5 Ways to Use Snapchat for Business

This is NOT my article. I did not write it..I came across it and thought it might be helpful to some of you. Below is the article to read here but here is the link to the actual article/author ARTICLE HERE

 Are you thinking of adding Snapchat to your social media marketing mix? Interested in ways to use Snapchat to strengthen your brand? With Snapchat, you can increase community engagement and brand awareness through innovative marketing campaigns. In this article you’ll discover five ways to use Snapchat for business. 

Why Snapchat?

With over 100 million daily active users and 400 million snaps per day,  Snapchat is one of the fastest-growing social networks. As you might  already assume, 71% of Snapchat’s U.S. users fall into the 18 to 34 age  range. Even if your audience doesn’t fall in that demographic, Snapchat  is becoming a vital part of global marketing strategies. 

 Brands and content creators are using Snapchat to produce daily stories that engage and excite audiences. Snapchat stories, which last only 24 hours, are a string of snaps used to create a video narrative. There are over 1 billion views of Snapchat stories each day. You can have a lot of fun with the platform’s native tools and  features by adding filters, geofilters, text, emojis, music and more,  all from within the platform. Here are five ways you can use Snapchat to surprise and delight your audience and grow awareness for your brand. 

#1: Provide Access to Live Events

Snapchat is perfect for real-time social media marketing because it can give the audience direct access to live events. You can use it for product launches, trade shows or one-of-a-kind events like the 1,000th customer to shop in your store. Snapchat gets your audience excited because you’re providing a different, more authentic view of what’s going on at the event. The NBA has used Snapchat  in a variety of ways including at the Draft, All-Star Game and Finals.  At the 2014 All-Star Game, the NBA launched their presence on Snapchat,  and fans were able to watch videos from L.A. Clippers star Chris Paul,  and up-close snaps of the Slam Dunk Contest. 

 During the 2014 Finals, the NBA posted a backstage video clip of  Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell with San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi  Leonard. 

#2: Deliver Private Content

You can also use Snapchat to provide special content to your audience  that they might not receive on other digital platforms. Think of  something unique to surprise your community of followers. Fashion brands like Rebecca Minkoff and Michael Kors have used  Snapchat to debut their collections to followers before they hit the  runway. At a Valentino show for Fashion Week in Paris, actors Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson took it a step further and reprised their Zoolander roles as Derek Zoolander and Hansel for a runway walk-off. They even had a “Blue Steel” geofilter at the fashion show.  

 The use of Snapchat at Fashion Week made consumers feel included in an  exclusive world, and by doing so, they felt like they were part of the  event. 

#3: Offer Contests, Perks or Promotions

Everyone loves social media giveaways and promotions, so think of  ways you can keep your followers coming back for more. For example, you  could offer promo codes or discounts to the fans who watch your entire Snapchat story, or ask them to take a snap while holding your product. GrubHub succeeds in Snapchat community engagement with a variety of  promotions, exclusive deals and contests. In fact, they were the first  brand to execute a Snapchat scavenger hunt. Each day during the five-day  campaign, they asked their followers to post a daily snap, whether it  was a food selfie or a food doodle. 

 This innovative campaign showcased GrubHub’s brand personality and  created two-way communication between consumers and the brand. The  company was able to capture user-generated content while increasing  loyalty, which is a recipe for Snapchat success. 

#4: Take People Behind the Curtain

With Snapchat, you can provide behind-the-scenes content to your  community, which helps create and engage a strong following. Show off  your company and make sure to have fun with it. Capture birthday parties, Friday afternoons or company outings. The sky’s the limit on showing how your brand differentiates itself with company culture. Fashion brand and startup Everlane excels at this, pulling back the curtain to educate customers while producing enticing content. They use Snapchat stories to highlight tours of offices, happy hours and manufacturing warehouses. 

 Everlane brings the consumer into the overall process, from ideation  to creation to execution, all through Snapchat. In doing so, their  customers feel like they’re part of the process. 

#5: Partner With Influencers

Just like with Instagram  and other social channels, social media influencers on Snapchat can  help spread brand awareness and reach. By partnering with influencers,  you can spread awareness to a demographic that’s hard to reach through  traditional media. Keep in mind, too, that influencers who are skilled with the Snapchat platform can create spectacular video content that can further enhance your brand voice and personality. 

 Final Thoughts Snapchat’s authentic platform can make an impact with your followers  and strengthen your brand’s point of view with real-time marketing. 

 By Kate Talbot