How to Use Snapchat for Business Marketing

In today’s digital world, we have numerous social media outlets at our disposal to use for marketing. Among one of the latest social platforms to gain traction is Snapchat. Snapchat is a messaging app that allows you to share videos and pictures with fun captions or lenses to spice up the visual to send to friends and followers. While many view Snapchat as a trend among teens, it has actually turned into a viable means of marketing for businesses. As the social app continues to gain traction, Snapchat for business marketing is simply a smart choice. 

 

What is Snapchat?

Snapchat is a free mobile messaging application that was launched in September 2011. The app allows you to send videos and images with creative captions to friends and followers. While the app has been largely popular among teens in recent years, Social Times reports that it’s now the fastest growing social network with nearly 100 million active daily users in 2015.

Although I didn’t find the app appealing for personal use, I can certainly see why younger generations flock to it. In fact, 18 percent of social media users are using Snapchat with 400 million “snaps” shared per day. The rise in popularity of the app has now caught the attention of businesses looking for an additional marketing avenue. Although only 1 percent of marketers used Snapchat in 2014, marketing with Snapchat holds great potential.

 

Why should my Business use Snapchat?

Courtesy SproutSocial

As with any social platform, Snapchat can strengthen your brand by increasing community engagement and brand awareness through the use of visual marketing campaigns. It’s no secret that customers prefer visuals to written text in today’s world, which is why Snapchat delivers the perfect opportunity to engage with customers through their preferred form of content.

Snapchat has a total of 60 million monthly visitors with 65 percent of daily Snapchat users contributing content. Of the content shared, over 8 photos are shared every second and Snapchat has 6 billion daily video views. This has led to an estimated revenue projection of $50 million for 2015.

The high level of engagement and growth of the app offers the perfect opportunity for companies using Snapchat to reach and engage more customers. With 30 percent of millennial internet users accessing Snapchat regularly, it’s simply a marketing platform you can’t choose NOT to use when marketing your business.

 

How to use Snapchat for Business Marketing

With 71 percent of Snapchat users under 34 years-of-age and the uniqueness of the sharing methods, many companies simply aren’t sure how to use Snapchat for business marketing. Or, they just aren’t sure whether or not Snapchat will be effective for their targeted customer base.

Most businesses using Snapchat will benefit, despite the age of your customer base. Snapchat reaches roughly 11 percent of the U.S. digital population, which is a pretty huge chunk. With 71 percent of users under the age of 34, 45 percent of users 18- 24 years of age, and 70 percent of users being women, this offers a large playground of opportunity to reach a more specific audience that’s relevant to your business.

Snapchat is an integral platform that must be integrated into marketing campaigns; however, as the platform is a bit unique, your marketing approach must cater to the current trends of the messaging app. There are a number of simple and effective ways you can use Snapchat for marketing:  

Access to Live Events

Snapchat allows you to use real-time social media marketing to provide customers with direct access to live events, such as product launches, trade events, and store sales to offer an authentic view of what’s going on. 

Provide Exclusive Content

Snapchat is a great way to share special content that may not be received on other digital platforms, such as product debuts. This can include behind the scenes pictures and videos featuring how your products are created or special reviews of products. For example, cosmetics company NARS used Snapchat to release a preview of their new collection to only Snapchat users. 

Special Promotions

With Snapchat, you can offer promo codes and discounts to fans who watch your story or share a picture of your product. This has proven to be effective as 58 percent of college students say they would purchase a product from a company that sent a Snapchat coupon. 

Behind the Scenes Glimpse

You can create and engage a strong community following by showcasing company events, such as birthday parties and your company culture with behind the scenes glimpses. For example, introduce new employees or offer quick tips and advice for your products and services to gain more engagement. Simply sharing the life stories related to your business adds a more personal touch to your marketing; thus, promoting the trust your brand earns among customers.

 

Benefits for Businesses using Snapchat

Snapchat is a growing platform that isn’t going anywhere because people use it and are going to continue to use it. As it takes shape as a new world of advertising, businesses must embrace the new trending way to market. By doing so, you’ll show your customers that you’re the “cool” company, furthering establishing your brand and extending your customer base. With the right content and a strong call-to-action, the sky is the limit when using Snapchat for business marketing.

Resources:

“By the Numbers: 60 Amazing Snapchat Statistics” Expanded Ramblings

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