How You Can Use Hot New Apps Meerkat and Periscope - For Business

You’ve probably either never heard of Meerkat and Periscope or you’ve already heard way too much.

In the span of a few weeks, these two apps—which enable users to broadcast live video using their smartphones—have gone from relatively unknown to being among the hottest topics in tech. Meerkat had its big coming-out party last month at the annual South by Southwest festival. A week later Twitter launched its rival, Periscope, generating a lot of buzz.

There’s fierce debate around which of the (functionally similar) apps is better, but I won’t venture into that. One thing, however, is already clear to me: Whatever tool comes out on top, live-streaming technology will not be a passing fad. From a business perspective, there’s potential. At my company, we’ve already begun exploring ways to use it. Here are a couple early insights from the front lines:

Live-streaming as a tool for transparency and community building. Once a week, for the last three weeks, I’ve invited the world to a live Periscope broadcast in my office. When I open the app and tap “start a broadcast,” an invite automatically goes out to my Twitter followers. (I’ll also send a link to my LinkedIn and Facebook connections). From there, the invite is shared and re-shared across the social web, drawing in even more viewers. So far, hundreds of people have tuned in to ask me questions about Hootsuite and the state of social media. At times, the commentary and questions stream by so fast that I can hardly keep up.

To me, this is valuable primarily for its immediacy. I get unmediated, real-time input from customers, stakeholders and people interested in social media. I’ve had suggestions for future updates to my own product (including a Periscope integration), as well as feedback on what we need to be doing better and questions about features in the pipeline. Yes, some commentary is off-topic. But most of it is relevant, even eye-opening.

Meanwhile, viewers get to know me and put a face to the company. There’s a surprising level of connection and trust in a Periscope broadcast. Because the video is live and unedited with no second takes, there’s nowhere to hide. Admittedly, this kind of vulnerability isn’t for everyone. But for the right person, it’s an excellent way to build rapport with customers, humanize a company and create a personal attachment with a brand.

This same immediacy and authenticity could also prove valuable in a crisis communication scenario. Just as nothing escalates a crisis like obfuscation, delay and equivocation, nothing defuses a crisis quite like transparency. In the face of a product recall, service outage or other mishap, a live-streamed broadcast by a senior executive – with running questions and comments from users – could go a long way toward reassuring customers that their business is valued and the company has nothing to hide.

Live-streaming as a tool for marketing and promotion. Earlier this month, millions of viewers tuned in as Apple unveiled its long anticipated smartwatch at a live event called Spring Forward. As Steve Jobs and the rest of the Apple brain trust realized long ago, a live product launch, with all the unpredictability and drama that go along with it, makes for great marketing.

With live-streaming apps, startups can tap into some of that same energy and excitement when unveiling their own new products or just sharing company news. At Hootsuite, our social media manager Jaime Stein (always an early adopter of new technology) has started offering a weekly peek inside our company via Meerkat. He tags along each Monday as new employees are given a tour of our headquarters, from the various company departments to the gym and yoga room.

To build excitement, Jaime announces the live-stream a few days in advance on our company Twitter and Facebook channels. When he launches Meerkat, his followers are automatically alerted and we spread the news further on social media. Viewers tune in and comment as he introduces key employees (usually caught off guard), shows off Hootsuite’s dozen or so office dogs, explains the perks of our workplace and offers a live, running commentary on life here.

Our audience for these tours so far is in the hundreds, not the millions. But live-streaming has offered a new channel to shine a light on workplace culture and, of course, help with our efforts to recruit top candidates. Because it’s spontaneous and immediate, it attracts a demographic we wouldn’t normally reach.

Remember, in the not-too-distant past, when Twitter was shunned as a silly distraction for kids sharing updates on food? Today, it’s a crucial tool for networking, promotion and advertising, valued at more than $30 billion. The business use case for Meerkat and Periscope is still evolving. But it’s likely that, just as with Twitter, their true value will only become clearer in the months and years ahead.

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Image: Anthony Quintano