Periscope vs. Snapchat Marketing: A Comparison

Snapchat and Periscope have been the hub of social media debate over the past several months. Live streaming has become trendier than ever with major social networks like Facebook and YouTube modeling after Periscope. Whereas Snapchat is the number one social media app among youth. The largest age demographic for both apps is millennials (approximately 14 to 32-year-olds), which is a highly desired market.

Because social media is a key ingredient in any recipe for marketing success, many brands have started to wonder whether to use Snapchat vs. Periscope for business. Since Snapchat offers live streaming in some capacities, a number of business owners don’t see the point of having a Periscope account. However, apps like Periscope and Meerkat, that are focused solely on live streaming, bring a whole new dynamic to the table. Periscope is solely committed to live-streaming, and live-streaming just may be the future.

The purpose of marketing on either app is to connect with the audience and start a conversation about your brand. Big blogs and vlogs are scary, but 10-second video snaps and face-to-face live stream sessions are warm and welcoming. Because the apps are pretty similar, they have a lot of the same marketing techniques. In the article below, we will try to provide unique marketing advice for each social network to help you determine what’s best for your business.

Marketing With Periscope

Marketing expert, Vincenzo Landino, tweeted about Periscope recently,

“Periscope is being picked up by the masses. If you are looking to reach a broader audience right now, Periscope is how.”

The very idea of live streaming is exciting—it enables viewers to experience anything with anyone from the comfort of their own home. To you learn what kind of live streams your target audience loves, here are some specific ways that Periscope can promote your business:

• Interview relevant people
• Host Q&A sessions
• Reveal behind the scenes action
• Promote live events
• Introduce new products
• Hold webinar-like discussions
• Share valuable insider tips
• Create an adventure

Although any social network can be used to market events, your Periscope marketing strategy should especially focus on live events. When users access your live streams, they want to be constantly entertained. You have to hold your audience’s interest for the entire length of your live stream. When you attend a company- or niche-specific event, viewers feel like they are attending it, too. It is an immersive experience, so take advantage of it by allowing your audience to join you at a live event.

Avoid live streams that go on and on. Instead, keep them concise. This is one reason why Snapchat is so successful, as its entire platform relies on quick viewing, so be sure to use Periscope similarly. Choose a captivating title for your streams and make sure the first 10-30 seconds of it are highly engaging. Many viewers will drop out within the first minute if they are not enthralled. Hook your initial audience by sparking conversation, revealing stunning live visuals, or building up excitement for what will happen in the upcoming stream.

PRO TIP: Keep in mind the time demographics of your audience. Determine what time zones they lie in, then pick a time where they will likely be available. For example, if your target audience is college students, you might want to pick a weekday evening or a Sunday afternoon. Although live streams require everyone to attend at the same time, which may decrease your viewership, this can be a plus because it enables people to prioritize your brand.

Marketing With Snapchat

Most Snapchat users follow a lot of people and brands. In fact, the average active user receives 20-50 snaps per day. Your brand should not take up half of your audience’s Snapchat feed. At most, send only a few snaps each day, but make sure each snap is valuable. Millennials admire spontaneity, so don’t plan on setting daily or weekly quotas. Otherwise, you might end up creating content just to meet that quota instead of focusing on the quality of your snaps. Check out these Snapchat marketing strategy ideas:

• Get inspired by the best Snapchat campaigns ever
• Offer Snapchat-only discount codes
• Utilize stickers, filters, and doodles
• Hold a Snapchat takeover
• Share daily tips, quotes, or tidbits
• Offer the latest industry-related news
• Create a mini entertainment series
• Host quizzes, questions, and contests
• Capture inspiring visuals

Marketing millennial Everette Taylor’s top Snapchat tip goes as follows: “The fact is, for most – originality on Snapchat is lacking. The best way to bring value to users on Snapchat is by providing a variety of content that your users will either find entertaining or helpful information.” As Snapchat grows older, a lot of Snapchat marketing campaigns are failing because they use old strategies. Your brand will gain a lot more success by creating unpredictable and original content.

Do not be afraid to interact directly with your followers on Snapchat. Periscope excels in this category, as live streaming is highly interactive and viewers can ask questions directly during streams. You can counteract this by making Snapchat as personal and interactive as possible. Although you may not be able to reply to every snap your followers send you, you can certainly chat with them or send as many replies as you can. Snapchat for marketing is almost essential, so do not neglect it.

PRO TIP: Lately, Snapchat has been adding a lot of updates and new features. When using Snapchat for business, you must keep up with the latest trends. Follow Snapchat’s blog and social media accounts to be the first to know the newest features. For example, Geostickers are the app’s most recent innovation. Snapchat has become its own little sphere of mobile activity, and brands who are always one step ahead of the game will succeed in that sphere.

Next Steps

Even though both apps are superb marketing tools, if we had to choose just one to market your business with, which would it be? Although Snapchat is currently leading the social video app market, I have to say that Periscope ultimately comes out on top. Think about it: it is the next Snapchat. Snapchat is trending now, but experts agree that the future of social video lies in live streaming.

One authority affirms, “Who do you think had a better chance of producing a viral YouTube video: the hundreds of creators who started in 2005 and 2006, or the millions who are trying to catch up in 2016? The principle is simple: the longer you wait, the less power you will have in the live streaming market.” Snapchat has been created exactly five years ago, while Periscope has only been around for about 18 months. Periscope is new, and that alone gives it more power.

What should you do now? Create a Periscope and Snapchat account! Of course, creating the accounts is the first step. After that, follow the marketing tips above to grow your audience and expand your social influence. Although the verdict lies with Periscope, it cannot stand on its own. No matter what, the more social networks you use, the more exposure you will get and the more authority you will build. But you must start today.