When I was joining university a couple of years ago, this was a conversation I had with my friend.
ME: The Wi-Fi speeds over here is ultimately awesome!
HIM: Yes. For that reason, you need to download ‘Snapo’, and check out Joy’s snaps
And, since I lack the forces necessary to counter peer pressure, the app was on my phone less than 5 minutes later.
For my friends on the other end (analog), I’m quite sure you have heard of Snapchat. The mobile app that allows users to capture videos and pictures that self-destruct after a while. It is widely known for its vast filters to use on a single picture. There’s no doubt about the audience it gets – millennials. There are all sorts of things people like to share for immediate consumption, ranging from wacky facial expressions to pictures of a meal they’re about to eat. It’s a way to share a moment with a specific friend and — in a way — a bit of an antidote to traditional social networking which is, well, kind of permanent.
Snapchat boils down to these basics: it’s fun, easy, and at times, totally inappropriate. What’s not to love?
In the past months, businesses large and small tested Snapchat as a marketing tool. My knee-jerk reaction was “Why would anyone want to get snaps from businesses?” Well, after taking a bit of time to ponder the issue, I came up with some confound insights.

With over 100 million daily active users and 400 million snaps per day, Snapchat is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms. 71 percent of Snapchat’s United States user base fall into the 18 to 34 age range. However, even if your audience doesn’t fall in that demographic, Snapchat is becoming a vital part of global marketing strategies.
Why Snapchat? What’s the benefit for business?
When you are choosing a social media network, you are choosing where you are going to invest your social media network, both your resources and your time. Many times when you are making your decision, you’re going to want to go where everyone is talking about. These are places like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. These are all great, robust platforms, with a large audience. The problem is the ROI is not going to be the same in a matter of 6 months, especially when compared to a new network that has higher engagement. While there is not yet a large audience, you are engaging them more, which is more valuable and more measurable. When you are choosing a social medium platform to invest your businesses time in, you need to be think of where you can be more engaged and build more relationships.
Who is the target audience?
The audience on Snapchat now are millennials, and millennials are defined as between the ages of 18 to 25, however, they are not the only ones using the platform. While there might not be a whole bunch of people between the ages of 40 and 50, they are there, they’re just not dominating right now. That actually provides an opportunity, because if you get there first, you’ll have an advantage, versus waiting until everyone is already on the platform. Why wait until the market is ready?
What types of content can businesses post?
The whole point of Snapchat is that it’s not clean and proper, you’re creating as you go with 10-second micro snippets with photos or videos. You have access to video tools, geo-filters, drawing, and more. It’s a very creative platform. You can do everything within Snapchat, so why would you choose a platform where you have to use external tools? All you have to do is push it into the market.
No platform can be used in a vacuum. There is no way you’re going to be able to make an impact on social media using only Facebook or only use Twitter. You have to choose a few platforms and use them complementary to each other and cross-promote. Snapchat is real-time and allows you to really get to know people. In your social media strategy, you have to think in both the micro and macro level, and creating content consistently.
So, how does this work?
It’s not rocket science guys.
What you’re doing is creating a timeline throughout your day. The advantage to businesses is that you can create a story line. It can really be hard to tell stories on Twitter and other platforms, but it’s very easy to tell a story on Snapchat. You can use tools to write text and layer it, use videos that can be sped up, slowed down, played backward, and you can use geofilters to create branded content or simply vlog your day. It keeps your audience engaged because there is a spectrum of ways to tell your story.
This idea helps you grow awareness for your brand by;
- Providing access to live events
Snapchat gets your audience elated because you’re providing a more authentic and up close view of whatever is happening. This explains why it is cheaper to watch snaps of a full live concert than buying the ticket. 😀
- Deliver Private Content;
You can use snapchat to surprise your audience/customers by sending them, for example, snaps of a new release fashion gear. This fuels up their desire to see it physically and eventually you get high sales.
- Offer Contests/ Promotions:
You may engage your audience by asking them to post snaps of them using your product, or offer promo codes in your snaps. This helps your company generate user-generated content while increasing loyalty.
- Take people behind the curtain:
Basically, here you provide a behind the scenes peek of something exciting that is happening and it is sort of exclusive. By doing this, you are able to engage your consumers and create a strong following.
- Partner with Influencers:
By partnering with snapchat influencers, you can spread awareness to a demographic that’s hard to reach through traditional media. Keep in mind, too, that influencers who are skilled with the Snapchat platform can create spectacular video content that can further enhance your brand voice and personality.
How do you get started?
Begin by cross-promoting — tell people you’re on Snapchat — and start creating stories. Be consistent, and remember, if you’re going to be on Snapchat your content has to be good. Use your creativity, and use the tools available to use. You can talk to other Snapchat users to get demographics. The most important thing is to engage. Ask them what they are thinking or for their feedback, and hold them accountable. Ask them to snap you back or to send a message/tweet at you. There are a lot of little actions you can do to make your content very effective. The most attractive thing about Snapchat is that there is no vanity, no discoverability, and no algorithm. If they are following you, they want to see your content.
Read more about this on:
Every Business Needs To Use Social Media But Are Businesses Doing it Right?