This is the Transcript of the #WeddingMarket Chat on September 2nd, 2015 with Kim Garst, Alison Howard and Amanda Oleander. The answers were made on Twitter so responses will appear different.

 
Special Guests: 

Kim Garst, CEO of Boom Social

Alison Howard, Alison Howard Events

As the owner and executive director of California-based Alison Howard Events, Alison Howard provides luxury wedding planning services to her clients, business and life coaching to aspiring and fellow entrepreneurs, hosts a YouTube show geared toward brides and aspiring wedding planners, facilitates yearly workshops where she teaches attendees how to break into the wedding industry and speaks on the power of video marketing for various prestigious organizations across the country.

Alison Howard has successfully orchestrated and managed countless weddings and has been featured in popular publications such as The Knot Magazine, Style Me Pretty, Exquisite Weddings Magazine, BHLDN, The Bridal Suite and Estate Weddings and Events.  Alison’s ease in front of the camera led her to start a YouTube channel in 2010 where she shared her expertise with a steady audience.  Recognizing her natural talent, Fullscreen, the premier global YouTube network for creators and brands, offered Alison a partnership, making Alison the first and only wedding planner in the world to have a partnered YouTube channel.

Amanda Oleander

Amanda Oleander is an American contemporary fine artist and social media influencer. Her art is known for her distinctive style. She was E! Entertainment’s first full time illustrator, illustrating for the articles on the E! Loves online page. Oleander is a highly influential figure in the contemporary art culture live streaming her daily life as a full time artist in Los Angeles.

See more information at www.amandaoleander.com

Could you introduce who you are and what you do?

Kim Garst: Glad to be here! I help #smallbiz owners use social and digital media to sell and I am LOVING Periscope!

Alison Howard: Sure! Luxury Wedding Planner turned wedding industry educator, speaker and coach to aspiring & novice wedding planners.

Amanda Oleander: Thank you for having me! I am a contemporary artist and social media influencer.

Q1: How would you explain Periscope to someone that has never used it?   

Kim Garst: There is so much potential for Periscope, especially for those that jump in now. Periscope is a phone APP that allows u 2 “GO LIVE” anytime, anywhere. You can have your own broadcasting station via your phone.

Amanda Oleander: Periscope is like Facetiming with the world, anyone can join and “virtually teleport” into your reality.

Alison Howard: Periscope is a LIVE video broadcast app that allows you speak to viewers in real-time. When you broadcast on Periscope, viewers get to see you unscripted, unrehearsed; they get immediate interaction.

How did you get involved with Periscope?

Kim Garst: My first experience using Periscope was at an event in Vegas. I livestreamed Ashton Kutcher’s @APlusk keynote.

Amanda Oleander: @ArtSevani Co-founder of @RiverCityio introduced me to #Periscope.

Alison Howard: My love for video began 5 yrs ago via YouTube. When Periscope debuted I knew I wanted to use it for Q&A. New and aspiring wedding planners ask to ‘pick my brain’ often and Periscope is a great informal forum for that.

Amanda Oleander: You recently shared your friend’s wedding on Periscope What was that like?

Amanda Oleander: It was great! Her family from Spain couldn’t make the wedding they were able to tune in live.

Amanda Oleander: How many viewers were watching your friend’s wedding throughout the day?

Amanda Oleander: We had over 30K people watch.

Q2: What makes Periscope unique from other social media platforms?

Kim Garst: One of the most unique features of Periscope is the REAL-TIME engagement with a connected audience.  The “REAL YOU” has an opportunity to shine and connect with viewers.

Amanda Oleander: In my industry, most of what’s put out there is so curated and perfect. Periscope allows a less buttoned-up glimpse.

Alison Howard: The fact that it’s LIVE makes it exciting & unpredictable! You get to see pros you admire interact in a very casual way.

Q3: Why wedding pros or anyone in business should be interested in Periscope? 

Kim Garst: I just wrote an article on 6 reasons your biz needs to be on @Periscope NOW! http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249617

Alison Howard: Periscope is a great way to show what’s happening behind-the-scenes right when it’s happening. Periscope is such a great teaching tool as well. A BONUS is that it allows your personality to shine.

Q4: How can wedding pros prepare for their first Periscope?

Kim Garst: PRACTICE using the private scope option inside the app.  Make a small checklist to keep you focused on what you want to make sure people pay attention to. Establish a GOAL for your scopes so that you can implement a strategy to achieve the goal.

Amanda Oleander:  Having multiple tripods is a great start, and actually DON’T prepare. What’s beautiful about it is when it’s raw and real.

