25 Oct How Snapchat Can Be A Great Marketing Tool

Most of our population view Snapchat as just a funny way to send pictures back and forth among close friends. Snapchat is a platform of social media that is still mainly used by Millennials and younger, as opposed to Instagram and Facebook that are now used by parents and grandparents. However, Snapchat can be incredibly useful to your business and help in building brand recognition. Snapchat is a great way to grow on social media if your company has already established a strong Facebook, Twitter and Instagram following. There are a four main ways to approach Snapchat as a business.

If you’re going to any sort of event or on a trip, live stream it! Your audience wants to know everything from the process of getting ready, to the people there and even what you’re eating! It’s a great way to make your audience feel connected with the brand. Also, if the live stream is amusing and entertaining you can attract even more users to your business. Once someone is watching your Snapchat they become a potential customer, because that person is then intrigued by the company and what they offer. A user is more likely to then look at your website and your other channels of social media.

Take your audience on a tour of the office and introduce them to the employees. This “behind-the-scenes feel” may seem invasive, but it can actually make your business more relatable and allow your audience to connect a face or faces with a name. The best way to do this kind of video is to make it authentic. Don’t rehearse lines or shots, just make the video feel organic and genuine. You can show what your offices look like, what certain resources are used for, and maybe introduce them to a team member or two and explain what they do. Snapchat videos are only 10s long max, so staging a video isn’t really even possible. The behind-the-scenes look can be done with a few videos, but this time limit will keep everything short and sweet.

Give the camera to someone else! Having special guests make an appearance on your company’s Snapchat is always fun. Special guests don’t have to be famous to be entertaining. A special guest could be a satisfied customer, an experienced individual in your field or even a current client. A new face or environment will keep people interested and, depending on the guest, can even convince people to purchase your product/service. Special guests can make a longer appearance by even doing a “takeover.” Giving your power over to someone else for a whole day can be scary, but it will keep things fun. Although, make sure your special guest is willing and excited, because the last thing you would want is someone on the camera who is boring and turns users away.

Finally, use Snapchat for promotional materials to increase your following and reward valued customers. The followers your business has on Snapchat is most likely a handful of some of your dedicated customers/ followers who write reviews, spend time on your site and follow all of your social media accounts. Offering deals and exclusive promotions on Snapchat is a great way to make these customers feel like they’re being rewarded for their loyalty to the brand. Also, word of mouth does not take that long to get around (especially when people have the opportunity to save money), and from there your Snapchat can expand quickly. Even if your company doesn’t necessarily sell a product, you could offer discounts off of consultations, or enter all of your Snapchat users in a contest to win a prize. There are many angles of promotional marketing that can be best used through Snapchat.