Snapchat Marketing for Brands: What You Need to Know in 2018

You already know that video is taking social media to the next level, but do you know the most significant social media channel for video? It’s not YouTube, where users watch almost 5 billion videos every day. Nor is it Facebook, where users watch 8 billion videos a day.

It’s Snapchat.

Users watch a mind-boggling 10 billion videos a day on Snapchat, according to a Bloomberg report.

If your brand wants to establish a presence or boost its current activity on Snapchat in 2018, keep reading. We’re exploring how to use video to build brand awareness on Snapchat.

Get to know Snapchat

Snapchat was founded in 2011 by two Stanford University students. “Picaboo,” an app that sent photos that would eventually disappear, was the first version of Snapchat, but months after launching the company rebranded as Snapchat. In 2012, the app introduced video. The following year they launched the Stories feature, which brands started using to share more about the happenings at their companies.

As alluded to above, Snapchat isn’t like all the other social media outlets; after you encounter an image or video on the platform, it disappears. A visual doesn’t stay out there for viewers to keep watching over and over. Just like life, if you miss it, it’s gone. The Snapchat app has continued to evolve and offer new options to communicate with others in a way that is similar to real life.

Who’s using Snapchat?

You may be wondering if Snapchat is right for your business. So, let’s start off by taking a look at some of the numbers behind this popular social media channel to get a feel for the audience that’s using it.

• According to Snapchat, there are 178 million daily active users
• Adoption is higher among younger U.S. age groups as reported by eMarketer:
  
  • 24.5% of 0-11 year-olds
  • 83.4% of 12-17 year-olds
  • 78.6% of 18-24 year-olds
  • 47.6% of 25-34 year-olds
  • 19.7% of 35-44 year-olds
  • 15.7% of 45-54 year-olds
  • 11.3% of 55-64 year-olds
  • 5% of 65+ year-olds
  
  

While Snapchat is still most popular among 24-year-olds and younger, don’t count out the older age group. EMarketer reports older Americans now drive much of the user growth on Snapchat. In fact, users between the ages of 45 and 54 are expected to be up 6.4% instead of the original estimated 4.2%.

Snapchat do’s for 2018

If your brand wants to maximize success on Snapchat in 2018, do…

Identify the faces of your brand

Snapchat is very personable. As a brand, it’s essential to keep your audience engaged. Identify a few key people to represent your brand. They should be relatable and engaging.

Create Geofilters

If you’re holding an event or conference, create a Geofilter for that specific date and location. A Geofilter is a great way to get the word out about your brand while also giving Snapchatters a fun and engaging overlay to use on their pictures and videos while attending different functions.

Keep stories short

You want your stories just long enough to get your message across but not so long that you lose your viewer. If you take too long to get to the main point, your viewers may get bored and bounce.

Be casual

Snapchat is all about fun and authenticity. If you keep it too professional and buttoned-up, you won’t capture the attention of your audience.

Create a consistent posting schedule

A consistent posting schedule will help your followers know when they can expect new stories from you. A schedule will keep them coming back to check out your latest content.

Include text

When using video, don’t forget to include some text. Many people watch videos without sound, so don’t forget to include some text to ensure they get your message.

Set up groups

Use groups to have community conversations or share tips. Make sure the information you offer to your groups is something extra they receive that they wouldn’t receive otherwise. Offer something they find useful to get them to request to be a part of the group.

Use Snapcodes

Create a unique Snapcode for your website. Snapcodes are great ways for businesses to promote themselves with photographable symbols rather than just a URL. The Snapcode will open up your site inside of Snapchat when the user scans your code.

Snapchat don’ts for 2018

Where there are do’s, there are don’ts — and we’ve got some don’ts to keep in mind for 2018.

Don’t post too frequently

There is such a thing as too much, even when it’s awesome. If you post too much on Snapchat, you may oversaturate your audience and turn them off.

Don’t be boring

Snapchat is all about being creative and fun. Spice up your story feed with some videos that will grab your followers’ attention. Engage your audience.

Don’t forget CTAs

Businesses need to include CTAs on their Snaps. Snapchat gives you the option to attach a website to your snaps, which can serve as a CTA. Learn more about adding an attachment to your snaps.

Don’t forget to measure

If you do not measure activity on your Snapchat account, then you don’t know if you’re effective with your marketing strategy. Learn more about what metrics to measure on Snapchat.

Don’t stage perfectionism

Be spontaneous when posting to Snapchat. Don’t strive for perfectionism… that simply isn’t what this channel is about. Perfectionism comes across as inauthentic.

Learn more with Digital Summit

Snapchat is a wonderful channel to showcase a brand’s fun and spunky personality and engage with an audience you may be missing out on. So, get out there and have fun with it, and you may see that it has a positive impact on your bottom line.

Are you ready to learn more about social media marketing in 2018? Join us at a Digital Summit event near you. We gather the leading marketers and leaders across a variety of industries for two days of keynotes, workshops and networking. Register for a Digital Summit today