You either like Snapchat or you hate it. Snapchat isn’t for everyone and it certainly isn’t the next big social network for businesses but it can be one of the most effective ways to build and establish relationships with customers. Snapchat has grown into a way to broadcast your messages to groups of people without overwhelming their inboxes.
Snapchat is easily separated from other big social networks because it can capture someone’s attention. On Twitter and Facebook, there is so much activity going on, so much so, that most people either just glance over your message or miss it completely. On Snapchat, users know that your ‘snap’ will only last about 10 seconds before it is gone forever, so you will have their undivided attention for that short amount of time.
The user base for Snapchat is mostly young people, with 77% of college students saying they regularly use Snapchat, but if your eCommerce store is targeting that market, you have a potential goldmine in your hands. 58% of college students say they would likely purchase a product from a brand that sent them a Snapchat coupon.
If you would like to explore Snapchat’s possibilities for marketing, this post will give you an idea of what you need to know.
What is Snapchat?
Snapchat is a mobile photo messaging application that allows you to take photos or short videos, known as ‘snaps.’ These snaps can be sent to your friend or added to your Story to share with some or all of your friends. Friends can view snaps for up to 10 seconds, then it disappears forever.
Who is using Snapchat for Marketing?
Snapchat is not the most popular social app to be used by marketers. But there is always someone who is willing to try out new apps and see what results are best. You may find that with creativity, Snapchat is actually very beneficial.
16 Handles is great example that uses Snapchat to promote their brand and increase sales. 16 Handles is a frozen yogurt brand and most likely one of the first to use Snapchat to market their brand. 16 Handles advertised a “Snappy New Year” campaign back in the 2013, which asked their customers to take a picture of themselves eating frozen yogurt and send that ‘snap’ to the company’s Snapchat account. In return, 16 Handles sent back a snap to the user with a discount from between 10%-100% off their next purchase, but the customers had to wait to open the snap to find out their discount, otherwise the coupon would be gone!
Takeaway: 16 Handles did not send coupons to every customer that followed them. 16 Handles first asked for each customer to send them a picture, in return, the customer would receive a coupon to use on their next purchase. This means that only interested people took part in the campaign and were rewarded with a coupon.
Snapchat marketing ideas
Coupons
Just like the example above, 16 Handles, you can send your customers a custom coupon that they can redeem at checkout. This coupon will bring in new or repeat customers to your store or eCommerce site and get them browsing around with a good possibility of buying something using the coupon.
Contests
Hosting a content is a great way to engage customers with your brand and send you ‘snaps,’ instead of the other way around. More engagement means more loyalty, and you can reward those customers with discounts and coupons on your products.
Sneak Peaks and Announcements
Create a ‘snap’ with a sneak peak about your new product or service to get your followers excited about what is coming. At the same time, you can also build your following by letting people know on other social networks that you have exclusive sneak speaks only on Snapchat.
Stories
Everyone loves Stories. By showing your Story through Snapchat, and sending your followers photos and videos of what goes on behind the scenes of your company, your customers and followers will trust you more. You can show them who your employees are or what typically goes on day-to-day.
With the user base in the millions, Snapchat is a viable social platform that shouldn’t be ignored by most businesses.
Support Operations Manager
