Periscope is Twitter’s live broadcasting tool, and it’s fast becoming the place to be to grow and develop your online brand. Large companies like Nestle, Tide, Fiat, and Taco Bell were quick to use Periscope for customer service, tutorials, Q&A sessions, and marketing campaigns.

Leadership and self-help experts like Michael Hyatt and Chalene Johnson, as well as celebrities such as Jimmy Fallon, are leveraging this tool to reach their fans directly and further develop their personal brands. It could be a great resource for your personal brand, too.

Here are 7 things to keep in mind as you get started on Periscope:

1. There are 10 million+ users. That’s how many people started using the app in just the first 4 months. They watch around 21 million minutes of content each day, in 25 different countries. That’s a big audience you could reach. Periscope is also now viewable on Apple TV. Pretty cool, huh?
2. Create your profile today. Periscope is still in its early days, so jumping on now means you have a better opportunity to build your profile, get followers, and gain an audience for your streams. Hint: make sure your profile name is your brand’s name or URL.
3. Dedicate time to a regular stream. Just like with other social media platforms, consistency is key. Michael Hyatt is doing a daily Periscope chat. While you don’t have to commit to a daily broadcast, choosing a regular day and time to stream will go a long way to help build your fan base. Keep in mind that most people view live streams. Video is only available for 24 hours and replays only account for 10-20% of viewership.
4. Create content that adds value to people’s lives. Yes, you can just show us what you’re having for lunch — but you won’t keep many viewers. Create content that’s interesting and delivers value. Consider live Q&A sessions, webinars, tutorials, streams of your live speaking engagements, and mini-trainings. Your only limit is your imagination. Think of what a powerful tool this could be for launching a book! You could conduct weekly book club readings and discussions. Readers would be thrilled to spend a few minutes each week discussing a book with its author and getting a deeper understanding.
5. Respond and interact in real-time. One of the beautiful, and very helpful, functions of Periscope is that you can immediately interact with people. This is not a space for you to pontificate from on high. Take time to connect, respond, and really develop relationships.
6. You’re not making videos, you are sharing your world. I’ve heard some people say that they aren’t good at making videos, so they don’t think Periscope will work for them. Periscope is about giving fans access to you, your life, your thoughts, your time, your attention. You don’t need any video skills. This is a purely point and shoot kind of thing. Just make sure the lighting is good. Your audience wants to see you. You can also use a tripod for your phone to make it easier as you’re talking, or enlist a friend to shoot for you during your live streams. Think of it as a window into your world… not the documentary of your life.
7. Experiment, evaluate, and reassess. Social media is about finding the outlet that best connects you with your unique audience. You don’t have to use very platform or every tool, but it is worth trying them out to see what fits. I suggest taking 4-6 weeks to experiment with a weekly or daily Periscope stream. At the end of that run, take a look at the numbers, evaluate what you’ve learned, and then determine if it’s the channel for you.

The future of social media is constantly evolving and changing. Periscope is the latest iteration, and it’s demonstrating some real power to bring people together.

Will you give Periscope a try?

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Christy Kirk

Christy Kirk, Vice President of Client Services, is a social media strategist, writer, and former television journalist, who’s done everything from launch a news department to create social content and strategy for Fortune 500 companies and brands including Pampers Diapers, Pantene, Luvs Diapers and Carlson Rezidor Hotels. Now, Christy manages marketing projects for Weaving Influence, with an emphasis on social media marketing. She is also a wife and mother of three children, one dog, and one cat. She loves reading, baking, running, hiking and exploring new places.