If young people are part of your target market it’s simply a no brainer to be on Snapchat. Gone are the days when publishing marketing content for your business means following strict expectations to be formal and proper. Social media calls for far more relaxed and candid content, allowing you to share and engage your customers in a brand new way.
Snapchat now boasts more than 10 billion video views per day, far surpassing Facebook’s 8 billion. A whopping 60% of smartphone users are on the app with 45% of those being between 18 and 24. The best thing is, Snapchat is free! So with a little careful strategy you can convert the app into a fun advertising tool that won’t put a dent in your marketing budget.
Give a behind the scenes look
Snapchat is designed to capture moments as they unfold, lending it perfectly to behind the scenes content. Decide what sets your business apart from the crowd and capture that for your audience to see. Maybe your business is hosting an event, developing a new seasonal menu or creating an interesting product from scratch. These are all things that make your brand unique and they’re worth sharing! Snapchat is also a fantastic way to share a little personality with your audience. It’s loaded with features including text, geofilters and drawing tools which all allow you to put your stamp on your photos and videos.
Getting Started
Users can add your account by username. Snapchat only allows you to choose your username once, so make sure you pick something you're happy with. Snapchat will also ask you to create an 'appear as' name which is what your account will be identified with in the feeds of those who are following you. In order to allow people to add you easily and identify your business try to keep your username and 'appear as' simple and consistent. For example, our Snapchat username is 'cravenewcastle' and our appear as name is 'Crave Newcastle'. Snapchat allows a maximum of 15 characters for your username, so if possible try to keep your username the same or very similar to your usernames on other platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Promotion
Once you’ve got the hang of things and you’re ready to start snapping, it’s time to grow your audience! Converting your existing Facebook and Instagram audience into Snapchat followers is easier than you may think. Every Snapchat account is equipped with its own unique Snapchat code, allowing users to add your account to their contacts with ease. Many brands are now sharing their Snapchat code on their social media platforms and encouraging their followers to add them. Simply open the app and tap the little ghost in the top centre of the screen, take a screenshot of your code and share it on Facebook or Instagram. For a user to add you, it’s as easy as scanning the code through the app’s camera feature!
An example of a Snapchat promotion on Instagram
Don’t stop at just promoting your Snapchat online, you can also promote your account in store or even on your packaging! Businesses and brands are becoming more and more savvy about promoting their social media accounts and why wouldn’t you? Taking advantage of social media as a promotional tool is the way of the future.
Suppose you have a regular customer who comes into your cafe or restaurant for their daily takeaway coffee but has never dined in before. As a business you've placed your Snapchat code on a sign near the customer waiting area and even on the back of your takeaway coffee cups and that customer decides to add your account. Over the next few weeks they see you sharing your new winter menu and a few exciting drink specials on Snapchat. They think to themselves ‘Hmmm, I must go in for lunch one day.’ That weekend a friend suggests to them that they’d like to catch up over a bite to eat and your business springs to mind. Congratulations! You’ve just used Snapchat as a marketing tool.
A creative way to offer your customers discounts through Snapchat
Snapchat exclusive deals
Another creative way to drive people to your business through Snapchat is by offering deals or discounts exclusively to your Snapchat audience. There are a few ways you could do this, one is by simply giving your audience a code or a phrase that they have to say when ordering or paying to redeem a discount or special offer (free drink with a main, anyone?!). Another method could be to ask your followers to screenshot one of your snaps and show it in store to redeem an offer. You can get creative and create a snapsterpiece like this!
Pro tips
• When sharing videos and photos as a business on Snapchat, post them as a story rather than sending them to individual people, that way everyone can see what you post with ease.
• Make sure you post a few things on your story before you promote your account. That way when users add you they’ll have something to watch straight away.
• Remain professional. While it’s great to be candid, remember you’re still representing your business and you wouldn’t want to damage your reputation by sharing something damaging on Snapchat.
• Don’t over share. No one likes watching a Snapchat story that’s five minutes long. Leave people wanting more by keeping things short and sweet.
• Pick a few trusted staff members and hand them the phone to get a few unique perspectives through Snapchat. Make sure you give them a few guidelines to keep everything suitable and appropriate!