Snapchat for Business – Making the Most of 10 Seconds

by Startacus Admin

Snapchat for Business – Making the Most of 10 Seconds

Snapchat launched in 2011 and has continued to grow and evolve ever since. An increasingly popular mobile app, Snapchat allows users to send videos and pictures (‘snaps’), often with a caption, graphic, or personalised doodle over them. It is used mostly as a messaging app since, after all, a picture paints a thousand words. And if there are words over the picture then, well, that’s…more words… Snaps last only 10 seconds after being viewed before disappearing which, if nothing else, makes it unique. Of course, screenshots will save the images if you want, but it almost defeats the point.

The way in which Snapchat can best be used for business, though, is your ‘Story’. This is a 24-hour collection of these videos and pictures that can be browsed by all Snapchat users or broadcast to all your followers. Taking advantage of this process and the popularity of the app could prove immensely beneficial to your business or brand.

#LastSelfie

In 2014, the #LastSelfie campaign was launched by the Danish branch of the World Wildlife Fund. Designed to raise awareness about endangered species, the campaign played on the ephemeral nature of Snapchat’s content as a metaphor for the decline and eventual disappearance of endangered animals. Beautiful images of various animals were captioned with things like ‘Don’t let this be my #LastSelfie’.

The campaign won a People’s Choice Webby award and performed well on social media. A case study from the Mobile Marketing Association showed that the campaign raised global awareness and helped the WWF raise funds faster than ever. In just the first eight hours, 5,000 Tweets had reached 6 million Twits (or whatever we’re supposed to call ourselves). In one week, the campaign had been retweeted 40,000 times and reached 120 million timelines.

 

 

Audi’s touchdown

You might think that a company like Audi wouldn’t need to raise awareness for their brand, but a company’s marketing work is never done. During the Superbowl XLVIII, Audi partnered with both Snapchat and satirists The Onion to focus their efforts on the Millennial demographic.

The campaign created funny images and captions, mostly of animals. Though seemingly simple, the campaign received 100,000 Snapchat views and 37 million total impressions. During the game itself, Audi’s Snapchat following grew by over 5,500 people which, at the time, was one of the largest spikes Snapchat had ever seen.

Pay attention to the man behind the curtain

Unlike the Wizard of Oz, it could do you a lot of good to give people a look behind the curtain. Showing people the real you (which could be your company as a whole) and demonstrating your willingness to have fun and make people feel like they are a part of your brand could do wonders. Capturing Bill who does the accounts while he sips from his ‘World’s Best Dad’ mug could be just as engaging and inclusive as snaps from company parties, office birthday celebrations, or that time the boss tested his X Factor audition on the staff. In this way your business or brand becomes more than just a name; it becomes a group of people.

Web-only fashion brand Everlane placed Snapchat at the heart of their marketing strategy, taking a unique approach to transparency in their factory and the design studio. They use the platform in a fun way, such as opening a ‘Secret Shop’ selling limited edition items that only followers could get, and only by finding the shop through a series of interactive tasks. In this way they are building a relationship with people in a way that is interesting, fun, and memorable.

Reach for the stars

Almost literally. If you can get a celebrity on board your marketing campaign, it goes without saying that your brand will get a lot more attention, or at least exposure. When it comes to something like Snapchat, we’re not talking George Clooney drinking your coffee – YouTube personalities, or even Snapchat personalities now that they are a thing.

A couple of years ago, Mondelez International teamed up with Vine personality Logan Paul for a week-long Sour Patch Kids campaign in which the social media influencer performed pranks based on a Sour Patch Kids theme, sometimes accompanied by a giant Sour Patch character.

Depending on your business, current brand awareness, and other factors, enlisting the aid of an internet personality of some kind may not be a viable option for you. But if you are conducting your social media marketing in interesting, engaging ways like above, that could be all it takes to interest a social media influencer.




This post was created by Ross Harrison. 

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Published on: 18th April 2016