In Emily’s article for this month, she talks about the emergence of Snapchat as a major social media channel. Snapchat has rapidly evolved from an outlet for high schoolers to send private pictures to each other to a legitimate social network with marketing features that businesses can take advantage of. With over 100 million users per day, household brands like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s have already begun using Snapchat to reach the 18 to 34 year-old demographic.

However, as with anything new that emerges, many marketers are quick to write it off as a “fad” and are reluctant to invest. The problem with writing anything in the world of advertising off as a “fad” is very simple; you might be dead wrong. Many thought Facebook was a “fad.” Many declared that online advertising in general was a “fad” once upon a time. Yet here we are in 2016 and not only have social and online mediums stuck around, they’ve grown to become some of the most effective, inexpensive vehicles for reaching young consumers. Here are five reasons why Snapchat might be worth considering for your business:

  1. Urgency – One thing that makes Snapchat unique from other social channels is the brevity of any photo or video you post. A single snap that is sent out gives the viewer ten seconds or less of viewing time before disappearing. Similarly, anything posted to a Snapchat Story remains there for 24 hours before vanishing. These time limits automatically create a sense of urgency with users and keep them coming back for new content.
  2. Incentives – Emily’s article also mentions the ability to offer coupons or special discounts through Snapchat. All you have to do is snap out a picture of the coupon with the details. Your customers are then able to screenshot the promotion and use it. This has a dual effect of bringing in business as well as incentivizing customers to keep engaging with you on Snapchat so they don’t miss any deals.
  3. Sneak Peeks – Another effective way to utilize Snapchat for your business is by offering your followers a sneak peek of new products that are coming soon or even just a behind-the-scenes look into your company culture. Snapping shots of new products can help to build anticipation and the fact that they disappear makes it seem like you’re really giving them a “secret inside look.” Snapping photos and videos of team building activities or events helps your business connect with consumers on a more personal level.
  4. On-Demand Geofilters/Event Promotion – One of the most useful features that Snapchat has to offer is On-Demand Geofilters. These are graphic overlays tied to a certain location that Snapchat users can put on their photos and videos before sending them out. This recently became the only Snapchat marketing feature that is available to small businesses and brands. An effective way to use Geofilters is to create one for an event or promotion and encourage customers to use it. This will create organic buzz for your event with attendees telling their friends about it through Snapchat. For more details about On-Demand Geofilters and instructions for setting one up, check out Emily’s article.
  5. Stay Tuned – Emily mentions four other marketing features that Snapchat has developed for businesses besides On-Demand Geofilters. Unfortunately, these features are only available to large, well-known brands at this time, but it’s a good idea to stay tuned and see if these features become available to more companies in the near future. The addition of these recently released marketing features shows that Snapchat is continuing to grow and you can expect many more as the network becomes more and more ad-friendly.

Need help taking advantage of new, untapped marketing resources like Snapchat? Give us a call at 701-478-1111 or visit absolutemg.com/contact. We understand that the marketing industry is constantly evolving and we are always looking for new trends and methods to help our clients stay current and see results.