How Can I Implement Snapchat Marketing?
If you're trying to market your business to a younger audience, Snapchat is the tool for you to use. Let us guide you through Snapchat Marketing.
The Snapchat demographic
According to a recent research report, 72% of Snapchat users are between the ages of 13 and 25. They’re mostly young people in developed countries who have spending power, and they use Snapchat more than most of their other networks. Snapchat Marketing is almost essential, depending on your brand.
40% of users check their Snapchat accounts multiple times a day.
If you’re trying to market to a young and trendy audience with money to spend, Snapchat is your new best friend.
What is Snapchat good for?
Snapchat is good for a lot of things. It’s good for sending questionable images to friends without fearing that those images will be seen again. To most people who don’t use Snapchat and don’t really get what it’s good for, this sounds like it’s a tool for sending nudes. Really it’s about sharing the raw moments of your day with your friends without worrying about it being around forever.
There are no bosses on the network to question your drunken nights, and there’s no fear of those images being permanently stored online where they could someday come back to bite you.
Although Snapchat has been around for a while now, it has remained relatively immune from marketers. Many marketers are squeamish about advertising to millennials, and for good reason. The “we know better than you” approach they seem to favour often backfires on the intelligent and tech savvy generation Z.
Having said that, there are a few young beauty and fitness professionals who are finding that Snapchat marketing can be a legitimate way of cultivating loyalty with their fan base and customers simply because it’s such an exclusive social network. They often do this by posting daily pictures and videos of what they’re up to, and very rarely directly promoting their products or services.
Another way to use it for time-limited offers. KarmaLoop, the rad streetwear ecommerce store, has a Snapchat account that it uses for posting images and videos of new stock as it comes in. They occasionally post their coupon codes on the Snapchat account, and hundreds of thousands of young fans make use of their exclusive offers.
In essence, Snapchat marketing is good for publishing exclusive, unpolished content to:
- Add authenticity to your brand
- Engage younger viewers who are difficult to reach
- Position your brand as receptive to younger customers
Snapchat Marketing
The key to Snapchat marketing is producing raw, exclusive content. Snapchat gives you the opportunity to convey an unfiltered part of your brand to your audience. Along with your other social media platforms, your Snapchat account communicates a fuller picture of what your brand is. See something you like? Snapchat it! Eating something delicious? Snapchat it! It’s all about being in the moment and sharing the little pieces of your day.
Example: Bradley Martyn @bradleymartyn on Snapchat
Bradley Martyn is a personal trainer who uses social media to inspire his fans, with the end goal being for fans to convert into customers by visiting his website, where they can register for online packages or one-on-one training. Bradley knows that not all people who follow him on Snapchat will become customers, but that’s OK. Not all of your friends will become your customers either. The Snapchat account is a way for under-25’s to engage with Bradley in a more personal and exclusive way, and when they see him pumping iron in the gym, it inspires them to live a similar lifestyle.
Bradley also has other channels that are more direct in their selling approach. He has a YouTube channel, a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and an Instagram. He does very well with engagement on all platforms, because there’s very little duplication of content.
On Snapchat, Bradley posts very little serious content, instead asking fans to snap him pics and videos of celebrity impressions between bouts of workout selfies.
The use of multiple social media platforms builds Bradley’s brand as a whole. YouTube contains his videos with workout tutorials. Facebook is used to distribute these tutorials and post pictures of his workouts. Twitter is used to interact with fans and distribute content. The Snapchat account is just another piece of the puzzle – it showcases what he’s doing at any given moment and shows a more personal side to him.
Example: ShaaanXO @xoshaaan on Snapchat
Most people would know who Shannon Harris is, but in case you’re unfamiliar with the name, she’s a self-made YouTube celebrity who hails from the small town of Palmerston North in New Zealand. In the last few years, Shannon has built up an audience of close to 1.5 Million subscribers, and there’s no doubt that her prolific use of social media has helped fuel that.
Much of Shannon’s life is lived in front of a camera doing makeup videos and makeup photoshoots. Her Snapchat account is used to bring hardcore fans behind the scenes, with selfies, photos of her dogs, photos of her and her friends enjoying drinks, and other general activities filling her story.
Shannon has a YouTube account for her tutorials, an Instagram account for her finished looks, a Facebook page to share news and distribute content, and a Twitter account to engage with fans. Her Snapchat complements her existing channels by providing a behind-the-scenes view into her world, which adds authenticity to her brand and makes her relatable.
Business owners might be better off taking a slightly more work-centric approach to their Snapchat marketing. Remember though, that one of the primary uses of Snapchat marketing is to add authenticity to a brand, and engage with younger consumers.
Summary
Snapchat marketing may not work so well if you’re using it as a standalone tool. It’s better used as a way to increase your reach among younger audiences that want to see a view of what you’re doing behind the scenes. It makes your brand feel real and can serve to bring you and your younger fans closer together.
