Does Snapchat Really Matter to Marketers?
In an impromptu poll in our community, 56% of respondents said they had no plans this year of utilizing Snapchat for marketing. Only 9% stated that they were using it and the rest said that they hadn’t decided yet. That’s not exactly a standing ovation for a network that’s skyrocketing in growth.
Personally, I find it confusing and still fumble around every time I open the app. I eventually find stories and snaps from my network, but not without frustration. As for posting my snaps, I rarely do.
With 150 million daily active users and 60% of them publishing daily, though, perhaps I shouldn’t be ignoring the platform. In fact, on any given day, Snapchat reaches 41% of all 18 to 34-year-olds in the United States.
With a mobile-only usership, Snapchat is a network that fits perfectly in someone’s pocket. With auto-deleted content, it gives users a sense of urgency to access Snapchat as often as possible, and it helps users keep in touch with their friends.
- Snapchatting – It seems it could get a bit difficult to manage and measure engagement, but the opportunity to build 1:1 relationships with your clients is available on Snapchat. And unlimited folks can follow you; you’re limited to following 6,000 accounts (not verified with Snapchat).
- Stories – A Snapchat story is a photo or video you post to your very own stories section that’s visible to you and all your friends. Stories expire in 24 hours.
- Advertising – Snapchat offers Snap Ads, Sponsored Geofilters, and Sponsored Lenses in their current advertising options.
3 Ways to Advertise on Snapchat
Snapchatters watch over 10 billion videos per day, which is more than a 350% increase in the last year alone. Visit Snapchat Ads for more information and a ton of case studies.
- Snap Ads – are 10-second vertical video ads.
- Sponsored Geofilters – are unique photo filters only available at locations you specify.
- Sponsored Lenses – are photo modifications or layers that users can play with and add to their Snaps.
Best practices on Snapchat marketing
- Set your Snapchat profile to public.
- Customize your Snapcode.
- Use Snapchat for contests, sneak peeks, coupon codes, behind the scenes, and employee introductions.
- Snap for 5-15 seconds and create stories that are 1-2 minutes.
- Talk during your snap or story.
- Film and submit vertical photos.
- Speak with other users using Snapchat’s messenger.
- Use text and emojis
- Be creative!
Here’s the infographic, Why Snapchat Matters to Marketing:
According to recent data, Snap(chat) has 158M DAU users. In fact, this mobile app is focused on Western market: North America (US, Canada) and (partly) Europe (UK, FR). I don’t think that “With a 150 million daily active users and 60% of them publishing daily” is disadvantage. Many people use Snap(chat) in order to follow other passively without posting stories.
I find it awkward to use and often left wondering “what should I post?” just before moving on to Instagram or back to Facebook. For business is a little different, because if you have defined your message, it’s just a matter of adapting it to the platform and playing along to make it work but it’s still an odd network to use. We’ll see how they do after their IPO.