Snapchat is a mobile app that allows users to post photos or videos to their “story.” These images stay on your story for 24 hours before disappearing forever. This app also lets you send messages, pictures or videos directly to other users.
It has evolved into a one-stop spot for communication with the ability to direct message, send photos and videos, send money, and voice and video call. While teens seem to be the gurus about everything Snapchat, the market is growing among millennials, and companies are curious how they can use it in their marketing strategy. Even social media entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk can’t stop talking about it.
It now has more users than Twitter and more video views than Facebook. 60% of Snapchat users are aged 18-34. To put simply, if your brand’s target audience is millennials, you might want to consider getting your Snap on.
Despite these numbers, however, many businesses are reluctant to start Snapchatting. There are nearly no analytics, outside of the number of people that viewed or screenshot your story. There are no links, nothing is searchable, and nothing is permanent. Businesses see Snapchat as content coming in but going right back out again. So what can you use Snapchat for?
As part of your inbound strategy, Snapchat can be used to personalize and humanize your brand. This app is perfect for building customer loyalty and intriguing potential buyers to want to know more about your business.
Here are some ways you can implement Snapchat as part of your social media plan.
Incentivize
Many brands have started using Snapchat as a way to give incentives, giveaways and coupons to their clients. By using Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to tell people that a discount code is on your Snapchat, you’ll gain more followers. Many brands are starting to send people towards their Snapchat story by engaging customers to take a screenshot as a method of communicating interest or engagement.
One way of distributing an incentive is just to provide a coupon code. However, some businesses take it to the next level, like the food doodle below. Engaging your audience with fun snaps and a giveaway prize = gold. It requires your followers to interact with you, and it makes your brand look like an awesome business.
Cross Promote
While Snapchat seems temporary, it’s made for having content screenshot, and temporary content demands attention. Use that to send people to offers on your website, view a live stream on your company’s Facebook, or take a survey on Twitter. Just because your story only last 24 hours, that doesn’t mean that there is no value in Snapchat. It’s just a different way of consuming content.
While you’re cross promoting, launch your Snapchat account by using Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to send people towards your Snapchat. How? Promise them exclusive content or incentives if they screenshot a post or direct message your account.
The Fillmore Charlotte has started using their Instagram by driving people to their Snapchat for pre-sale tickets. By incentivizing people to go to Snapchat from another platform, you can build your Snapchat following.
Behind the Scenes
Showing your audience behind-the-scenes at your company is key to building customer loyalty and relationships. It humanizes and personalizes your brand in a way that other platforms can’t. There’s also no limit on how many snaps you post, so you’re not flooding someone’s feed, like you would on Facebook or Instagram. With this, you can be as creative as you want. Look to inspiration brands to see how they’re spending their time on Snapchat.
Here’s a Snapchat story from Free People showing their followers behind the scenes of their company and their photoshoots. An added plus is that their aesthetic is consistent with their brand’s style.
Introduce New Products
Kylie Jenner is the most followed account on Snapchat. How does she sell out of every single product she releases within hours? She uses Snapchat to her advantage, showing her followers sneak previews of the product, giving a behind the scenes look at her company and announcing when her product will be released.
Her name sells, but her Snapchat coerces her followers to buy her product by the use of FOMO, fear of missing out (yes, it’s real). This tactic engages customers into buying the product immediately.
Live Events
If your main service is live events, you need Snapchat. There’s no other way around it. Even NFL teams have cashed in on Snapping their games.
People want to be involved with a brand name. They love showing off, and your Snapchat will allow them to do that. This is another great way to make your customers part of the experience.
Snapchat also has a neat feature that allows events to have a geofilter, which is a filter that users can select if they are within a certain location. Any event can do this, and it’s a great way to promote your event by having attendees share their photos with the geofilter. Below, Lollapalooza had several geofilters for their attendees, and the effect of users applying the filter makes the event more glamorous and need-to-have.
There are so many features that make using Snapchat, both easy and fun. Some brands use filters, while others draw images. You can choose the best approach with your brand and play around to see which posts your audience likes more. Snapchat lends itself to experimentation and not-so-seriousness.
Even better, Snapchat can be used as part of each stage of the Inbound Methodology. However, it fits best as attracting and delighting customers, which means you can use Snapchat to find new customers and then turn those strangers and existing customers into promoters.
Ultimately, Snapchat builds relationships. It’s free and super easy to use. Sure, someone has to actually Snap for you (it cannot be automated or scheduled), but that takes no more than 10 minutes a day. So what are you waiting for? Start Snapping, and add us on Snapchat to see what we’re doing.
(Hint, just open Snapchat and take a picture of our ghost.)