Social media is crucial for businesses aiming to engage with customers in innovative ways. Among these platforms, Snapchat shines with its lively and fleeting nature, offering unique opportunities for brand promotion and interaction. Neglecting social media for your business is a mistake; it’s essential to have a presence and a solid strategy to achieve your goals. Let’s delve into how Snapchat can benefit your business.
What is Snapchat?
Snapchat is a popular messaging app and visual platform where users can send photos, videos, and text messages that disappear after a set time, usually within 24 hours. Alongside its ephemeral messaging feature, Snapchat offers additional functionalities such as Stories, which allow users to compile photos or videos for a 24-hour replay, memories for saving and sharing photos, and various filters and stickers to enhance messages.
Though Snapchat has been around since 2011, it’s only recently that brands have started recognizing its potential. For small businesses and organizations, Snapchat may still be uncharted territory. However, the platform is rapidly growing, presenting ample opportunities for brands willing to explore its potential in reaching and engaging with their audience, ultimately boosting both engagement and conversion rates.
Why Should You Consider Snapchat for Your Business?
Once upon a time, Snapchat was mostly used by young people who liked its disappearing messages and fun videos. Brands didn’t pay much attention to it because they didn’t understand how to use it or why they should bother making content that would vanish.
But now, as Snapchat has changed, businesses are starting to see its value. Even though you might not have heard much about it, Snapchat is growing really fast. In 2015, there were 200 million people using it every day, sending 400 million snaps. Today, there are 347 million people using it every day, and they create 5 billion snaps every day! Surprisingly, only one percent of businesses are using Snapchat.
Businesses are starting to like Snapchat more and more. If you want to reach your customers quickly and spend less time making content, Snapchat is a good place to be. Your customers might not be using Snapchat right now, but they might start using it soon, so it’s a good idea to start using it too.
Let’s talk about some ways Snapchat can help businesses.
5 Benefits of Snapchat For Business
Reach the youth
There are a lot of different ways to market to millennials, but one of the most effective is Snapchat. If you’re trying to target Gen Z specifically, then Snapchat is a platform you can’t afford to ignore.
Statistics show that:
- Snapchat is especially popular with millennials in the 18–34 age bracket.
- The average user spends 30 minutes on the app each day.
- 60% of active Snapchat users buy things on impulse.
Share Original Content
Snapchat allows you to share original content and this kicks out the hassle of creating content, drawing a content calendar, etc. This allows you to post raw and real social content about your business and also build emotional connections with people. One of the most impactful benefits of Snapchat to your business is the increased credibility it can give your brand.
Easy Snapchat Ads
Snapchat offers a variety of ad formats to choose from, so you can say goodbye to those boring old pitches. Whether you want snap ads, story ads, filters, or AR lenses, Snapchat has you covered. It’s always a good idea to introduce products or services with story ads. This gives potential customers a sense of what your business is all about and what they can expect when they visit you. You can also announce giveaways or special promotions with these ads. Don’t forget to use Snapchat ads to give people a sneak peek at all the cool activities associated with your business.
Your ads should be short and attention-grabbing, with plenty of exciting elements that will spike curiosity and interest.
Snapchat Insights
If you’re solely relying on the number of views and screenshots taken when building your Snapchat marketing and content strategy, you’re not seeing the whole picture. That’s where Snapchat insights come in to give you a more complete understanding of how your social media marketing plan is performing. Snapchat insights can help you change your Snapchat marketing strategy. You can learn more about your target audience’s location and age range, which can come in handy when you’re trying to figure out the best way to market your product.
The key performance indicators, such as view counts, daily reach, etc., can help you evaluate interest and engagement.
Snapchat insights
There are hundreds of categories for grouping social media users based on their interests. For example, some people might be interested in music, while others might prefer movies. Similarly, some users might be interested in traveling, while others might be more interested in staying at home.
Pioneer Advantage
While a smaller number of marketers are using Snapchat for business purposes, an increasing number are beginning to see the potential of the social network. You can stay ahead of your competitors by connecting with a new audience through Snapchat. While many people are still getting a handle on Facebook and Instagram, you can start building relationships with potential customers on Snapchat. By being one of the first businesses on the platform, you can establish yourself as a leader in your industry.
Snapchat is a great social media site for brands that are looking to gain a competitive edge. By choosing to focus on Snapchat, brands can avoid the crowded landscape of other social media platforms and become a pioneers in the space.
How To Use Snapchat For Business
1. Set Up a Snapchat Business Account
- Download Snapchat from the App Store or Google Play store
- Tap on the Sign-Up
- Tap on the Signup and Accept button after filling in your details in the respective fields.
- Verify your age, enter a username for your business, and set a password
- Enter your phone number to get the verification code, or sign in with your email address.
- Enter the verification code, tap on the Continue button and you’re in.
- Use the username and password mentioned above to log in to Ads Manager.
- Enter the legal name of your business and tap on the Next button.
