The Rise Of Snapchat As A Marketing Tool

A lot has changed for Snapchat in recent years, the platform once used solely by teens to communicate privately with one another has quickly become one of the most popular social media platforms available. With millions of users worldwide and more joining every single day, it’s safe to say that Snapchat has well and truly established itself as not only a great social media platform but an effective marketing tool. 

Snapchat can give businesses countless opportunities to engage with customers, create awareness and help build a customer relationship and with so many huge brands already opting to incorporate Snapchat into their social media marketing strategy, there’s no reason your brand shouldn’t be either!  

What is Snapchat?

Snapchat is a photo and video sharing platform, however unlike others apps such as Instagram, you can only post or share your Snaps with others for a maximum of 10 seconds and then they’re gone. However you can string your images together as part of your ‘Snapchat story’ which is available for 24 hours.

Snapchat is a relatively informal platform that allows users to customise their images with text, drawings and even interactive filters, working well for brands aiming to appear more fun, on trend and is perfect for brands aiming to reach out to younger audiences. 

Why Does My Business Need To Be On Snapchat? 

Snapchat not only boasts a huge user base, which can improve your reach but Snapchat also offers paid ads, sponsored filters and even sponsored lenses which, whilst often used by brand giants, can be some of the most effective ways you can improve your reach, in a fun and engaging way. 

Even for small businesses, who can’t utilise sponsored filters and ads, Snapchat can still have it’s benefits, these include;  

It Feels Authentic 

Snapchat is a perfect way to help show off the behind the scene aspects of your business, allowing you to Snapchat certain aspects of your day, your team or even your products and enhancing them with fun filters and text. Using Snapchat to post photos from your business is way more authentic than using stock photos and makes your brand much more relatable.  

It’s Unique 

Snapchat is different to other platforms like Facebook and Twitter due to how much you can personalise what is posted. By taking your own photos and adding your own unique captions, filters and lenses,  everything you post can be unique to your brand and can be a huge benefit in engaging with users.  

Tells Your Story

Snapchat lets your business tell your story, from a Snapchat story about a day in the life of your business or your employees, to exclusive news to a live images and video clips of a special event, there are a number of ways you can show off your business and tell the story of your brand through Snapchat.  

It’s Free 

Unless you’re looking to splash out with sponsored posts and ads, Snapchat is completely free, allowing you to make the most of marketing your business on Snapchat without having to worry about going over your budget. 

While Snapchat won’t be the best marketing tool for all businesses, it can be an effective and beneficial tool for those looking to reach out to younger audiences or for brands looking to engage with their audience in a fun and modern way. With a great marketing plan in mind and the willingness to adapt to the constant growth of Snapchat, there’s no reason your brand shouldn’t be looking to Snapchat to increase engagement, grow your brand and reach target new audiences.