Comment: The new kids on the social media block

Facebook. Twitter. Instagram… Isn’t there ever something new? I’ve asked myself this question a couple of times over the past years, but all too often the answer was “not really”. Social media has come of age and the excitement of the early years when new platforms popped up on almost a weekly basis appears to have died down a little.

Sure, there was Google+ some years ago, but then, like London buses on a bad day, nothing remarkable came along for quite some time, until — like London buses — three turned up almost at once: Snapchat, Periscope, and Meerkat. The latter, I assure you, isn’t a fluffy animal that roams around southern Africa, but the latest weapon in the marketers’ arsenal aimed at targeting those elusive millennials — travellers born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s.

If you have teenage children, chances are you’ve heard of Snapchat before. Snapchat lets users take photos, record videos, add text and drawings, and send them to a controlled list of recipients. The catch? Users can set a time limit for how long recipients can view their Snaps (currently between one and 10 seconds) after which they will be hidden from the recipient’s device and deleted from Snapchat’s servers. It’s this feature, which initially gave the app a somewhat negative reputation, however, over the past year, more and more businesses have taken a second look at the service and have come up with creative ways to use it for marketing purposes. Snapchat currently has approximately 82 million users, mostly between 13 and 35 years old.

In December last year, Marriott was the first international hotel brand to venture into Snapchat territory when it partnered with four digital influencers to create a series of travel stories distributed via Snapchat Stories, a service that lets you string together your photos and videos and keeps the resulting story available for users to view for up to 24 hours. Taco Bell and McDonald’s frequently uses Snapchat for new product announcements.

What’s in it for you, though? You don’t need to create elaborate campaigns like Marriott to tap into the power of Snapchat. The platform is very “now” and retains an air of exclusiveness and secrecy, so it could be an interesting option for lifestyle brands, clubs, and independent restaurants. Once you have built a good base of followers, you could use Snaps to distribute last-minute discount coupons, run super quick competitions, or simply engage followers and build a community that ties in with your existing social media strategy.

Personally, I’m far more excited about Periscope and Meerkat than Snapchat. Some may argue that’s due to my age, but I’d like to think it’s because they are simply more accessible and useful than Snapchat.

Periscope and Meerkat are both platforms that let you live-stream video from your mobile devices to your followers. Unlike Snapchat, I can immediately think of a great many ways in which hotels and restaurants can use Periscope and Meerkat. Equally “now” as Snapchat, but less mysterious, video live-streams are very popular and you can use them to broadcast events like the launch of a new property or outlet, or for the unveiling of a new menu. Last April, Hilton streamed an entire Nick Jonas concert to its Periscope followers as part of its Hilton@playconcert series.

Dolce Hotels & Resorts runs regular Periscope sessions and you can tune into them via the hashtag #dolcehotels every Wednesday at 11am Eastern time (7pm Dubai time). Jumeirah Group used Periscope during the 2015 Jumeirah Restaurant Week. Aside from potential marketing uses, Periscope and Meerkat have great potential for customer service.

Think live-streaming of show-arounds or getting one of your team members on property to live-stream a particular room or feature you’re just talking about to travel trade professional at a trade fair.

You could even let guests who have ordered food see how it is being prepared in the kitchen by live-streaming the action to their phones. Sure, you can also transmit video and have video chats using Skype or Google Hangouts, but what makes Periscope and Meerkat unique is the ability for potentially millions of users to subscribe to your live broadcast.

It’s like running around with a mobile TV studio in your jacket pocket.

Whatever you do: Keep it social!

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New social media platforms – Five things to do today

1. It’s worth nothing if nobody follows you: Before you get all excited about the possibilities of Snapchat, Meerkat, Periscope and Co., you need to build a good following on all platforms you’re planning to use. Use your existing social media platforms to let your followers know that you’re starting out on a new platform and give them a reason to join you there. Think exclusive content and behind-the-scenes features.

2. Try it out internally first: You’ve downloaded the app(s), you’ve read the descriptions, and you might think you know how it all works. Hang on a minute or two and conduct a few internal tests first, before going public. New platforms bring new opportunities, but also new pitfalls and it’s better to take a little longer to familiarise yourself with all the features than fail the first time you’re publicly using the service.

3. Consider your target audience: Before diving into the new social media platforms, consider their audiences and users. What do you have to offer to users between 13 — 35 years old? What do you want them to do? What do you want to find out? Remember, it’s supposed to be social and authentic.

4. Get creative: It isn’t just about marketing. Services like Periscope and Meerkat can be useful in many other situations. Try and think of situations where live-streaming and live interactions with your followers could come in handy and test out the new platforms.

5. It’s live; beware of the implications: Periscope and Meerkat are live platforms, which leave little room for mistakes. There’s no built-in delay, nor is there a rewind and delete button. Pick responsible team members to be the public face in front of the camera or to provide the commentary, and be mindful of copyright and privacy violations. Live-streaming property walk-throughs is fine, but accidentally capturing passers-by on video could land you in trouble.