Snapchat is the new kid on the block when it comes to social media platforms. This visual messaging service has replaced texting for a lot of young people, but is there a business use case? We recently had Shana Steigerwalt of Modern Driven Media as a guest on our Tuesday webinar. We spoke with Shana about the opportunities and results she is seeing for businesses taking advantage of Snapchat. Here is our summary, and you can watch the full webinar below.
First things first, what exactly is Snapchat?
It is a real-time mobile photo and video sharing social media platform. Snapchat has grown quickly to over 150 million daily active Snapchat users. This number is only expected to grow as Snapchat builds with older demographics.
It is known for its messages that disappear quickly after they’ve been viewed, but Stories are another component of the service. Stories are a collection of Snaps that tell a narrative and are visible for 24 hours.
Daily, over 10 billion mobile videos are viewed a day on Snapchat. That’s nearly 2 billion more video views than Facebook receives per day. Wow!
Who is using Snapchat?
Right now the app is extremely popular with the younger generation (60% of all users are under the age of 25), but it is starting to be adopted by people of all generations. However, if your business is targeting a younger audience, you should seriously consider the Snapchat platform.
How to use Snapchat?
In the webinar, we go into more detail about how to download the app, set up an account and get snapping. On a high level, Snapchat is an app for your phone that allows you to share videos and images, but what makes it unique is the ability to add filters, geofilters, text, your own drawings, lenses (animated filters), and more!
Snapchat is your canvas to express yourself to your followers. Once you are satisfied with your snap, and you’re ready to send, you are able to select who you want to send it to. You can choose to send it to one person, or a group of people, or even everyone that follows you. Your Snap to them only lasts 10 seconds though!
Using the “My Story” feature, you can easily show everyone a collection of related Snaps. What’s also cool about the “My Story” feature is that rather than just disappearing after it’s viewed, this media is accessible for up to 24 hours from the time you posted it.
There are many different ways to use Snapchat, and the best way to learn is to download the app and start using it.
How can organizations benefit from Snapchat?
At this point you may have some questions: How will I come up with content? Is it worth it for something that disappears right away? Do I have time for another social media platform? Should I drop one of my current platforms?
The answer depends on where your customers are spending their time.
- Does your business cater to a younger demographic?
- Snapchat allows you to humanize your brand and provide an experience for your followers. By giving a behind the scenes look or announcing a new product with Snapchat, your followers feel like they are more connected to your business.
- You can also connect with business influencers that can promote your business and share their experiences with your business.
Keep in mind these best practices:
- Fast and memorable – after all you only have 10 seconds to leave a lasting impression.
- Consistent – if you are interested in sharing content on Snapchat, make sure you have an ongoing strategy to constantly engage with your audience.
- Personal – build relationships with your following and personalize content to your audience. Just like any other marketing opportunity – if you are trying to market to everyone, you will end up marketing to no one.
- And finally, get creative. This app is designed for creativity.
If cultivating a following and regular Snapping doesn’t make sense for you right now, another option available to more businesses is advertising on Snapchat. In 2017 most social media platforms are becoming “pay-to-play” for businesses, and Snapchat does offer advertising opportunities for businesses. Right now, there are 3 types of ads available on the platform.
Snap Ads
- Snap ads are mobile video ads up to 10 seconds long
- You can give users the option for additional content like articles, longer videos, app installs or a web page.
Sponsored Geofilters
- Sponsored Geofilters are tiny pieces of art users can add to a Snap they create. When Snapchatters in the location(s) of your choice take a Snap, they’ll be able to see your Geofilter and use it. They use the Geofilter to explain where, when, and why they took the Snap. Your campaign covers a specific location or community event
- Snapchat offers tools to help you design your own filters.
- A good choice for local businesses as filters are fairly inexpensive, and you are able to see analytics 24 hours after your campaign ends. You can see how many times the filter was used and how many people saw the filter.
Sponsored Lenses
- Lenses are animated overlays that let you change your face while you are creating a Snap. Some of the most popular lenses of 2016 included swapping faces with a friend, flower crowns, and dog, deer and bee faces.
- Sponsored lenses are also available to businesses, but typically those with a large advertising budget. A single Snapchat lens advertisement for 24 hours can cost brands anywhere from $350K-650K, so they are primarily used by national brands. In the video, check out the Taco Bell lens for Cinco de Mayo. Their lens was viewed over 224 million times.
Is Snapchat the new Facebook? Well, the success of Snapchat has Facebook (which owns Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp) copying some of the most popular Snapchat features. Facebook Live video encourages real-time videos, Messenger has added filters and masks, and Instagram and WhatsApp have added Stories. These features are getting a lot of engagement so even if you don’t think Snapchat is right for you just yet, you may want to look at using similar features on other platforms.
Watch the entire video below to learn more:
