Connor BrookeSnapchat is currently the new darling of the instant messaging world following in the footsteps of Vine and its six second video clips.
Snapchat allows you to send a photo or video message that deletes itself after ten seconds.
Sounds crazy right? Well maybe, but limited and time conscious content seems to be all the rage at the moment, so much so that 150 million ‘snaps’ are sent each day.
It’s not as if limited content is anything new, Twitter has been doing it for years with its 140 characters, so why it took so long for someone to design a messaging service with time restrictions I don’t know but, like buses, you wait for one for ages then two come along at once.
So how does Snapchat work?
I have played with the Snapchat app and it seems relatively easy to use. Once you have created your message you simply send it to your friend(s) via their username where it sits in their ‘Snaps’ feed until they open it. Once they decide to view the message they then have 10 seconds to do so, before the message automatically deletes from their feed, their phone and the Snapchat servers.
So, to get back to the point of this post, how can this new app be used by your business?
In the fast moving world of fashion, for example, where something can be ‘in’ one day and ‘out’ the next and where demand for the ‘next big thing’ can reach fever pitch in a very short space of time, Snapchat provides a unique way to generate both interest and sales.
Here at Everon we regularly work with small fashion stores and boutiques and these are just a few ways we’d suggest using the app to promote their product line:
- Sending a ‘leaked’ message out with a photo featuring a soon to be released item of clothing
- Going one better and sending a 10 second video of the new product being worn (perhaps by a celebrity or relevant endorser)
- Going even further and sending a video of the clothing actually being made to generate interest before the item has even hit the catwalk/website/store
- Sending a photo of an existing product from an abstract angle with an email address asking ‘What is this?’. This could open up all kinds of competition and give-away opportunities
- Sending a photo of a best-selling item or one that has just been added to the sale ‘get it before it’s gone’ rack
Risqué Snapchat
Today I read an interesting article describing how one business is already using Snapchat in-store with ‘Very Limited Time Offers’. Discount codes are sent out to its customers ranging from 5% to 100% off but, because of the ten second deletion feature of Snapchat, they can only open the message and find out how big a discount they are getting when they get to the till as they need to show the cashier within the ten second window in order to qualify. As well as the excitement of buying a new item the customer also has the added excitement of not knowing if they may be about to walk out of the store with it for free, depending on the amount of discount the voucher entitles them to. It reminds me of when I was a child and about to crack open a Kinder egg (other eggs are available!) – you knew the toy was going to be good, you just didn’t know how good!
I’m sure they are many other ways Snapchat could be used in marketing, and only time will tell if the service will have any longevity. Rumours abound that the app is currently being used for more risqué messages with recipients simply using the screenshot function on their iPhone/iPads/android devices to save the message and circumvent the ten second deletion feature. Snapchat know about this and have procedures in place to identify when a screenshot is taken so that the sender can be notified that a permanent copy of the message has been made.
Summary
To summarise, Snapchat is a great way to make a more intimate connection with your most loyal customers, rather than reaching out through Facebook and Twitter where the message remains public. At the moment customers have to be in your ‘My Friends’ folder to receive your messages but I’m sure once the app picks up speed there will be ways of importing Facebook/Twitter details and personal email addresses.
The end goal is to capture the interest of the customer in that vital ten second window as, due to the short time frame, they are more likely to act on the information immediately due to the sense of urgency. With this in mind the technique could generate real time returns for businesses. And who isn’t interested in that?
We would love hear your thoughts in the comment box below. Do you have a quirky way of interacting with your customers?
This article was written for Business 2 Community by Connor Brooke.
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can we use snapchat on my laptop
Hi Alexis.
Not that I’m aware of, but I reckon it won’t be long before you can