7 minutes
Snapchat has seen rapid growth in popularity over the last few years.
Snapchat now has more than 500 million active users who spend 3-7 minutes per session on the app. It is an effective social media marketing tool that can help you reach new audiences.
Snapchat is more prevalent among younger users than other social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Therefore, it offers marketers a vast opportunity to reach millennials and establish a strong brand presence.
10 Tips for Promoting Your Brand on Snapchat
1. Get to know your audience
Snapchat is a marketing power because it allows brands to create content that resonates well with their audience. Companies that are successful with Snapchat get to know the people they target ahead of time so they can develop content that meets their needs.
It can be challenging to know your audience, especially if you are dealing with a younger crowd. But it’s crucial for making the most of social media marketing on Snapchat.
- What are your fans looking for?
- Are they fond of telling jokes?
- Can you share beauty tips or advice?
- Are they music-lovers?
You can improve your brand’s image by understanding your Snapchat followers and fans’ needs and turning this information into valuable content. Snapchat’s audience insights tool can help you do this.
2. Learn about Snapchat’s features
You need to be familiar with Snapchat’s process before you create a marketing campaign on the platform. Make sure that your plan isn’t too complex and doesn’t create too many obstacles for users to interact and engage with your brand — otherwise, they will quickly lose interest and move on.
Here are three examples of Snapchat stories that you can send to your audience:
- The story snap is the first. It lasts for 24 hours and is automatically posted to your friends’ feeds.
- The chat snap is the second type. It functions as a direct message but lasts only 10 seconds and enables you to interact with your followers in real-time.
- The third type of snap is an individual photo that appears on a user’s feed when they swipe right, tap on it, or click “see more.”
Snapchat’s key features include:
Interactive filters: These overlays are fun visual elements that enhance photos and add brand messaging. McDonald’s has used this feature to promote its brand on holidays such as Thanksgiving.
Snapchat Lenses: Lenses enable users to employ facial recognition technology to put funny faces on selfies or other objects. They have been a powerful tool to attract customers for brands such as Airbnb because they allow users to share their own filters and tell their friends about their experiences with the brand.
Snapchat Story Ads: Snapchat’s advertising platform allows marketers and businesses to display targeted ads on the app. These are called Snap ads, and you can easily integrate them into your existing marketing plans.
Snap Ad Tracking lets you see precisely how effective your ads are so you don’t waste time and resources on ineffective ads.
3. Discover new Snapchat media types
Snapchat allows you to create an advertising channel for your company and products containing various media. However, before you invest in advertising on the platform, make sure to try out all the available media types.
4. Use the right Snapchat filters
Snapchat’s custom filters are an excellent way for brands and individuals to communicate with their target audience. However, it is vital to ensure your brand message stands out in a crowd. You should use a filter that represents your brand to make each marketing campaign memorable.
5. Select the types of content to publish
After creating your brand message and choosing the Snapchat filter you want to use, you can now decide what kind of content you will publish. Here are some ideas:
- Behind-the-scenes: If your followers want to learn more about your product, behind-the-scenes videos are perfect for this. Your audience will get a glimpse into how you work and feel more connected to your brand.
- Product demos If you’re introducing new products, a demo video is essential. Your younger followers will see how simple it is to use your products and purchase them.
- How-to tutorials: People enjoy learning new things, especially when content helps them feel and look better. For example, you could offer weekly how-to tutorials on skincare and makeup to help them remember your brand.
- Industry tips: You can use Snapchat stories to share your tips and tricks with people that solve real-life problems like cooking, clothing, or house repairs. You could also create a fun guide to social media usage so people will think of you whenever they need your products or services.
- Industry news reactions: This feature helps potential customers stay up to date with industry news. Reacting to news is an excellent way for you to show your audience that you are up to date with the market so they know they can trust you when it comes to making their next purchase.
6. Try video content
Although every brand needs a voice, it’s been hard for many to find one. Snapchat videos allow you to communicate your message in new and creative ways. They also enable you to add a personal touch that makes your followers feel more connected to you.
Snapchat video content can help increase brand awareness if it tells the story of your product through relevant stories. Try creating different types of videos to determine which ones get more engagement and views.
7. Track your engagement
Without data, it’s like flying blind. Therefore, tracking engagement and analytics are essential. Data is vital if you want to determine which content works best for your brand. Your followers will remember your story more if they engage with it. They’ll also be more likely to buy from you when they need your product or service.
8. Stop being a perfectionist
Snapchat allows you to create 10-second videos that aren’t as polished as your other content. These videos give your content instant appeal via their ephemeral nature. Making your videos appear more image-heavy will result in higher engagement rates — try using maps and other visual imagery along with text overlays.
It’s best to use hashtags on Snapchat, just like other social media platforms. They enable your followers to quickly find stories they are interested in and help them to discover new ones. Although hashtags are not as effective on Snapchat as they are on other social media platforms, they can still help you reach a wider audience than your existing followers. In addition, you can use hashtags to find other like-minded businesses and build a community that can prove mutually beneficial.
10. Give people a reason to follow you
Posting entertaining and educational stories on Snapchat will encourage your audience to follow you. In addition, if someone views your story and finds it interesting, they may note your username to see other stories you have posted.
Try to be active daily. You can do this by following other accounts related to yours or different brands in your industry. This will help you build your following much quicker than simply posting content and not engaging with anyone.
Make full use of the platform for great results
Snapchat is a great platform to get people involved in your brand and engage with them. Here are just a few of the reasons it should be part of your marketing strategy.
Create engagement
Snapchat experiences one of the highest engagement rates of any social media platform.
By including live stories in your Snapchat marketing plan, you’ll be able to show people every side of your business. Your followers will feel as if they have a personal relationship with you by watching videos that convey your perspective.
Reach a young audience
Snapchat is a wonderful platform for reaching millennials and Gen Z members. This generation uses social media more than any other and is looking for brands that are open to reaching them wherever they are most comfortable.
Use relevant hashtags in your Snapchat stories to make meaningful connections with people who could use your services or purchase products from you. For example, when you use likes and hearts in your snaps, word-of-mouth referrals will naturally follow.
Gain authenticity
Social media marketing requires authenticity. Snapchat offers a unique opportunity for brands to be more human and less corporate.
Your videos and stories should feature real people. This will build trust with your existing audience and help you attract new customers looking for the same type of personality as your business. It is also a good idea to post behind-the-scenes content showing employees working hard or people in the office (or at home via Zoom) having fun together.
Have you put Snapchat Marketing to work for your brand?
These Snapchat marketing tips will help you start planning your Snapchat marketing strategy. So what are you waiting for?
