If you aren’t already familiar with Snapchat, here’s a quick breakdown. Snapchat is another social media outlet, with over 150 million users. It is different from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in that there is no news feed, and your updates only last up to ten seconds (once they’re viewed). In other words, you can send pictures and videos to your followers, or post them so your updates can be viewed by all of your followers at their convenience, and they choose when to open it.
Adding another social media outlet to your business regimen might sound overwhelming and tedious. However, with over 150 million active users, Snapchat isn’t something that should be completely ignored. That being said, as a business, Snapchat shouldn’t be at the top of your social-media-priority list. Here is some helpful information to help you decide if your business should be on Snapchat:
Millennial-Aged User Base
While Facebook is still a very powerful and modern marketing tool, many of the younger generation users have taken a step back. Snapchat has become increasingly popular among millennial-aged consumers, and the younger generations in general. In fact, according to Business of Apps, 77% of college students in the United States use Snapchat regularly, and 30% of adults (18-25) are also using Snapchat. This tells us that if your business’ target demographic is the younger generation, Snapchat is for you.
Non-Shareable Content
The downside of Snapchat for business is that content isn’t shareable. Posts only last up to 10 seconds, and though they can be made view able more than once by a single person, people aren’t able to share it to their own accounts. Unlike Facebook where you can easily share someone’s post, or Twitter where you can push a button to retweet, Snapchat’s content isn’t shareable, and thus becomes unappealing to many business owners. Another downside for business is that Snapchat has no room for reviews. Your customers won’t be looking to Snapchat as a place to view or leave reviews for your business.
Behind-The-Scenes
Snapchat is a great place for showing off your business behind-the-scenes. Videos are quick and simple to upload; more so than any other social media platform. If you want to show off your business or make a quick how-to video, Snapchat is a great option for that (as long as you have a following). Keep in mind, people aren’t quite as likely to follow businesses on Snapchat as they are their family and friends, which is why this next section is a big one when it comes to this platform:
Ad Space
Snapchat has a great ad space feature. Your ads can be featured as videos, and similar to other social platforms, you can choose your audience you’d like to target. When your viewers are scrolling through the images and videos from their families and friends, your ads will show up in their space and make it so they easily view your content. You can learn more about Snapchat ads, here.
In order to answer the question, should your business be on Snapchat, you really need to look at it in a case-by-case basis. Unlike Facebook, Google, Instagram and Twitter, where the answer is always YES, the need for Snapchat varies. If you’re interested in spending some marketing money on ad space, and your target market is the younger generation, then Snapchat is a great option for you. If you are more interested in showcasing reviews, shareable content and targeting older consumers, Snapchat won’t be your best option.
For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, subscribe to the FreshLime Newsletter here. Connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. And last of all, if any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!