Snapchat took the world by storm with its “disappearing” content and popularity among young audiences. If you’re thinking that Snapchat isn’t appropriate for your marketing strategy, consider that the platform offers a 75 percent chance of converting its users in comparison to other platforms. 

There’s no question that Snapchat offers incredible marketing potential. Find out how you can incorporate it into your marketing strategy for success.

What is Snapchat?

Source: Infinite Dial 2021 Report

Like other apps, Snapchat is a social media platform that offers an app for iOS and Android devices. Snapchat hit the market with a unique offering – any picture or video sent on the app is only available for a short period, then it disappears forever. This was intended to keep social interactions natural.

Though users kept content sharing private and among only a few people at first, Snapchat now offers a range of content types for massive audiences – this is where brands can cash in. You can take advantage of short-form videos, live video chats, messaging, stories, and avatars. Brands also have opportunities to use features like Feed, along with media brands like Cosmopolitan and Buzzfeed.

To address the disappearing content, Snapchat now provides users with a private spot to store screenshots of images and other content. Some other features include augmented reality, filters, and location data.

Important Snapchat Lingo

• Snap: A photo, video, or other content that’s sent or received. Responding to a snap is a “Snapback.”
• Stories: Like Instagram Stories, Snapchat stories are short reels that can be linked and broadcast to followers. Relying on the popularity of the original disappearing content, a reel is only available for a day.
• Score: This is a number that shows up near the username on the app, calculated from the number of snaps, stories, and some other data. A higher score means greater engagement.
• Lenses: These are augmented reality effects and sounds that can be used to enhance snaps. You can use lenses by long pressing the image and selecting a lens with the capture button.
• Filters: These are overlays that can be used to personalize snaps, such as time and weather stamps, speed view, colors, text, and more.
• Geofilter: Geofilters are tagged to events or locations, which can be used by individuals or companies to add to snaps or promote an upcoming event. For example, Zutubi driver’s ed app can use a geofilter to showcase a practice permit test specifically to student drivers in Florida.
• Discover: This is a section used for brands to promote content to followers. This is currently used by major media brands like Buzzfeed.
• Snapcode: This scannable code can be used with a camera on a phone to pull up friends or brands, like a QR code.

How to Incorporate Snapchat Marketing into Your Strategy

Source: Buffer

With so many users and options, Snapchat marketing can supercharge your existing marketing strategy. If you have a younger audience, it’s even more important to have a presence on the popular platform.

Check out these tips for getting started with Snapchat:

Create Your Business Profile

Snapchat requires an online presence to gain any leverage for marketing. To get started, you need to create a business profile that showcases your brands. Business profiles also offer advertising options.

Your username must be unique and you can’t change it once it’s selected. If your business name isn’t available, you can add symbols, numbers, or combinations of characters to make it unique. The most important part is identifying yourself for users, so do your best to keep your username as close to your business name as possible.

Once you create your profile, add your brand logo and link your business email to your account. Then, all you have to do is verify your email and you can start posting.

Build Your Following

Snapchat is powerful, but it takes time to gain some traction on the platform. The first step is adding friends and promoting your presence on your other social media accounts to generate more interest. Over time, you’ll gain more followers.

Here are some tips:

• Add friends from your contact list that are on Snapchat. You’ll have a quick following from people who already follow your brand.
• Invite your social media friends from other platforms. This is where your Snapcode comes in – you can share your Snapcode to make it quick and convenient for people to follow you on Snapchat.
• Offer discounts, contests, and giveaways to generate interest in your Snapchat account. You can offer samples or a free gift, such as downloadable content. For example, we might promote our free tests as an early-access incentive.
• Promote Snapchat with an email marketing blast. Plenty of your followers will be looking forward to seeing your content on Snapchat. Send out an email letting people know that you’re on Snapchat and asking them to follow you. Even better – tease some of your exclusive Snapchat content, such as one-of-a-kind videos, product previews, and brand spotlights.

