Snapchat, made by Evan Spiegel was once considered a platform geared specifically towards teens and young adults. However, over the last few years, this social media platform has improved its features, made some important tweaks that have transformed this platform into a tool that can do wonders.
The growing social media platform is no longer reserved for geofilters and flower crown selfies. There are more than 41% of active Snapchat users aged between 18 to 34 years, in the United States alone. If this Snapchat statistic didn’t impress you, perhaps this might surprise you to know that new users’ signup for Snapchat have reached over the 25-year threshold.
Considering the massive popularity of this social media app, it’s truly hard to believe that it was just born five years ago. In such short amount of time, more than 150 million users use Snapchat every day to watch 10 billion images, stories and videos.
But remember one thing: what you know about social media marketing won’t apply to Snapchat.
Snapchat is different, there is no likes, comments and hashtags. There are no URLs as well. The app has gained the attention of millennial audience for boasting transient messaging. This massive change in social media and web has made it the first mobile media network that exclusively give more focus on media.
Small business owners and social media marketers should take Snapchat as a great opportunity to make their brand reach extraordinary heights.
But how small businesses can get the most out of Snapchat?
Snapchat has now become an essential part for many businesses, especially startups and small business owners who aim to target younger millennials.
This platform allows users to combine videos and photographs, and use creative tools like geofilters, fonts and different other features. A huge number of devoted followers, in combination with providing media, has made Snapchat a great marketing avenue for small business owners around the globe. If truth be told, it is a golden opportunity for small businesses, web design companies, design studios, branding agencies and ecommerce stores to advertise their brand.
A 10-seconds snaps on the app, is the effective and advanced way to engage your customers and humanize your brand, in addition to conveying brand’s products and values. Small businesses all over the world are taking the full advantage of Snapchat actions from their Snapchat followers to intensify brand awareness.
If you are a small business owner and aiming to reach a younger audience, here are some reasons why you should incorporate Snapchat into your marketing plan.
Snapchat Promotes Your Brand’s Behind-the-Scenes Sneak Peeks
People love behind-the-scenes sneak peeks of companies and people. While Facebook and Instagram only present the final product, it makes interesting for people to see some real-time process of product making. They want to see what processes lie behind the curtains and the lifestyle of your business. They want to be a part of all the backstage events that they can’t see. Snapchat can let them see the instances of product making.
According to companies already getting the most out of this platform, Snapchat is the best place to provoke users with passing glimpses of your products making process. And since Snapchat is famous for providing the exclusive video experience, images are way strong at making an influence than Instagram photo, Facebook like, or a simple tweet.
Snapchat Advertises Your Products
Snapchat has recently started expanding its advertising options with several new and innovative Snapchat-for-business features. Rolling out Snap Ads between stories is indeed the toughest challenge that Snapchat should deal with in a sensible way. Yes, get ready all the marketing folks… in near future the Snapchat stories are likely to peppered in with ads.
Moreover, these business ads will be certified by third-party companies, as opposed to Snapchat itself. When users swipe upon on business content, web marketers will be allowed to opt for some more actions. You can direct them to your business website or blog, without leaving Snapchat, and then divert them to a video, or encourage them to install an app.
Snapchat claims that their ads can get 1.5 times more visual attention than Instagram, 2 times more than Facebook, and 1.3 times more effective than YouTube. If it is compared to traditional and modern media, Snapchat declares that its ads generated intensified emotional response with an intent to make a purchase.
Businesses can Make the Most Out of GeoFilters
Snapchat new Geofilter technology allows small business owners to create and modify their own filters to show Snapchat users. Snapchat allows you to upload your brand logo, and set up a geofence for careful targeting users. This will bring immediate and promotional opportunities.
Snapchat is currently providing two types of geofilters for businesses: On-Demand Geofilters and Sponsored Geofilters. So, it’s a great opportunity for all those businesses who want to prove that they socially-savvy, and trying to connect with millennials, they can create and launch custom Snapchat geofilters to make a real difference. Snapchat geofilters can grab the attention of your target audience, while making it easier to promote your brand, products and services organically.
Moreover, Snapchat geofilters also help companies like Dubai Monsters and other top-notch agencies to share their workplace culture, sneak peeks of product launch while engaging with consumers in the moment.
Disappearing Feature Makes Users Act Promptly
One of the major reasons why Snapchat is the most engaging social media network and why it works best for small business is that having photo or video content that auto-diminish after a fleeting instant. This means that consumers should forever be on the lookout for your content and consume it right away.
In case they miss your content, they miss out an opportunity. By giving a deadline to take immediate action can certainly be a motivator for engaging users and encourage them to perform an action. Remember: if users are not encouraged to do something right away, chances are they won’t do it later too.
A proven way to build brand loyalty is to share coupon codes on Snapchat that work within limited time. Stories on Snapchat only last for 24 hours, while images and videos disappear instantly after you have watched them. Posting engaging stories will allow users to follow your brand on Snapchat and act promptly to avail the discount offers and coupons you are offering for limited time period.
Bringing it all together
Business that fail to improve their marketing strategies will fail to stay ahead in this digital age and won’t be able to achieve success. If you want to make your brand stand out, fresh and young, it’s high time to start using Snapchat. Happy Snapping!