- Select the appropriate country and currency, then click Next
- Fill in your payment details
- Your Snapchat business account is ready to run your first ad campaign
Snapchat business page
You can add members from your business to create your first-ever Snapchat ad campaign. The ad Manager will show you your billing details.
Keep in mind that you can only use Snapchat on your phone; there’s no desktop version. You can technically use it on your computer by downloading an emulator, but it’s not as user-friendly. For the best experience, use Snapchat on your mobile device.
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2. Market Your Snapchat Business Account
Snapchat is a social media platform that is distinct from others because of its unique features and design. One thing to keep in mind when using Snapchat is that it is designed to be temporary and fleeting. This means that users shouldn’t expect their content to be available forever.
Before you can start marketing on Snapchat, you need to promote your account. You can do this by mentioning your Snapchat business account username on your website, newsletters, promotional emails, Facebook account, Instagram account, Twitter handle, and LinkedIn profile to other social media followers. This will help get the word out about your Snapchat business and attract users to add your business profile.
My snapcode
You can create Snapcodes by going into the settings and adding an image to feature in the ghost logo.
Snapcodes are the QR codes for your Snapchat business account. Followers can scan them to quickly and easily access your business account. This is a great way to connect with potential customers, especially if you have a physical store.
3. Feature User-Generated Content
As mentioned before, content created by you can enhance the authenticity of your service. This is because it establishes a closer, more personal connection between users and your service. When users feel this personal connection, they’re more likely to stick with your service over time.
When someone your followers trust shares a positive experience with your business, it boosts your credibility. Getting a recommendation from someone they know and trust is a big plus, and their genuine feedback is incredibly valuable.
To create content without stress, consider reposting content from your followers and featuring them. This not only reduces your workload but also fosters a sense of community.
You can now cut through the noise of advertising without breaking the bank. By investing in a quality product and effective marketing, you can reach your target audience and stand out from competitors.
For example, Starbucks started its first campaign of the “Buy one, get one” offer for its US branches. A follower had to take a snap with the “Snap it Forward” filter to redeem this offer. After its epic success, Starbucks rolled out more such campaigns.
4. Take the Influencer’s Aid
Getting your business featured in a viral moment can quickly expose it to thousands of followers. Just picture your business being showcased in a popular video or article that lots of people share. This could bring in heaps of new customers or clients.
Believe it or not, you can grab attention for your product by teaming up with social media influencers and content creators. They’re like the rock stars of social media, and their recommendations reach a ton of people. All you have to do is find some influential social media users who would be up for promoting your product.
But be cautious when choosing influencers – having lots of followers doesn’t always mean they’re the right match for your brand. Make sure to check out their past partnerships and recent posts to see if they’re a good fit for your brand’s values.
Before you invest in influencer collaborations, consider these factors:
What is your objective? What do you hope to achieve by working with influencers or content creators?
What is your budget? How much are you willing to spend on influencer partnerships?
Who is your target audience? Which influencers will reach them most effectively?
What are the terms of the collaboration?
What kind of content will the influencer create, and how will they promote it?
What are your key performance indicators?
5. Promote Exclusive Offers
Even the most diehard fans of a particular product or service can be tempted by a good deal from another brand. You should remember this when designing marketing campaigns for your business and be sure to include some kind of special offer or discount. This is an especially effective tactic for attracting new followers, who are always looking for a good deal.
For example, if you own an eyewear brand, you can ask your followers to take a selfie of themselves wearing your eyewear product and share it with you. You can also put up a voting poll for people to vote on the best selfie, and the winner or winners get prizes.
You can use AR lenses and Snapchat filters to virtually try out your products. This will create excitement and hype for your product.
Bonus point
Share Exciting Announcements
If you’re promoting a product, cross-platform support is essential to maintaining your customer base. By having a social media presence on multiple platforms, you ensure that everyone can follow and use your product, no matter what kind of device they prefer.
- Make your followers curious by giving them enough teasers and behind-the-scenes snaps. Let them see the process that goes into creating something that they’re already interested in, and maybe they’ll appreciate your work even more.
- You can announce flash sales and give away alerts to the winners of creative contests. This is a great way to get people excited about your product and increase sales.
- Geofilters and location-specific trends are a great way to make your content stand out. By using these, you can ensure that your content is seen by people who are most likely to be interested in it.
For example, host a contest for your followers to guess the new flavour you will be introducing in a couple of weeks. The top three winners will get their favorite flavour of ice cream for free.
Conclusion
There’s still lots of room to grow on Snapchat, so now’s the perfect time to try new things and see what works. Now that you’ve learned how to use Snapchat for your business, it’s time to put these tips into action. Get ready to start seeing some great results from your Snapchat marketing strategy.
To start influencing your followers on Snapchat, begin by posting a few snaps or a short video (5-15 seconds). You can also try out features like AR lenses, filters, and stickers to create a solid engagement plan for your brand.
Having a plan is crucial for success, but not just any plan will do. Your plan needs to be actionable, which means it should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Once you’ve got a plan that meets these criteria, reaching your goals will be much easier.
