Snapchat – now this is an odd thing for me. Not only is Snapchat the preferred social media platform of the moment, but it’s the first application that I’ve not been on the forefront of. That is to say, I was too old to know Snapchat was cool before it was cool.
So I’m now on the fuddy duddy side of things and am getting acquainted with Snapchat after the fact. And the fact is, Snapchat is a hugely successful platform with over 100,000 daily users that can drive business for your brand.
First let’s take a look at Snapchat’s rap sheet to see why your brand should even look at this little chatting application as a serious social media marketing tool.
- More than 60 percent of U.S. Snapchatters are ages 13 to 34
- 77 percent of college students use Snapchat daily
- 45 percent of college students said they would follow a brand they don’t already know
- 67 percent of college students want to receive a coupon or incentive from the brands they follow on Snapchat
So what makes Snapchat so great?
Users note that they appreciate Snapchat’s use of creativity and informality to tell a story. It allows a ten-second look at an image or video before the content is lost forever in the abyss of the Internet. While some might say this feeds into a culture of instant gratification with already dwindling attention spans, it has proven to be a space where businesses can carry a high reach and level of engagement for a low price.
Take, for example, the viewing algorithm of Facebook and compare it to Snapchat. The “pay to play” format of Facebook marketing has been around for a few years now, and it seriously limits players new to the game or simply without the budget needed to make a big splash. Snapchat is another story. Adam Durfee, director of PR and social strategy at Wallaroo Media, states,
“On Facebook, about 5 percent of your users will actually see a post….However, on Snapchat, you can put out a story for a brand, you do it organically, and it will camp right there in [users’] phones for 24 hours.”
Aside from a higher percentage of users actually coming across your content (for now), a huge benefit to Snapchat is that it inherently offers your brand more unique engagement with your audience. Many users want to peek behind the curtain of their favorite brands, and the app’s functionality is perfectly designed to offer this sort of virtual backstage pass. The informal nature of the content is appealing and helps bridge the gap between brand and consumer by creating a more relatable, human connection.
Director of consumer engagement at Timberland, Mike Isabella observed the value in this relatability stating, “Instagram is the curated, visual representation of our brand, where Snapchat is more spontaneous,” he said. “It could be anything from a photo shoot to a look at what we’re up to on the weekend.”
Okay, I’m sold. But how does it drive my business?
Consumers and brands alike benefit from Snapchat as a piece of marketing media. Many brands offer incentives such as giveaways, coupons, or even limited edition Snapchat filters/features based on geolocation. Offering incentives has long since been a marketing pillar, and Snapchat as a content platform is no different. Like many other social media apps, Snapchat incentives provide a means of connection and engagement between the brand and user, while driving business and traffic to your website.
One of my favorite aspects of Snapchat is that it tells a narrative. Your audience is ready to digest your content (probably on-the-go), and the brief, ten-second windows give you as a brand a unique and challenging way to tell a story and connect with your people. The Snapchat story feature creates a narrative and builds a human connection, immersing your audience in your brand’s culture that will employ trust and loyalty and drive your business through the roof. This is especially useful for brands looking to highlight an event or pull back the curtain so to speak.
Snapchat is still new for brand marketing, which is good news. For those of us just now jumping in, the application is still without any requirement to pay for advertising, and features are being added all the time. Your brand could be large contender in regards to Snapchat followers in a matter of time before the app goes the way of Facebook.
Have you used Snapchat in your marketing strategy? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below.
*Source Sumto via Mashable
**Source Footwear News
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