Alison Howard: Put your phone in DO NOT DISTURB – lol! Rookie mistake that we’ve all made! I think you need to know why you’re using #Periscope to being with. What is the point of it for you? Is it to show your followers/fans what you do behind-the-scenes? Or to train/teach up & comers? If you know why you want to use Periscope it makes the first broadcast easier. And of course, try to make whatever you do/share on Periscope consistent with your brand.

Q5: What must happen in your Periscope so that people come back again?

Kim Garst: EDU-TAINMENT – people want VALUE but they also want to be have an experience at the same time. People love REAL…whatever that looks like for you and your business.

Amanda Oleander: I have grown to 400K in 4 months and almost 39 million hearts, by not preparing and just being as transparent as possible.

Alison Howard:  Like everything you put online: STRONG CONTENT. Unless (or until) you are famous, no one cares about what you’re eating.

Q6: How has Periscope helped your business or given you new opportunities? 

Kim Garst: Periscope has taken my biz to new heights. I have grown my list, SALES by 6 figures and even my Twitter following! But the best part about Periscope? The RELATIONSHIPS are through the roof AH-MAZING! #PeopleMatter

 
Alison Howard: Periscope has allowed me to showcase my personality and expertise LIVE. Viewers really get to know who I am this way. The best part about Periscope is the fact that it’s raw and unscripted. Periscope has given me another layer of credibility which makes a prospective client more likely to invest.

Q7: Should a Periscope be like a TV studio or is it a more casual environment? 

Kim Garst: I think either works. It’s  the “LIVE” experience that people are after. YOU are the focus more than the environment, IMO. People buy from those that they KNOW, LIKE and TRUST. Let them see and connect w/you in any setting.
 

Amanda Oleander:  I don’t think so, that’s the whole point of it. People want raw and real, we are all sick of scripted and fake.
 

Alison Howard: I think people should use Periscope however it works best for them/their brand. I like to view scopes that are casual. TV-type “shows” are better for YouTube (IMO), but that’s all preference.  

Q8: What should a wedding pro have in their Periscope background?

Kim Garst: I think it depends on what the strategy for that Scope is. Casual or more professional has application. The key is the CONTENT over the background, in my opinion.

Alison Howard: Their office or workspace is what I’d expect to see as a viewer unless they’re on-site. But I love on-the-go scopes too.

Q9: Do you use other devices, apps, Websites or etc. with Periscope?

Kim Garst: I do, yes. I used my iPad as well as my iPhone. I also use Blab.im, SKYPE, Google Hangouts for guest interviews.

Alison Howard: I just ordered a rode mic, fisheye lens, and stand to up the quality of my broadcasts. But up until now it’s just been me doing my thing, sharing with my industry in a casual way.

@AlphaProsperity What is all that for? 

Alison Howard: Better sound (mic), better video quality (lens), stable video (stand). 🙂 

Q10: How much time/effort should be placed on hair/makeup clothes in your Periscope?

Kim Garst: This is uniquely different for every person. It’s about focusing on being authentic in the moment. REAL works! People honestly seem to appreciate seeing the REAL YOU instead of the perfect you.

Alison Howard: I think it depends on the broadcast itself. I usually do my hair/makeup like I would to meet a client but sometimes not. I think doing a #BAREscope  Periscope showcasing the normal everyday you is cool too. It brings realness to it. I don’t mean rolling out of bed hot mess scoping though. There’s a way to keep it real and professional at the same time.

Q11: How do you decide what you will be scoping on?

Kim Garst: Some of my scopes are planned and some are totally in the moment, aka “unplanned”. I try to have a biz strategy associated with every one of my scopes so that I know what I want from it going in.

Amanda Oleander: It’s very spontaneous for me, from cooking to talking to painting live. I don’t plan it.

Alison Howard: My broadcasts are usually Q&A’s. I have a group of over 500 wedding planners on Facebook & they pre-ask all the Q’s. There have been times I’ve spoken on a specific topic or done an impromptu Periscope but usually it’s Q&A.

Q12: How do you prepare for each scope?

Kim Garst: Prepping for my “planned” scopes involves a checklist so that I keep on track and make sure I deliver my key points.

Alison Howard: I usually get ready like I would to meet a client (sometimes not, depends) and review my content/purpose.

Q13: How often do you scope? 

Kim Garst: I try to scope 2-3 times a day. Some days it’s more & some less. 

