Snapchat. Yes, yet another social media avenue to get your head around.
If you’re under 25 feel free to gloss over the key points here – you know the drill. But if you’re over 30 and selling stuff to the younger set, you might want to listen up!
Snapchat is cool. Very cool. And for lots of reasons. Ok, it may have started out as a private photo sharing app for cheeky photos that ‘explode’ after 10 seconds, but Snapchat has progressed into a pretty handy tool.
Snapchat is about sharing ‘moments in the now’. There’s no doubt that we have an affinity with Facebook for similar reasons, but a whole lot of other stuff goes along with Facebook statuses: shares, comments, repeated content, stuff getting out of hand….Snapchat is immediate and then…poof! Those moments are gone forever after a few seconds. No chance of being misinterpreted. It just is what it is. Totally organic.
It’s about telling a story
Generation Y and even Gen Z use Snapchat to document their experiences and poignant moments as part of every day life. They embellish their photos and 10-second videos with colors, text, graphics and filters to their private address book. The ‘My Story’ features allows users to save their snaps chronologically as their ‘story of the day’. These files are accessible to their friends or the public for 24 hours.
When it comes to business marketing, Snapchat is worth throwing into the mix. It’s a little bit ‘underground’ offering a rare look into your business world. Customers become connected to your product in a unique way compared to your Facebook, Instagram or Twitter followers. Again, they’re ‘in the moment’, so give them something to get excited about!
Ride the wave of urgency
Snapchat can create a flurry of excitement amongst your cashed-up, ready-to-spend punters. Plus, if you build a healthy looking database, you’ll eventually be able to reach thousands of customers within seconds with your video or photos.
Try and give them a call to action by posting snaps of:
- Exclusive offers: ‘Be at the store by 5pm for a special ‘Snapchat sale’ for one hour only’.
- Incentives to shop online: “This code has a 2 hour expiry…use it for 20% off storewide only in the next two hours’.
- Showcase ‘real’ people: promote your business’s culture by posting a photo of a customer modelling a new season outfit, or your staff unpacking sought after merchandise looking super excited!
Don’t restrict your audience
Using Snapchat in your business marketing doesn’t need to be restricted to the younger crew chasing the next best thing in fashion, beauty, music or technology.
The app can be used across all industries, especially those with an audience who would prefer to research and build trust with a brand before they commit. Let’s say, for example, food and wine. This is an industry that has many earthy, interesting and colorful subject matters, so why not Snapchat them?
Consider posting product ‘teasers’ like:
- a day-documentary (Snapchat ‘story’) during ‘vintage’ season at your vineyard
- exclusive invites to your pub or café to ‘taste test’ a creation your chef is currently working on
- film a random ‘Vox Pop’ with your customers reviewing your food or boutique beer at a pop up bar at a funky market
When using Snapchat, make sure you offer incentives that you’re not offering via any other social media or your website. And don’t go overboard with posts otherwise your Snapchat activity will become like white noise.
Quite simply, Snapchat gets to the heart of your business. Take your customers on a back stage tour of the action, your people and what makes what you do so unique.
