Snapchat: Why Marketers Hate It and Consumers Love It

A snap—a Snapchat picture or video—is available for just 10 seconds. Unlike other social media platforms, a snap can never be recalled again; it can’t be favorited, shared or retweeted. Sharing temporary media—that’s a marketer’s worst nightmare, right?

With 400 million messages shared daily, there are brands making serious strides in this underutilized and often ignored platform: Juicy Couture, Taco Bell and Acura are just a few brands to optimize Snapchat to share information with very interested, loyal fans—they create targeted messages, offer unique sneak peeks or coupons and develop a relationship with the consumer that cannot be shared across the Internet.

But experienced digital marketers know how putting content on the Internet works, whether it’s on websites, blogs, or social media. It gets lost in the overwhelming amount of content, competing for just a split second of the consumer’s attention. Snapchat embraces the erasable future of social media where ephemeral data takes over.

Scalable=spammable

We’ve seen it time and time again: every time digital marketers think they’ve cracked the code of making mass marketing possible, it’s ruined by spam. Blast emails, pop-up ads, forum posting, the list goes on and on. Once a tactic can be scalable, it can be spammable. But Snapchat’s advantage over every other medium is that—so far—it’s spam-proof.

A consumer must actively add her own Snapchat friends. When she receives a snap, it cannot be saved. Marketers must give consumers the message they want, in the way they want it. And we know consumers hate to be spammed; they don’t like pop-up ads that follow them around the Internet based on the one time they searched for a ‘black dress’.

Snapchat can do just what consumers want: it delivers the message and the message disappears. It doesn’t continue to pop up on a news feed or flash across the screen.

Best practices for Snapchat

Sneak Previews: Encouraging consumers to add a brand on Snapchat could be difficult. You’ve got to make it worth their while. If a consumer adds you on Snapchat – they are either very interested or they’re a loyal customer. So, take advantage of this and treat these consumers well.

10-second coupons: Because the message can’t be shared, a 10-second coupon is even more valuable. Consumers must grab the deal when before it disappears forever.

Competitions and contests: Get the consumer actively involved. The limited lifespan makes Snapchat the perfect tool to offer a unique-call to-action, creating a sense of urgency and enthusiasm.

While Snapchat doesn’t have basic tracking tools or a concrete way to measure engagement, it can still offer a superior way to build engagement and loyalty among consumers and here’s a wrap-up of why:

· The messages always disappear. It’s impermanent data that feeds into the future of ephemeral data on the Internet.

· The platform encourages engagement and participation because it’s a one-to-one relationship between the brand and the consumer.

· Marketers are finally giving consumers the power, giving them to the choice to receive sneak peeks or coupons, giving them the choice to respond to a call-to-action, and, finally, giving it to consumers in less than 10 seconds.

It’s time for marketers to learn how other brands are using a platform that’s generating over 400 million messages a day. Check out Danielle Look’s post, “What the Heck is Snapchat and Why Should Marketers Care” for another look at Snapchat as a marketing tool.