Snapchat, an application used to send instant photos among friends, has come a long way since the app was first released in 2011. Meaning, it’s no longer being used by tweens and teens to send pictures that disappear in a few seconds.
Today, Snapchat is one of the fastest-growing social networks with over 100 million daily active users and 40 million snaps per day. According to Forbes, 60 percent of all smartphone users 13- to 34-years old are on Snapchat. It has even surpassed Twitter in users with over 150 million people using Snapchat in 2015.
The platform is geared to millennials and younger, but as Gen X and older hops on the Snapchat bandwagon, brands are now leveraging it to connect with audiences both young and old. The transformation from social platform for the under 24 crowd to effective marketing channel is well underway, much like how Facebook did.
Snapchat as a marketing platform is still in its infancy. While it is continually receiving funding and looking for new ways to adapt its platform, businesses have the unique opportunity to establish themselves as “ahead of the curve” and reach a niche target demographic.
Many brands are successfully reaching their customers via Snapchat, as its basic premises are privacy, exclusivity and instant action. If your business is on Snapchat here are some best practices for using the app as a marketing tool:
Offer Promotions, Discounts, Giveaways or Coupons
If your business consistently offers discounts, Snapchat would be a great tool to use to share your promotions. You have the option to send the promotion or discount to a tight target audience by selecting recipients out of your contact list or you can leverage the “My Story” feature if you want to reach all followers at once.
As Snapchat is a free application and there is no additional charge to use the “My Story” feature, it is a cost-effective way for small businesses to engage with their consumers and build a loyal audience.
Build Anticipation or Tell Stories
Snapchat is also a great tool to promote your event or brand through short stories using images or video. Snapchats daily video views have grown 400 percent over the course of the year, according to Bloomberg, at a growth rate of 33 percent per month. At this rate Snapchat will surpass 18 billion daily video views by May of 2017.
Snapchat videos are not professional quality, only short clips you record from your phone. When recording a promotional video make sure stand in front of a good background with good lighting and speak up! We want to see and hear you. Keep your message short and concise as the videos are only 10 seconds in length. You may even do a few practice rounds before sending to the public to ensure you are sending out a quality message.
Use Geofilters To Promote Your Business or Events
Businesses can purchase On-Demand Geofilters to promote their brand or event using brand logos or trademarks. A geofilter becomes available when a Snapchatter is in your selected geo-fenced area, or virtual barrier. The Snapchatter takes a photo and adds your geofilter over their photo used in their personal snaps. For example, a university creates a geofilter for a sporting event. Attending students take photos and add the geofilter (possibly the team name or mascot, etc.) over the photo. They can interact and share it with friends, promoting your brand or event. You can then track the number of views and sends your geofilter receives, thereby determining the effectiveness of your campaign.
This option can become expensive depending on the size of your geotarget. The larger the geotarget the more expensive the geofilter becomes. This might prove cost prohibitive to your small business.
With a well-strategized and creative approach a Snapchat campaign can be both cost-effective and easy to implement. Talk to our digital marketing experts to find out if it makes marketing sense for your small business.