Move aside Casper, Snapchat is becoming the friendliest ghost around! The hottest social media platform is unlike Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any other. And businesses need a bold strategy to monetize the brief and fleeting content. But don’t be fooled by all the transience. With over 100 million daily active users and 400 million snaps per day, Snapchat is currently the fastest growing social network. It’s probably time you investigate whether it is right for your business. Here’s how your brand can take advantage of those 10 seconds of glory.
It’s too early to tell if Snapchat’s demographics will mirror the shift we’ve seen in Facebook. Once a site for college kids, Facebook is now a popular platform for baby boomers. With an audience that grows mightily each day, here are a few figures to consider:
- It boasts 8 billion video views daily, rivaling Facebook
- More than 50% of new users are over 25
- 71% of US Snapchat users are between age 18 and 34, a millennial generation with great purchasing power
- 76% of users purchased a product online in the last month
Perhaps the greatest benefit for businesses is that it’s free with a wide reach. The app’s ticking time limit creates a sense of urgency, an incentive that boosts open rates. Most importantly, Snapchat offers your brand a unique and personal way to connect with their audience, nurturing client relationships and establishing brand loyalty.
There are numerous ways to incorporate Snapchat into your business’s social media strategy. That’s the power of this medium, it allows for a range of creativity. Your snaps tell a story, sharing your brand’s personality. When it comes to snaps, perfection is overrated. The key to connecting is authenticity. Be raw, it’s what Snapchat is all about! If your followers wanted beautifully crafted and thoroughly edited content, they would check out Instagram. Here are just a few ways your business can engage the Snapchat audience:
- Give behind-the-scene glimpses of your brand in action
- Tease new products with sneak peaks
- Announce contests
- Introduce employees
- Offer incentives, such as discount codes or coupons
- Share live events
Remember: Keep your Snapchat content unique from all other social channels. It gives your audience a reason to open your snaps and gives them a feeling of being “on the inside,” having access to information others may not.
If Snapchat makes you feel like an 85-year-old grandparent using Internet Explorer for the first time, you aren’t alone. It’s largely unexplored territory. Have fun with it and experiment. If you don’t like a photo or video snap you’ve taken, you can delete and try it again. It doesn’t matter how you tell your brand story, as long as you are getting your brand out there. Businesses are now overcoming their fears and are jumping into this ever-growing app. Simply having an account will put you a step ahead of the rest. Happy snapping!
For a behind-the-scenes look of the KWSM team in action, follow KatieWagnerSnap on Snapchat!
