If you’re looking for one-on-one communication tools to engage your audience, the benefits of Snapchat are worth looking at. At almost a decade old, the app offers many benefits to better engage your audience, but you may wonder if it’s worth the effort involved in setting up another social media platform.
Snapchat has around 280 million daily users, making it a top contender in the photo sharing and messaging apps available. Although people of all ages use the platform, it is most popular with Gen-Z users. The younger generation likes the immediacy of the platform and that snaps disappear after being viewed.
Snapchat offers some interesting features that let you interact with your users on a more personal level. Businesses benefit from using the app in a variety of ways. If you’ve been thinking about adding another social media presence for your brand, here are some things to consider and the many benefits of Snapchat. How can Snapchat help your business grow?
1. Drive Traffic to Your Site
Sending targeted traffic to your site results in higher engagement and more sales. One of the biggest benefits of Snapchat is such a personalized snapshot in time. People look at the snap and may click on a link or seek out your site when you mention it.
Think of it as impulse traffic. Unlike a page on Facebook people can visit at any time, people must follow you on the platform to get snaps you send out. The idea the snap might disappear at any moment creates urgency and users are much more likely to click on them. Snapchat taps into fear of missing out marketing.
Snaps work perfectly for flash sales or to announce a new product. You can even have a set time and day where you reveal new arrivals. People must tune in if they want to see what’s going on.
2. Get Personal
Personalization is the buzzword of the last few years. How can you create a more customized experience for each user and reach them where they’re at? The benefit of Snapchat is it gives you an opportunity to share snapshots of your workday, company history and big events.
Snapchat is quite different from platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn. While those social media sites offer ways to promote your business on a professional page, you can also tell your story on Snapchat and gain thousands of new followers. You can even let local celebrities and popular sports figures do takeovers of your account and draw interest.
Don’t be afraid to share the struggles you’ve overcome. Be a bit vulnerable with your followers. It won’t stick around for long and they’ll feel they know you better and understand where you’re coming from.
3. Encourage Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Wise business owners understand the power of word-of-mouth marketing. Referrals from people who already love what you do have much more impact than any ad you could run as a brand. You’ll gain benefits from Snapchat, such as loyalty and customer retention.
If you get some unique buzz going on the platform, people will start talking about you and what you do. You’ll gain followers and build name recognition. You do have to be methodical and come up with campaigns different than other businesses in your industry use, but the payoff is in additional fans.
The goal is to create a street team of followers who aren’t afraid to share about you. Throw a shout out to those who help spread buzz about your company. Look for ways to engage them, such as contests and free offers.
4. Increase Orders
The app connects users with brands via the “Discover” icon. People on the platform may wait for a new photo with a fun filter from their friends and family, but while they’re waiting, they can browse and see chats from different users, including you.
You’ll reach people who otherwise might not have heard of your brand and increase your order base. Offer a special if they rush to your site within so many minutes. Think of them as limited time offers that disappear much as a snap does after it goes out.
It doesn’t cost you anything but time to give the site a try, so jump in and throw out a few offers. See what happens.
5. Stand Out From Competitors
According to the Small Business Administration, there are around 31.7 million small businesses in the United States alone. No matter what industry you’re in, you have competition. They may be on the typical social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, but may not yet be on Snapchat.
Some business owners don’t like the fact that snaps disappear after so many seconds. You can stand out from them by showing you’re with the times and getting in on the “snaption.” Come up with a theme, get your followers involved in a contest and share your story.
However, your competitors may focus on more traditionally popular platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and ignore the possibilities Snapchat offers. If your target audience includes anyone under 30, consider the platform as part of your overall marketing strategy. If you can be the first in your industry or area to embrace the site, you may just gain customers by default.
6. Connect With a New Demographic
Snapchat also helps you expand your audience. You can connect with a new demographic of young, hip followers you might not reach on other platforms. Whether you want to expand an existing business, or you’re a startup with a younger buyer persona, you can use the platform to engage Gen-Z.
Statista reports Snapchat has more women than men on the platform, with 12% between 13 and 17 years old, and another 11.7% between 25 and 34.
Those who use Snapchat may not be quite as active on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. It’s important to spread your efforts across different platforms as your time and budget allows to reach the widest range of potential customers possible.
7. Build Rapport
Snapchat gives you an opportunity to interact with others, send messages, add a custom filter people can use and build general rapport with your audience.
You’re offering a new way to consume content other businesses in your industry may not use. If you can keep your snaps fun and lighthearted, you’ll gain a lot of traction with the younger crowds.
You can also use the platform to show your human side. Showcase your top employees, share a little about your company culture, highlight your top customers and why you love them.
8. Show You’re Current
Having a business presence on Snapchat shows you understand what your target audience enjoys and you’re current with the popular social media platforms.
Spend time perusing other brands, follow them and get a feel for the types of snaps they share. You can also sponsor a filter for some additional exposure.
Get your customers on board with some user-generated content (UGC). For example, host a contest where the person with the most snaps wins your UGC contest and gets a prize. Think outside the box and add new marketing strategies to get the word out on the platform.
9. Offer an Omni-Channel Experience
Snapchat is another platform where you can expand your online presence. You may have some crossover traffic, but you might also reach people who aren’t on other platforms. While you should cater posts to each social media site, you can cover similar content and really drive home things such as new product releases or upcoming sales.
The more exposure people have to your brand, the more likely they’ll remember your name and turn to you when they have a problem you can solve with a product or service.
10. Reach Local Audiences
Snapchat offers geofilters, so you can target your ads to local users in the exact demographic you want. You don’t want to just throw stuff out there and hope it sticks somewhere. It’s much wiser to use your ad budget for the platform to get your brand in front of just the right people.
Snapchat also offers community filters so people can see snaps from those in their area. Benefits include an extremely targeted audience looking for what you offer and in your vicinity. Geofilters help small businesses such as restaurants and service companies serving a local clientele.
Gain Multiple Benefits of Snapchat
Getting set up with your own account is easy on the platform. Friend some of your closest allies and start playing around with the snaps to see all the things you can do. Study other business owners and their efforts.
Once you have a feel for how to interact on the app, go ahead and start sending out messages and collecting followers. Regular snaps give you more traction than only occasional posts. Most of all, have fun with this platform. It isn’t meant for anything too serious, so keep things light.
