As you probably know social media is all the rage and you’re probably reading this article because you want a better understanding to whether or not it can help your business.
Today we will be focusing on Snapchat. The app that allows you to send 10 second videos/pictures to friends that disappear forever after viewing them. Don’t worry this article won’t be 10 seconds long, and you can view/read this as much as you want.
Still no idea what Snapchat is? Here is a quick Snapchat 101 overviews before you continue.
So the question stands, will snapchat actually help grow my business?
Probably Not.
Maybe it did only take 10 seconds. Just kidding.
But, here are 3 reasons why I think it probably is not the social media channel for you.
Your market
Snapchat users are generally born after the 90’s. Even then, not every Millennial or Post-Millennials uses snapchat. Unless this is your only target market, or the center focus of your audience, then you probably won’t have too much success. If you know this is your target market, skip to the end of the article and see how Snapchat can be a strong asset in building your business.
Building your Audience
You need to get people to follow you. That can take a really long time before you see any results. Other Social Media channels, such as Twitter do not require them to follow you before you can interact with them.
If you are looking into using Snapchat you need to let people know you have an account. Post a picture somewhere in your business with your handle and a Snapchat icon. Put your handle on your social media bios. Get creative and post some of your past Snaps on other social media sites to let people know what kind of content you are providing via Snapchat.
Remember, building an audience is a constant effort. It can take awhile, but do not give up. As long as you are consistent with your posts, content, and outreach you will see growth.
No Longer Unique
Snapchat has a 24 hour story feature that allows you to view 10 second videos people you are following have made, compiled into one storyline over the past day. This used to be a feature that was unique to Snapchat. But, Instagram has challenged Snapchat by adding the same feature to their platform.
With all that being said, why would you engage in a platform that doesn’t have your full target market, takes longer to build a following, and no longer is unique?
You shouldn’t if you are in the service industry. That brings us back to the target market, most of the users are under the age of 25 and do not need to worry about home services, like plumbers, carpet cleaners, or auto shops. But, if you are a massive fast food chain like Taco Bell then Snapchat is a must to grow your business. Check out what Taco Bell did to engage with their target market, and stay unique from other social media platforms.
If you want to use pictures/videos to reach out to your target market, and you don’t like Facebook, then I would suggest you focus your efforts on Instagram. You will need to acquire followers as well, but your range of target markets reached will increase drastically, and you will now have both the 24 hour storyline feature as well as picture/video posts. These posts will not disappear after 10 seconds, and they can be linked with hashtags that is a great (and free) way to boost your visibility, and hopefully gain more followers.
PROs of Snapchat
If you are still reading, it probably means you think Snapchat has a chance to help your business. Here are some ways Snapchat can be a positive tool in your marketing arsenal especially if your target customer is 25 or younger.
Here is a quick outline to help you plan for building a Snapchat marketing campaign.
- Plan out what content you will post
- Try telling stories
- Walk throughs of your product
- Share industry updates
- Again, you need to grow an audience
- Go to the add friends section on Snapchat and share your username.
- Do a “add me on Snapchat” search on Twitter’s advanced search to find other people and add them. Remember to search locally!
- Engage your customers
- Send them content
- Have promotions via Snapchat
- Have them create content and submit it to you
- Measure your success
- Make sure you reach your goals on how many followers you wanted to obtain each month
- Make goals on how many views, or replies you get.
- Always increase your goals, never level out your success.
Lastly, remember to always be creative, and enjoy the adventure in the 10 second world of Snapchat!