Design Content for Your Audience

Once you have an audience, you can start creating compelling content to get them engaged. Like other social media channels, the content you post on Snapchat should offer value to your audience. Also, decide on a schedule in advance, such as one post a week, and stick with it. Consistency is vital to keeping your followers interested in what you’re offering.

Stuck on what to post? How-to videos and tutorials are always a great option, especially if your product or service is complex. Followers may also be curious about how things work behind the scenes at your business and how your employees like their work, so don’t be afraid to share employee events like holiday parties or highlight the employee of the month.

No matter how you choose to reach your audience, make sure it’s authentic. Snapchat users enjoy the real and raw nature of the platform, so it’s best to be approachable and authentic in your interactions. Over time, you’ll get a feel for what your audience wants to see from you and ideas for how you can elevate your content.

Consider an Influencer Takeover

Source: Influencer Marketing Hub

Though it may be intimidating for a business owner, a Snapchat takeover is a great way to build followers quickly. A takeover allows an influencer to control your account for a day and engage with your followers. Influencers already have a big following, so having one on your account for a short period can boost your audience.

A relationship like this is built on trust, so make sure you’re comfortable with the influencer you choose. Take some time to look at their social media account to learn more about what and how they promote. Outline the content in advance to make sure everything the influencer plans to do aligns with your brand values and message.

Keep Expectations in Check

Snapchat can get your brand a lot of social media attention and lets you interact with your customers more directly, but it doesn’t happen overnight. While you may hear about a few “overnight” successes, there’s always more to the story. Don’t create an account thinking that you’ll hit millions of followers in a week.

Go on your Snapchat journey with realistic expectations. You’re off to a great start if you already have a social media following on other channels, such as Instagram and Facebook. You will still need to invest time and commit to consistent, valuable content, so don’t get discouraged if your following builds slowly.

Get Creative

Snapchat is regarded as a young platform with little value to businesses, other than certain niches. While that couldn’t be further from the truth, it gives you a unique opportunity to get in early with a few competitors and experiment with your brand a little.

Users on Snapchat don’t expect television-quality advertising like something from Chanel or Ford. They’re looking for authentic brand connections and interactions that humanize businesses, so let the real you (as a brand) show. Try some new things to see how your audience responds. If it doesn’t take off, there’s no real risk since the content will disappear.

Craft Compelling Stories

With all the emphasis on short content, disappearing pictures, and raw interactions, it’s easy to get on Snapchat with an organic approach. Your content still needs strategy and structure to succeed, however, so don’t neglect your planning.

All of your content, no matter how short, should be structured like a story. Make your content compelling with a beginning, middle, and end to engage with your followers and give them something of value.

More Snapchat Tips

Can’t get enough? Check out these quick Snapchat tips:

• Host giveaways and contests to increase engagement quickly. Plan your promotions out to ensure you’re offering something your audience really wants.
• Give all of your team members a voice on your social media to come up with new content and ideas from unique perspectives.
• When you first create Snapchat, don’t hesitate to direct followers from your other social media channels. People occasionally miss posts on social, so don’t hesitate to promote your Snapchat account multiple times.
• Have some fun with the creativity and uniqueness of Snapchat. Though it’s important to be strategic and professional in your approach, you have some room to test the waters with new and innovative ideas.

Bring Snapchat into Your Marketing Strategy

Snapchat is already a big platform for young audiences, but it’s only expected to grow. Many brands haven’t made the move to Snapchat, so armed with these tips, you can gain an edge over your competitors. Besides other popular social media platforms, it can also be an important element of your marketing strategy. 

You can also consider paid activity on Snapchat. Paid ads can go a long way toward generating awareness and traffic, however, keep in mind that social media campaigns can be challenging. Ad costs can compound, and it’s vital to track vital metrics and tweak campaigns for the best possible ROI. Missing the key metrics can lead to massive budget losses.

Choosing an analytics tool like Sotrender Ads, you can track organic and paid ad performance on the main social media platforms. The tool automates reporting for in-depth insights in a flash and saves time on data aggregation and visualization. You can also compare campaigns to see what’s working, and what isn’t, which helps you to optimize your advertising activity.