August 26, 2016
4 Ways Snapchat Can be Part of Your Marketing Strategy
4 Ways Snapchat Can be Part of Your Marketing Strategy
Snapchat is a rising social media platform that keeps adding users. Daily, it reaches 41% of all 18-34-year-olds in the US, and older demographics are also signing up for this media messaging application. If you still don’t know what Snapchat is check out our Snapchat blog about it.
If you haven’t been using Snapchat to help market your business, you are missing out on new ways of reaching your audiences. We first have to consider what makes Snapchat unique. Snapchat offers short videos or pictures that are only up for 24 hours. This short lived life of your media makes people want to come back every day to see what’s new. Likewise, the short videos and pictures are not a limiting factor, but force you to keep your message simple and concise. The ability to use GPS functions, to write, doodle, and apply features on top of photos and videos let you be creative in how you deliver your message. All these unique qualities make for a new type of marketing that other social media can’t offer, despite Instagram’s new Stories feature.
So here are 4 ways you can use Snapchat’s unique features in your social media marketing strategy.
Events
Much like Twitter, Snapchat lives for live events. If often has featured stories available on certain holidays, cities, or events. You can promote your business if it falls under these featured stories. For example, if Snapchat is having a featured story on dining in LA, and you happen to be a restaurant in LA, you can get your snap on their feature story by sending it in or having customers send in their snaps to that story.
But regardless of Snapchat’s approval, you can cover your own special events on your own story. If you are having a grand opening or a special event you can cover it “live” through Snapchat. This allows your followers who can’t attend or are interested in coming out to experience the event.
GeoFilters
Going along with events, Snapchat now features GeoFilters on demand. GeoFilters are special filters that appear based on your location and time. With this feature, you can submit a filter for your business or event to Snapchat, which includes the area you want to cover and the times you want it to be live. This feature is paid and depends on the size of the area you want to cover. This feature is great for events and helps with branding. It also allows you to have customers engage. Customers and attendees will be able to use the filter and share it on their own stories, where they will help you promote your event and brand. Having that in mind, make sure your filter is relevant to the event, unique, and memorable.
Branding
Another way Snapchat can help with marketing is helping build a brand for yourself. Snapchat allows you to let loose and show a different side of your business, not only figuratively but literally. It allows you to take your followers behind the scenes of your business. You can let employees take over your Snapchat and show followers how their days go. You can show them how the business runs or the culture of your business behind the scenes. Snapchat also allows you to show exclusive content of events, which you can always repost later on other social media. There are many different ways to build your brand on Snapchat, you just have to make sure you keep true to your brand image and values as you do it.
Contests and Promotions
Taking advantage of Snapchat’s 24-hour story and live feature, you can use it to have contests and promotions for your followers. You probably already do contests or promotions on other social media, so now you can have contests or promotions that only last a day. This keeps followers on their toes and has them checking your snaps for new promos. You can have a contest for the best doodle or picture with your product or have a promotion that will bring in sales to your business.
…But Wait there’s More!
Snapchat offers more marketing opportunities, but the following are more difficult to execute or more expensive. Snapchat has their Discover Pages for different brands and channels. They also began running ads in between snaps, at a cost. And if you really want to be creative, you can have your own filter like Gatorade and Taco Bell have done.
So now that you know some ways Snapchat can be incorporated into your soical media marketing plan, go ahead and start sending snaps. Remember to be creative and to promote your Snapchat profile by sharing your profile name or your QR Snaptag that allows users to add you by simply pointing their cameras at the tag. For more tips on marketing visit GreatLike Media.
Back to main posts