Social Media Strategies – Snapchat is Short-Lived Marketing Brilliance

What is it?

It was created and produced on a very simple idea. Snapchat is basically a photosharing app where pictures vanish just a few seconds after you open them. In a time where people are obsessed (and rightly so) with how much they are being tracked online, and deeply concerned with the trail of content they are leaving out in the world forever, Snapchat seemed to hit on stroke of brilliance.

How many use it?

Snapchat will not disclose exactly how many users it has but after launching in September of 2011, it currently is estimated to have over 100 million monthly users with over 50 million snaps per day. The demographic that uses the app the most are users age 18-25. Now why wouldn't companies trying to market to this demographic take advantage of its platform? This is a good question especially when 58% of college users that use the app say that they would likely purchase a product from a brand that sent them a coupon via Snapchat.

How does it work?

Since the launch of the app, you could send a picture for up to 10 seconds, and a video clip for up 15. In October 2013 Snapchat expanded its service by introducing a feature called “stories.” This feature stitches several snaps together that end up forming a narrative. After 24 hours the snaps vanish from the story. Stories are the most popular feature of Snapchat with over 1 billion stories being viewed per day.

So tell me how this can be used as a marketing tool. (A free one!)

Take a boutique or clothing store, for instance; you can use your still image or video clip to highlight your new pieces or accessories that you brought into the store that week. You can snap these directly to your regular customers and add it to your story feature. Think of it as a virtual flip through a magazine. Occasionally personalize your Snapchat marketing strategy and delight a customer by sending a personal snap to them. This could be a snap of a piece in a print that you know client “Anne” will like. Snap her a picture of the piece and say, “Anne – this piece is made for you!” Anne will be “delighted” that you thought of her when you ordered the new piece and the gesture may get her to stop in the store and check it out. Follow no_14lville on Snapchat to see an example of a brand new small business that does a great job using this tool. They are in the process of developing their website; in the meantime, they are using some free social media tools like instagram to get their brand out there!

Another example is the social media savvy Taco Bell. Taco Bell was one of the first to embrace Snapchat and used it to announce the return of a customer favorite. Taco Bell started their Snapchat following and intrigue by asking their Twitter followers to add them on Snapchat to receive a special, secret announcement.

The very next day Taco Bell sent out photo advertising the return of the Beefy Crunch Burrito.

So What?

In the world of digital marketing, technology moves very quickly. The attention span of consumers has gotten significantly smaller and Snapchat is a mobile application that caters to the consumer who enjoys an uninterrupted snapshot of what is available. Always research, explore and try new ways to bring your message and your brand to your customer. Bring it to them where they are. Get into their space and understand what makes them happy, and what produces a positive response. 

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