Have you ever struggled with growing your brand’s presence on social media and making it work for your business?
Have you tried keeping up with all the new social media platforms to only fail at it, and wondered how others make revenue through Snapchat, Instagram and Musical.ly?
With 2.7 billion social media users and 2.5 billion mobile social media users in the world (according to We Are Social and Hootsuite), we as marketers have no doubt about the power of social media.
In the ideal world, we would also have huge marketing teams that would make sure that we have a consistent creative presence on every social media network, with messaging and content tailored for every channel.
In reality, we never have enough time, resources or creativity to keep up with the fast pace of the social media word and especially the preferences of young consumers (speaking of which, have you heard of tbh, an anonymous social networking app that achieved 5 million downloads and 2.5 million daily active users in the past couple of months and which was promptly acquired by Facebook?).
If your audience is young (and not-so-young) movers and shakers, who do not watch TV but are glued to their smartphones, then Snapchat is the only platform you should be focusing on right now.
Nielsen research found that “45% of 13-34 year-olds in the US can be found on Snapchat on any given day, whereas on average, only 5% can be reached by a top 15 TV network”.
Also, on any given day, “nearly 90% of people aged 13-34 on Snapchat are exclusive to the platform” and can’t be reached anywhere else.
And I know, you might feel like you’re too old even to start your attempt to understand what Snapchat is and how it works (here’s a simple explanation of the platform that will get you up to speed).
So go ahead, play around with Snapchat and get your brand on it. You don’t need a huge team or massive budget to do it, so there are no excuses.
To help you get started, here are 10 unique ways to make Snapchat work for your business.
#10 Start your own Snapchat Talkshow
Snapchat works with ABC, ESPN, NBC and Vice on original productions (which are distributed through the ads and Discover platform) but you can do it by being creative and using the platform’s free creator tools.
No need to invest in professional studio equipment – work with what you have and focus on the content and its presentation to your followers.
Invite cool people to your show (so that you wouldn’t be the only person doing the heavy-lifting of the reality show) and talk about what matters to your audience (or entertains it).
When you launch the show, share the announcement with key media and blogs and voila – the views (and new customers) will start rolling in.
*Side-bonus: while reaching out to the cool people (aka influencers), you’re building offline relationships that can help you take your brand to the new level.
Clik here to view.
Image: Thumb Candy Media
#9 Do exclusive previews
You might not have the $420 million business Kylie Jenner, but you can definitely use one of the techniques that help her new collections sell out in minutes: exclusive product previews.
The reality star teases her followers with the new additions to her cosmetic line, building anticipation and then dropping the date and time when the products go on sale.
“I don’t pay for advertisements. I don’t do commercials. Social media is the only way I push it: Snapchat, Instagram. I’m usually the one posting everything, but I have another girl who’s on the team who helps out sometimes if I’m busy. Sometimes I delete all her pictures. I’m like, I don’t like that, it needs to look like this,” – the 19-year-old shared in a recent interview.
If Kylie, with all the money and resources that she has at her disposal, does it herself, you can do it too!
Clik here to view.
Image: Kylie Jenner Snapchat
#8 Share behind-the-scenes shots
Even before Snapchat introduced the Snap Map, it has been the best alternative to “being there”.
Authentic fun shots make Snapchatters feel like they are part of the action even though they can be far away from the location of the event.
Use this to your advantage and engage with your followers by giving them exclusive access to the events you run and to the behind-the-scenes of your business so that they would feel more engaged and connected to your product.
#7 Get real about the issues that matter to your customers
One huge positive difference that social media has made in the lives of people and brands is smashing the walls down and bringing transparency to the businesses. Is there a matter that is important to your audience? Discuss it!
Bring an expert, or find an internal expert and talk about it.
Get your users to ask questions, tell your prospective, announce your initiatives, encourage users to stand up and take part (by signing a petition, responding to your snap or visiting an offline event) – and get a raw unfiltered feedback that you will not get through focus groups and surveys.
Clik here to view.
Image: Everlane Snapchat
#6 Demo your product
If a picture is worth one thousand words, then a video is worth a million!
You can demonstrate cool features and share insights about your products in an engaging manner. Snapchat has recently dropped the 10 second limit on the videos meaning that you can continue recording if you need longer to show your stuff.
But please think beyond a series of product snaps: do a live Q&A with your brand’s Product Manager, Designer or Founder. Share your brand’s easter eggs and lifehacks that your audience can find funny or useful.
Think about what problem your product helps to solve and show how it does it on Snap!
#5 Use Snapchat creative tools to help your product go viral
Snapchat has dozens of creative tools which give you a huge space to create (and have fun while doing that)!
Daniel Wellington watch brand is a perfect example of how you can use something as simple as a Snapchat sticker to get your followers promote your product on your behalf:
Clik here to view.
Image: Daniel Wellington Snapchat
#4 Feature your followers
Get instant social proof by engaging with your followers and featuring their Snaps in your story!
Snapchatters are 2.3x times more likely to rely on friend and family recommendations so seeing your real customers in your stories send the message that they can relate to.
#3 Sell stuff!
A little known fact: you can create a unique Snapcode that is linked to a specific URL you pick which you can share straight on Snapchat, or through any other platform where Snapchat users can see your Snapcode.
A Snapchatter would simply have to scan the code in the Snapchat app and it will open your URL in the Snapchat app.
So, suppose, you’re doing a sale of purple over-the-knee boots or holiday packages to Miami – get direct links to these pages and serve them to your followers within the platform they love.
#2 Run Snapchat takeovers with influencers
Partnering with right influencers can give your brand a boost through a positive association with public personas through an exciting story that the influencers will tell in your snaps.
Takeovers will bring the right association with your brand and influencers will endorse it by doing a takeover, that way, you treat your followers to fun, engaging content straight from your Snapchat feed.
See the tips that a travel Snapchatter Cailin O’Neil has for collaborating with influencers:
A live chat with a professional Snapchatter Cailin O'Neil
Posted by Snapchat Daily on Wednesday, June 28, 2017
#1 Tell your authentic story
One of the main reasons why Snapchat has the audience that is so hard to find everywhere else, is because it’s fun to use (duh!) and it’s focusing on the right stuff: your authentic story that you live in the moment (versus vanity metrics such as number of likes or followers).
It’s an unfiltered truth about your brand, your founders, your employees, your suppliers that helps your followers relate to you and get onboard.
See how this French supermarket found a creative way to tell their story via Snapchat Spectacles:
Clik here to view.
TBWA\Paris
As you can see, the opportunities for building your brand and growing it through Snapchat are endless! So leave your fear behind and start creating!
BONUS! SNAPCHAT STATS 2017
Snapchat in numbers*:
- 3 billion snaps is an average number of snaps created by Snapchatters every day
- 173 million average daily active Snapchatters globally
- 18 times if an average number of times daily active Snapchatters open the app each day
- 30 minutes is an average minutes spent in the app each day by daily active Snapchatters
- 60 minutes is an average percentage of daily active Snapchatters who create with our camera every day
- Snapchatters are 2.3x times more likely to rely on friend and family recommendations
- 3 in 4 Snapchatters used Snapchat before, during or after shopping
* Source: Snap Inc