Snapchat marketing: Become an adopter through these 7 tips

Trying to capture young Americans with your inbound marketing efforts? You may be missing opportunities if you don’t look into the possibilities of social media platform Snapchat marketing.

Last year Statista reported 83 percent of Americans 12 to 17 and 79 percent of those 18 to 24 were active users of the seven-year-old photo-sharing chat app, making it the top social media platform and the third most-used platform of any kind used by millennials. Worldwide, the app logs some 166 million daily users. And interestingly enough, 70 percent are female.

The app’s primary function? It allows users to exchange multimedia messages or “snaps” made up of photos, short videos, text, filters, stickers and/or other overlays, but they’re only viewable for up to 10 seconds before disappearing from the receiver’s stream and becoming permanently inaccessible. The originator can share the messages publicly or make them private “stories” that are automatically shared with his contacts.

“Snapchat made its mark for showing a more authentic and unpolished side of social media,” notes Jessica Wade on SmartInsights.com. “That original feeling is what keeps some of its users engaged to this day.”

Some tips on how inbound marketers might optimize Snapchat marketing:

• Make sure your messages are targeted toward your young buyer persona, using all the data at your disposal to craft messages and visuals accordingly.
• Options include 10-second snap ads, sponsored lenses that encourage users to play with various images or sponsored geofilters, sponsored lenses only accessed when visiting a certain location.
• Like Facebook, Snapchat now discourages free organic traffic by requiring brands to pay for promoted stories that can reach their target markets. Savvy marketers encourage users to follow their brands, then follow them back to gain real visibility. The influencers that generate the most engagement will be prioritized by Snapchat to get extra play.
• Visually strong brands partaking in Snapchat marketing often perform well on Snapchat; for example, sportswear and beauty products are now at the forefront. Consider how you might entice youth with visually appealing photos or short videos showcasing your products and inviting immediate phone orders. Options may include sneak previews of new products, footage of live product launches, quick video summaries of relevant blogs, contests, etc. The keyword? Creativity.
• Because millennials respond well to the idea of exclusivity, consider special deals only available through Snapchat, giving followers the opportunity to earn more by encouraging their friends to follow you as well. Note that a targeted strategy will likely be required, as the Snapchat format disallows users from simply forwarding your message to their friends.
• Consider optimizing the temporary nature of Snapchat through teasers. For example, your first message could generate excitement over a discount promotion or new product without revealing what the discount or product is; the second could provide actual details along with your phone number.
• Be sure to track your metrics so you understand how different content is performing. A three- to four-week deployment should be long enough to gauge whether you’re on track; if not, you may need to keep tweaking your campaign to get desired results.

Still underutilized by most marketers, Snapchat opens the door to a number of effective methods for helping drive leads from millennials. Consider how you might optimize its advantages in your favor.

Talk to Custom Toll Free about securing a vanity phone number customers can easily recognize on Snapchat.