On a daily basis, Snapchat reaches
Why use Snapchat for business?
Given the popularity and expansion of advertising, business features for Snapchat are perfect for marketing endeavors. The ads can be certified by third party agency itself instead of Snapchat doing so only. You can easily have them directed to a website, an extended video or an article.
Apart from promoting, building brand awareness is a sure-fire way of grabbing your audience’s attention. Simply shoot a 10-second ad and get started. It could be viewed in between Stories. More in-depth can be viewed by giving the users a choice to swipe to get there. These ads have a five times higher click-through rate which clearly defines the level of importance it holds.
So, the next thing you want to do is use Snapchat for your business since it is the best way to create some deeper connections with your fans and followers. Here’s how you can build an engaged following with Snapchat:
#1. Takeovers are worth the time
Hand over your Snapchat account to an industry influencer for a given period of time and you have arranged for a takeover for your audience.
To make them work, takeovers need to have a purpose. You may want to do so for a product launch, promotional purposes, to share announcements or news, to showcase collaborations or even event awareness. In the case of an event, begin with a teaser and let it last an entire day, for 24 hours.
So how would you go about a takeover? Choose the right takeover host, an influencer who have a large number of fans or social media following. He/she also needs to have a viable connection with your industry. This would make up for an increased exposure. Also, ensure that the host is asking his/her snapchat friends to add your dedicated Snapchat account.
Another tricky tip here is to ask the person to not post any Snapchat throughout the takeover period. It would add towards the excitement of fans and they would definitely want to head to your Snapchat.
Flaunting your industry knowledge is a great way to position yourself as an industry leader and thought leader. Start with giving out free tips to your users on Snapchat. All Snapchatters ever have to do to access content is “tap”.
Create a campaign and before you start rolling out tips, ensure that you make an announcement. It will entice the followers into keep coming back every day. Include the total number of tips that you will be sharing and provide a link to your blog or website for an even extended set of tips.
What you need to take into account is to conduct a small research as to what your followers are interested in. You may either share tips on usage of particular products or share some other industry knowledge anyway. Just remember to give plenty of notice to your followers when sharing tips.
Bonus tip here: If you are to continue this practice, you can choose yourself particular emoji to give your followers a heads-up the next time you’re at it. This will give your set of tips an identity that your followers will associate with easily from next time onwards.
#3. Conduct 10-second Snap interviews
This may be the last in the list but the most interesting of them all. Interviewing people for one 10-second snap at a time is a “10 snap questions” format that many brands have successfully conducted.
To do so, set appropriate lighting and sound for best results. Ensure that the interviewee is sitting close to you so that he/she speaking into the microphone.
It should begin with an introduction of the interviewee. Put questions as text on separate snaps and add stickers for a personality show. Don’t forget to thank the interviewee as you end. Also, share away the snapcode for that person. For an extended interview, link it to a longer version of the interview on your YouTube channel or website, whichever deems fit.
#4. Unveil something big
Bloggers and influencers are often asked to try out new products so that they can push their reviews to the public through their following. Snapchat is a great way to reach out to the audience if you are to unbox a gift, introduce a new product or an entire product line, or even unveil the cover of your new book.
This is a great way to capture the audience in a pre-launch instance. The recorded 10-second videos of a song, a book review or a product trial will penetrate through the entire market gaining enough media coverage and putting your product in the limelight.
Final Word
Snapchat is an ephemeral messaging platform that allows you to be expressive in ways that no other social network can. Make sure that you make a lasting impression before the content disappears in 10 seconds or 24 hours.
But, no matter what you do, just take care of these four words: Tell a great story. Do that and you will be able to give your audience something to look forward each time. Just remember to plan it well, ahead of time, make the necessary announcements before the big reveal in order to ensure you have gotten the attention of the users.
