We are overwhelmed with the noise in the social media and app development world today. However, Gary Vaynerchuck sent a text alert to his community on Thursday, April 15 introducing a new app called HiHo where he encouraged individuals to join. Everyone likes to get in on the ground level with something new; this is an opportunity to start a journey with a new app, make groundbreaking discoveries, and build new connections.
HiHo allows you to record yourself asking a question or making a statement for the community to engage with. People can then reply back to the original video or build on someone else’s response to the original video. Now, you might be thinking that this is a lot like Snapchat, and you would be correct. However, the key to HiHo is that the videos do not time out. All the videos stay connected to the original video, so you are able to go back and listen to the whole interaction from start to finish.
While the app is in its early stages, it has promising potential to grow because of the quick face to face discussion. With only a couple thousand users, the app has a lot of potential for businesses to test product launches, thoughts on a new social media campaign, or even thoughts on specific trends in their industry. We have already watched several creators start conversations that ended up with hundreds of replies. After going through the videos, you can see how intimate relationships are forming that quickly lead into collaborations.
HiHo held a townhall the other day during which the company expressed desire to work on improvements to the platform; suggestions for improvements were based on comments from the community. They are exploring the addition of different filters such as a filter for clearer skin and lightweight reactions on videos. The HiHo team is also attempting to allow people to acknowledge someone’s video without using a like button or recording an entire new video. While the community stated a desire for a “like” button, HiHo CEO Greg Spiridellis mentioned there would not be a “like” button or a counter for likes. Excluding “likes” was a trend started by Instagram; they chose to no longer publicly show the number of “likes” you receive on a photo or video. We understand their methodology to an extent (in terms of mental health and comparison), but, as social media marketers, we would love to see directly what people like.
HiHo is definitely something that you will want to keep your eye on as we continue moving forward in this world. It has the potential to change the way that research is conducted and could possibly be a great asset to your business. Especially if you can get in on the app early!
