New #SocialRoundup: How New Live-Streaming Video Applications are Changing Views on Content

It’s estimated that nearly three-fourths of the world’s mobile data traffic will be in the form of video content by 2019, with an expected 13-fold increase between 2014 and 2019. And more than half of the mobile devices connected to the network will be “smart” ones. As mobility continues to expand, Cisco, like many brands, is exploring the most innovative ways to integrate real-time video with our social media to engage with customers, influencers and employees.

YouTube and Google+ Hangout On Air have been steady options. But newer tools like Periscope and Meerkat allow users to share and watch live video broadcasts around the world using a mobile device. And these tools are changing the way we use live-streaming video apps.

Periscope, which is owned by Twitter, is an app we at Cisco have already begun using to share our content. At our recent Cisco Live! IT education and training conference in San Diego, our #CiscoChat events –an ongoing social chat program where technology and business experts come together so you can have the opportunity to engage and ask questions of them in real time – were truly live as our team used Periscope to share behind the scenes videos.

Periscope was a highly effective way for us to engage with attendees as well as those not onsite. Combining #CiscoChat with Periscope enabled us to create social chats that were more visually engaging. The audience can still tweet questions using the hashtag #CiscoChat but the spokespeople can respond through Periscope rather than being limited to 140-character tweets. This proved to be highly successful during a conference when you may not have access to a laptop or computer but can still rely on your mobile phone.

Another great feature of Periscope is that each broadcast is also assigned a Twitter url, making it easy to share with subscribers before a public broadcast. And for 24 hours after the live broadcast, subscribers are able to watch the broadcasts as many times as they choose by simply going to the Watch Tab on their Periscope app. To re-watch any broadcast beyond 24hours, subscribers simply have to save it to their individual devices.

Our Periscope videos saw 766 views, garnering an average of 2.9 “hearts,” which are considered online “applause” in the Periscope community. This high level of engagement – i.e. people who took the time to show appreciation for the #CiscoChat discussions – is one of the reasons this type of technology looks promising for future of brand outreach and consumer connection.

I’ve touched on the rise of mobile apps, the popularity of “gamification” and how digital content is changing everything about how we share information and the information we have available to share. It honestly amazes me to see the potential that new platforms make possible for us here at Cisco, especially given the unconventional ways we can appeal to audiences who have grown weary of hard sales, “look here, buy from us” ads, and those who want to truly get to the heart of where their favorite brands lie. And while the idea behind Periscope is not necessarily new, the way it drives engagement and empowers us to take it to a new level is.

Do you currently use Periscope? If so, how has it changed your view on the brands you follow and interact with? Share your experiences with us below.