Three Ways Marketers Can Leverage Brand Success with Snapchat

March 7, 2016 By BJ Cook,

Snapchat is the latest social media trend sweeping the nation. Behind Facebook and Instagram, it is the most used social media platform by millennials. Almost everyone and their mother is on Facebook and Instagram (seriously, though). The same can’t be said for Snapchat, which boasts the youngest user base out of all the major social media platforms. However, because it is the newest, it is also the least understood. It's fleeting and self-destructive nature has created a challenge for marketers. Furthermore, 87% of Snapchat users never buy things they see on Snapchat. So how is it possible for us as marketers grab their attention in 10 seconds or less, especially when attention spans are at an all-time low? Here are some ways we can go about doing just that:

1) Tell a story

Literally. Thanks to Snapchat’s Story feature, users can post multiple “snaps” in a single sequence, which all of their followers can watch as many times as they want for 24 hours. This is an interesting concept for marketers, as it lets users add a narrative flow to their snaps. It humanizes the brand and makes it more relatable. This casual form of social media posting allows brands to get more personal with their brand advocates and is more easily consumable than other intrusive forms of promotion, such as display ads.

2) Go viral

Today, virality is something that is highly sought-after yet increasingly difficult to attain from a marketing standpoint. Yet, as difficult as it is, it’s not impossible. Take DJ Khaled, for example. Prior to the latter part of 2015, DJ Khaled was a musician hanging on the edge of obscurity. He was known mostly for yelling his name over popular rap songs. However, that all changed once he picked up his phone and started recording videos on Snapchat. Since then, DJ Khaled has completely blown up and become an overnight media sensation. But his virality was no accident. With a slew of inspirational musings and endless selfies, DJ Khaled has reminded marketers that social media is not about sales but about being memorable and forming genuine relationships with your brand advocates.

3) Create branded geotags

Unlike the invasive display ads seen in Snapchat’s Discover feature, there are other more organic ways to get your brand name out there and interact with your audience. Depending on a user’s location, Snapchat has different geotag filters. It also has geotags for important holidays and dates. Brands have already capitalized on this capability by creating brand-centric geotags. Most recently, this was seen with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens back in December. With this method, brands don’t have to advertise themselves—the users do it for them. And with 65% of Snapchat’s user base churning out content on a regular basis, that’s practically a goldmine of brand exposure. There’s a reason Snapchat is in Facebook and Instagram’s rear view mirrors. With an arsenal of communication methods at its disposal, Snapchat is gaining on the social media heavyweights, and at a blindingly fast speed. Need help keeping up with these social media developments? Social is one of the many things we do best. Feel free to reach out anytime and contact us for more information.