Periscope is the hottest new social media trend which allows users to live stream video content to their Twitter audience. It can be used to announce new services, answer frequently asked questions or even to demonstrate certain exercises that patients can do at home to alleviate common injuries. Let's discuss marketing using Periscope and whether or not this emerging platform is a viable option for your PT clinic.
Periscope is the hottest new social media app that s taking the world by storm. Owned by Twitter, Periscope has already racked up more than 10 million users since it launched back in March 2015. It basically allows you to 'go live' and broadcast a video feed to your followers using any compatible mobile device. It is very much an interactive way to communicate with your followers able to leave comments and feedback during your broadcast which you can answer in real time. There is no limit on the length of your broadcasts, but they will only be available for 24 hours after which time they are deleted. However, you can save your own broadcasts to your device and then publish them online like any other video if you want them to be available for longer. The best thing is, because the app is owned by Twitter you can sign in using your existing Twitter handle!
Periscope is new and innovative and because of this, brands are coming up with all sorts of different ways to use it as a marketing tool . Many of these a very easy to adapt to marketing your physical therapy clinic. Here are just some of the ways that you could utilize Periscope.
Live Demonstrations – All sorts of brands are using Periscope for live product demonstrations and you can too – after all, your services are your products. Why not stream a mock consultation to give people who have never been to a physiotherapist before some idea what to expect. Alternatively, you could demonstrate some basic exercises for common ailments such as back pain.
Share News – Periscope is also a great way to share news about your clinic. Changed your opening hours? Added a second location? Or maybe you are just taking part in a local community event. Whatever your news is, sharing it via Periscope is a fun and interactive way to do it.
Live Broadcast An Event From Your Perspective – We mentioned sharing news of your involvement in community events via Periscope, but why not go one better and live stream the event through your eyes? This is what the creators of the app originally envisioned. An great example would be if your city has an annual marathon or charity fun run. You could be at the event offering free check ups to the runners, if so then share your experience of the event by live streaming it. Don't forget you can save your broadcast to upload later on YouTube or even Facebook. Although Periscope is in vertical format, there are some smart hacks that you can use to make it usable in a horizontal format for other platforms.
Build Your E-mail List : Another clever way to use Periscope is to build your e-mail list. During your broadcast, ask viewers to leave their email address in the comments and then add them to your database later. Alternatively, you could give out a URL for them to visit to sign up!
One of the really cool aspects of Periscope is that you can choose to broadcast publicly, or you can do so privately with a select group of invited viewers. This opens up so many possibilities. You could offer live Q & A sessions to particular clients. For example, you could invite seniors to watch you speak on preventing injuries and let them put forward their own fears and concerns, or you could do a 'pregnant women' session to discuss exercise to alleviate back pain in pregnancy. The possibilities are endless.
Periscope is just one of the many ways that you can engage with patients using social media. PatientSites.com can help you to explore other ways to harness the power of social media to market your PT clinic. Call us today on 866.565.4746 for more information, or book a free demo.