Alison Howard: Right now it’s typically once a week, but my goal is 3x per week. But heck, I may do a daily scope now with ZERO prep a la @AmandaOleander and see how that works. 

Q14: Do you promote your scopes beforehand? If so how?

Kim Garst: Yes, I try to do so. I normally tweet 15 minutes in advance and share on my fan page 45 minutes to an hour in advance.

Alison Howard: Absolutely! I always announce on my other social media platforms a few hours before. Then I’ll announce my upcoming scope about 20 minutes before.

Q15: Should wedding pros encourage their viewers to give hearts and to share their scopes with others?

Kim Garst: I would make this a part of your scope strategy, yes. Don’t beg but mention and ASK. Drives involvement with your tribe.

Alison Howard: I think so, yes. Most people are so new to Periscope, they don’t understand the hearts or how to share. I give a brief explanation about giving hearts if they love my content and sharing with others who’d benefit from it.

Q16: Do you use contests or giveaways during your scopes?

Kim Garst: I have used contests and feel they hold a ton of value for your scopes and give great added value to your tribe.

Amanda Oleander: Yes, sometimes I give away artwork to #periscopefam members. We have a great community, we bond daily.

Alison Howard: I have a few times in the past and it was great!  Incentives always cause action.

Q17: What can users do to gain more Periscope followers?

Kim Garst: The best strategy is to get in other people’s scopes and ENGAGE with the host and the other viewers. Do this in a value based way…in other words add VALUE to the conversation.

Alison Howard:  Viewing and engaging on other people’s Periscopes and asking your viewers to share your broadcast.

 
Q18: What types of scopes do you think might be interesting for wedding pros to create?

Kim Garst: Wedding prep tips, MakeUp/Hair live tutorials, honeymoon destination reviews (SPONSORSHIP OP), behind scenes, etc.
 

Alison Howard: DIY, behind-the-scenes of a real wedding, any training or tutorial, interviews. There are so many options.  

Amanda Oleander: Will you be sharing other friend’s weddings on Periscope?

Amanda Oleander:  Yes, I see myself doing that in the near future.

Q19: What do you want wedding pros to take away from the #WeddingMarket Chat?

Kim Garst: The amazing opportunity that is PERISCOPE and some business strategy ideas that they can get started using ASAP.

Amanda Oleander:  If your passion has to do with weddings then concentrate on that & open it up to the world, followers will come naturally.

Alison Howard: Don’t be shy when it comes to using Periscope. Let you personality SHINE and have fun with it!

 


#WeddingMarket Chat Questions

@SternoCL Does Periscope come with insights and any form of data analysis of your viewers? Is there an opt-in process since its mobile?

Kim Garst: Yes there is limited analytics and you have to have strategies in place to direct viewers to opt-in.

@PinkEnvyEvents Do you let couples pick your brain as well? Do you go into them with specific topics to talk about?

Alison Howard: Yes! I would totally be willing to help. My YouTube vids were for couples AND planners.

@sytinvitations Periscope sounds similar to #facebooklive

Kim Garst: Facebook Live is not available to everyone yet…only verified pages. Periscope is open to all.

@SternoCL Are you able to pass the “spotlight” back and forth between users via mobile app? Such as virtual interviews with specialists?

Kim Garst: No within the app but I have used SKYPE, Blab and Google Hangouts to do interviews and “scope” them.

@AlphaProsperity How long are the broadcasts view-able?

Kim Garst: 24 hours via the app and the replay link.

@FrillsBridal Do your broadcasts save or are they only visable in RT? If someone isn’t logged on at that exact time, can they view later?

@SweetestEvents_:  Yes! You can view them later up to 24 hours -& the user can even edit, save, upload to YouTube ect;

@FrillsBridal OK I am obviously the novice here haha what are the Periscope hearts?

@sytinvitations It’s like ‘likes’ on fb or double tapping on Instagram.

@FrillsBridal Is there a way to track your hearts so that you know what type of posts are working well for you?

Kim Garst: Periscope keeps track of your heart count for you.

@DreamyWeddingSK It appears Periscope is more for “behind the scene” capture. Are couples using it more on the big day?

Alison Howard:  I haven’t seen many couples use it on the wedding day – but guests have.

@alyssa_riches  How does Periscope marketing compare with YouTube marketing?

Alison Howard: Think LIVE BTS vs scripted show.

@alyssa_riches Do you feel one is more wedding industry effective or just having a good balance between the two?

Alison Howard: I’d write it into your marketing schedule. # of scopes per week, new YouTube videos per week, new blogs, etc.