the fact to assure buzz was created before, during and after the event. As a result, our event sold out.

When I work with Rachel, I have total peace of mind. I know that she is on target, on time, reliable and delivers over and above the results I expect.

I trust Rachel totally with her ideas on strategy, marketing and the content used to not only promote our events, but also post on my behalf on social networks. I have been doing social media for 8 years, and I hire Resonance to post on some of my social sites as it saves me time, and keeps my social sites relevant and current. They always post great, engaging content that gets my social properties likes, comments and shares.
Increased website traffic, New Lead Generation

We were experiencing a lack of internal resources to consistently maintain the Ustream blog. So we turned to Resonance Content Marketing to write blog posts on current industry topics while maintaining a consistent tone with the brand. The result is increased website traffic, new lead generation from gated assets on blog, and better educated/qualified leads. And I now have more time to spend on marketing strategy with the confidence that the content we push out is extremely well written and engaging.

Rachel is an amazing writer and has really managed to create engaging and relevant blog material on topics that aren’t always super interesting. On many occasions, she has been able to quickly turn around one-off requests and the results are always top-notch. She has also helped guide our content strategy based on her expertise in content marketing, which has been a huge asset to our team.
One of the best “vendor” relationships I’ve ever had.

My company had little or no time to spend on social media. Our needs were to ensure a steady stream of posts across three platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter) by harvesting and re-purposing content from our own site and news streams. So I contacted Rachel Parker of Resonance Content Marketing.

The result was two-fold. Not only did our ranks of followers grew steadily, the steady drip, drip, drip of content helped us train our personnel and direct their own individual social media efforts.

Rachel and her team are extremely organized and open to discussion and new ideas. They deliver a rapid response to new opportunities — and an overall feeling of being on the same team. One of the best “vendor” relationships I’ve ever had.
Produced ROI Result

Form.io needed someone who could grasp the complexities of our product, capture the subtlety of our differentiating value propositions, and convey them in the right voice for an exacting customer audience…. Resonance delivered, by crafting a multi-faceted online content marketing strategy that drove traffic and conversion, producing the ROI result we were looking for….