SNAPCHAT: Free Marketing Advice for 2020 Part one

Snapchat was created in September 2011 and has steadily grown an impressive following since then.

Snapchat is a multimedia messaging app used globally, created by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown, former students at Stanford University, and developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc.

At one stage, it is believed that Snapchat had the opportunity to be bigger than instagram, had it not been for instagram adding a not too dissimilar feature called ‘’Story’’ in August of 2016. This move was to compete with Snap inc. and subsequently converted over 400 million users to instagram.
Snapchat were the originators of the ‘’My Story’’ concept, a feature that allows users to upload ‘a day in the life’ real-time content that can be shared with anyone who uses the app.

Snapchat took a knock from the Facebook-owned company, but still remains a pivotal force in brand awareness, particularly targeting meaningful messages to its users.

Snapchat has over 147million active users everyday, 71% of them are under the ages of 34, so, if a portion of your audience fits this description, Snapchat can be extremely worth your while.

On average,Snapchat is opened 25 times a day by its users that spend around 30 minutes of their time flicking through new &subscribed content on a daily basis. This is great retention for such a deep market.

How does Snapchat work?

Firstly, Snapchat marketing is different from other social network advertising platforms such as, Facebook and Instagram.

Snapchat is not a full-blown messaging network,and content is lost forever, or within 24hrs, once it’s viewed.
Also, you don’t have a public facing profile like Instagram and Facebook, but the the fact that content disappears once it’s consumed, can actually be beneficial for your brand, creating excitement, impulse and urgency. This, is what makes Snapchat a force to be reckoned with.

Probably one of the most overlooked factors in Snapchat marketing is that it’s free. If you’re an experienced marketer, you’d be aware that most marketing tools are costly, albeit your time is the only real expenditure on the table here.

Snapchat isn’t like facebook. It’s not money in, money out, it’s all about branding. If you’re wanting to maximise this opportunity, you have to look at it as an all-out strategy that accompanies your business’s main goals.
Snapchat is a strategy, not a tactic.

It’s a long-term goal that can help you build deep and meaningful relationships with the people inside your target market. This is a long-term investment, that may appear irrelevant early on, but most social media strategies are, and will be, a labour of love that can dividends.

Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) explains, it’s not how many followers you have, it’s how many you have that care.

Snapchat is deep not wide, and you are creating fulfilling relationships with consumers that will loyally drive your brand to new heights.

Let’s Be Real

Snapchat isn’t necessarily the platform for polished content, although don’t be surprised to see your favourite entertainment and news channels deliver a full production, but how does the audience feel about this?

People want transparent, exclusive information that they know cannot be found unless following your Snapchat account.
94% of Snapchatters are said to be far more loyal to a brand that is transparent with them. Rather than observing a full production and editing masterpiece.
You can still upload your polished content to support a campaign, but don’t forget to keep it real and add those unedited Snaps into the mix. So, undo the top button on your shirt, loosen-up your top collar, and, relax. You look great.

The Power of Snapchat.

DJ Khaled, the larger than life music mogul, began his career back in the late 90’s, and has become synonymous with releasing ‘urban anthems’ that feature some of the world’s biggest names in music. Importantly, it wasn’t until Khaled started publicly sharing candid, unedited moments into his life via Snapchat, that his career received the accolades he had been striving towards for almost two decades.

In 2015, Khaled began posting short videos of himself on Snapchat, talking to his fans, informing the world, about what his was doing at that very moment. His naturally energetic character, strange habits, and quirky catchphrases made him great real-time viewing for his audience. By early 2016, Khaled had over 2 million people tuning in to watch his content weekly. This notoriety, penultimately led to his healthy major deal signing to Roc Nation, a label famously headed by non other than Jay Z, one of Khaled’s idols, and the most successful hip-hop artist of all time.

That same year, DJ Khaled released his ninth studio album entitled ‘’Major Key’’, one of his catchphrases, and it became his first ever number one album, debuting atop the billboard 200 charts.

Khaled’s marketing strategy had worked.

Khaled used Snapchat to product place his clothing line and would amass over $24million dollars in the coming months.

He received endorsement deals from liquor and food companies, became Snapchat’s first celebrity ambassador, he brokered a shoe deal with Air Jordan, and, more recently, he was named as the new face of Weight Watchers.
Khaled would frequently Snap himself on the treadmill in the gym trying to lose a few pounds, so this move was a brilliant one at that by both parties involved.

Snapchat is tangible, and it can be extremely lucrative. What we’ve mentioned above is some quick insight into the power of Snapchat and why it shouldn’t be overlooked when incorporating into your strategy.

Speaking of strategy, let us offer some tips to get you started.

Read our, SNAPCHAT: Free Marketing Advice for 2020 Part two, now.