Should Your Marketing Plan Include Snapchat?

When discussing social media that can effectively be used as a way to draw in customers to a business, the usual suspects always come up — platforms like Facebook and Twitter, definitely, followed by Instagram, Pinterest, and possibly a few others. One of those “others” is called Snapchat, and if haven’t considered this secret weapon as part of your marketing arsenal, you may be missing out.

Snapchat allows you to send short videos to your users, and being that we are increasingly living in a visual world, this is one social media platform that has really taken off in the past couple of years. Remember a few weeks back when we talked about the importance of marketing to millennials? Well, Snapchat appeals to millions of millennials on a daily basis, which is exactly why you should be taking this application seriously.

So, what are the best ways to use Snapchat for your business? Here are five tips that we would recommend:

Tip #1: Promote Live Events

Snapchat has proven itself as a great way to promote and celebrate live events. With the app’s real-time marketing capabilities, you can let your followers know about a live event, whether it’s a product launch, trade show, or personal event that people can participate in. And for those who aren’t able to partake in the event, you can send out a video message to everyone that shows highlights, which will get them excited for the next event.

Tip #2: Send Out Unique Content

When it comes to providing customers with unique content, Snapchat easily trumps apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Thanks to its primary video feature, you can whip up something fairly quickly and disseminate it to all of your followers. More importantly, though, what they receive can be vastly different and more informative than what you’re able to send on other social media platforms, which makes Snapchat perfect for delivering content that people will appreciate.

Tip #3: Create Fun Promotions

A great way to grab attention for your brand is to create a promotion where your followers can win discounts, free items, special access, etc. Snapchat is fantastic for this, because consumers can interact with you in a very unique way. For example, you can create a week-long scavenger hunt that asks users to send in selfies based on specific items that you designate, with a winner (or winners) chosen at the end of the week who show the most creativity. Trust us… people eat this stuff up!

Tip #4: Provide a Behind-the-Scenes Look

Most people just LOVE to know what’s going on behind the scenes, whether it’s a company, promotion, movie production, etc. It makes them feel as if they’re a part of something or have the “inside scoop.” You can provide this kind of thing on Snapchat by giving a tour of your office, introducing staff members, giving a sneak peek to an upcoming event, etc. By taking them behind the scenes of your company, you’ll give followers a better idea of how your company operates and what it’s all about. You’ll show its personality in ways that just aren’t possible with other platforms.

Tip #5: Partner with Influencers

Okay… we may have saved this for last, but if done well, it can prove to be the best thing about Snapchat for your business. There are thousands of influencers out there — people who are well-known via youTube videos and whatnot — who have millions of their own followers. When you reach out to these influencers and hire them to promote your product, it’s a win for everyone involved. You get access to their followers and they get access to yours. What could be better?