Tough love today, bb’s. If you haven’t gotten on Periscope yet and you are a business owner, you’re missing out. YOU’RE MISSING OUT, OK?
Let me throw some stats your way: 9 million people are on Periscope. 1% of those 9 million broadcast. That means there are 90,000 people broadcasting. I know that sounds like a lot but consider:
Social media knowledge bombs
- How many people are on Twitter (320 million a month) source
- How many Facebook pages there are (42 million) source
- How many Instagram pics get uploaded every day (40 million) source
And you’re competing against all of those already. Why not get on Periscope where you can be 1 of 90,000 instead of 1 in 307 million? I’ll even get all Hunger Games on you and say the odds are ever in your favor if it will make you realize that now is the time to jump on, not later.
You know how important it can be to get ahead of the competition in any way you can, so if I could steal your phone and download Periscope, I totally would. I see a lot of service-based entrepreneurs on there, business coaches and whatnot, but I don’t see a lot of product-based businesses on there, and that just blows my mind.
Consider that when you’re purchasing something online, you usually try to see it from all angles. Amazon has noticed this, which is why there are always a bunch of shots showing products from the top, bottom, side, whatever (case in point: these boots I bought for winter). So when your customer is purchasing something in your industry, why not make it easy for them to buy from you by showing them a video of you with the product?
You can hold it in your hand for scale (I am forever getting scale wrong when I buy something…everything is always smaller than I think it will be), you can show off the super fancy components or ingredients, you can even show your customers how you make the product! All of this is now available to you for the low entry fee of your time (and wifi).
Video marketing is the new way to get in the game. Using video broadcasts can actually improve your social media reach, like on Facebook.
Socialbakers found out that natively posting video to Facebook nearly doubled your organic reach…for free. FOR FREE. You know how you’re reaching, like, 6 people on Facebook now? Imagine if you could get out to more people each time, and not have to pay anything extra for it.
Youtube is now one of the largest search engines on the internet. People post the strangest shit on there…and it works. How many Youtube accounts are about nothing but unboxing stuff? There are people making BANK off of videos, and you should be one of them.
If you’re like me, though, the thought of slapping your face in front of a live camera and talking to people (or talking to no one) makes me reach for the Xanax. But if you’ve been in business long enough, you know about the concept of MVPs, or “Minimum Viable Products.” Essentially, it means shipping something that is good enough. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it has to be out there. If you wait for your product to be perfect, you’ll never launch. The same goes for broadcasts and scopes, just get it out there.
Yes, your first few times will be rough. Yes, you will need to get over looking at your face. But if you’ve taken the leap to start and run your own shop, then you’ve got it in you to get over those things and hop on to Periscope.
Take a deep breath and jump in with both arms open because getting on Periscope will set you up to be a pioneer in your industry, and that’s something you’ll regret not doing sooner.
Overcome your fears and anxieties by realizing that this marketing platform isn’t about you, it’s about your brand. If you want to succeed, you need to move to Adulttown and realize that there is a greater good out there, and being frozen due to fear will never make you money. And, obviously, follow me and give me hearts because you know I’m a sucker for validation.
