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The use of ephemeral content for storytelling has become the norm. The concept of disappearing content in the form of ‘Stories’ across all social and mobile platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, and LinkedIn, has now become the future of social media storytelling. The success of Snapchat is entirely responsible for this viewpoint.
Snapchat was founded at Stanford in 2011 and has since grown to become a global social media leader among the millennial and Gen Z generations. It is consistently ranked in the top ten apps on the App Store, with around 200 million users.
Because these generations of customers regard social media as a part of their daily life, allowing them to document their experiences and adventures, marketers must interact with them and develop true relationships with them in order to succeed. Snapchat’s key product feature is built on sharing unforgettable moments with friends, and to that end, the company has created a platform comprised of three initiatives: Friends, Stories, and Discover.
Let’s start with a breakdown of Snapchat’s design and usability. The platform’s confused user experience, along with a recent redesign, has resulted in a significant market decrease and loss of user growth. Indeed, with celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Rihanna reducing their use of Snapchat as a result of the adjustments, the social media network faces some serious consequences. Furthermore, with Instagram Stories’ rapid user growth and expanded product features, Snapchat is under intense pressure to innovate and retain its core user base.
Snapchat and Marketing
Marketers must grasp why this platform is critical for connecting with the youth generation. Millennial and Generation Z audiences are suspicious of advertising and marketing in general, and they dislike being sold to. They place a high importance on authenticity, social media influencers, and sharing short, hilarious photo and video experiences with friends. This is significant since much successful internet marketing since the dot-com boom has relied on advertising in the form of banner ads, social network ads, and display ads.
Advertisers and users are melding on social media applications like Snapchat, so that the user effectively ‘becomes’ the ad when they share instinctively within their group. Taco Bell, for example, employed the Face Lens function as part of an advertising effort on Cinco de Mayo. They were able to gather 224 million views and 12.5 years’ worth of content in one day by doing so. This exemplifies Snapchat’s lighthearted and innocuous marketing and advertising components, which work so well with younger generations.
Strategies For SnapChat Marketing
Marketers must first grasp these characteristics in order to design a thorough approach for successfully marketing on Snapchat.
Whatever your plan, the sort of Snapchat content you use should be consistent with your brand’s tone, message, and content execution. Snapchat should be part of your marketing mix to increase brand awareness and keep your audience at the forefront of their minds. Furthermore, using Snapchat, you may include a link to generate a direct response, which is critical for calculating your return on investment in the platform.
Read Also: Digital Marketing Strategies for E-commerce
Here are six examples of how marketers have used Snapchat to effectively engage their audiences.
1. Live Streaming Events
Product launches, trade exhibitions, and general customer celebrations are instances of typical events, and marketers can generate audience interest for whatever they are advertising by developing a particular Snapchat Story for the event. You should also build a Snapchat geofilter for these events so that your audience can utilize it and share it with their community, increasing viewership and visibility for your event. With trade events, you may use geofilters to direct guests to your booth, which is very useful given the amount of noise and competition at most trade shows. The geofilter will also appear when users choose which event to attend.
2. Share What Goes On Behind The Scenes
The real nature of Snapchat lends itself to collecting footage that pulls back the curtain to show a company’s actual essence. You can connect with your audience by showcasing what happens on a daily basis at a firm – they will have a greater grasp of the ins and outs of your company. HubSpot excels at this since they are a global organization with employee takeovers in all of their offices. In doing so, they highlight what makes each office unique and present HubSpot as a young, enjoyable place to work, which aids in the hiring strategy. Remember that while creating video content, it’s beneficial to include text subtitles within the snap for individuals who are watching with the sound turned off or in noisy environments. They will be able to keep up with the information while on the fly this way.
3. Provide Outstanding Client Service
Remember that Snapchat provides features that allow you to communicate with your brand’s customers. You can connect with your consumers and discover more about what they enjoy and don’t like about the app through one-on-one or group chats and videos. You can also develop specialized content for them, such as promo codes and discounts, to express your appreciation for your devoted followers.
4. Make Your Brand More Human
As brands become more ‘human’ in their methods to connecting with their customers, Snapchat allows them to highlight the individuals behind the brand. You could, for example, interview the C-level executives and product leaders who are building the brand, or conduct short 10-second question-and-answer sessions with corporate leaders. Also, when conducting these interviews, be sure to use native tools and filters – it will make the content more engaging and enjoyable!
Read Also: 5 Ways To Turn Website Visitors To Customers
5. Embrace The Future
Snapchat has always been on the cutting edge of innovation — spectacles, face filters, and global filters are just a few examples – so it’s crucial to embrace everything Snapchat has to offer. Consider using multiple sorts of photo and video storytelling on your phone in addition to normal content. World filters embrace augmented reality, so while you are exhibiting the world in front of you, check if you can add something that piques people’s interest, like a dancing hot dog or a bunny rabbit! And, with the Lens Studio, you can now create your own augmented reality characters, adding an extra layer of branded fun to your Snapchat footage.
6. Utilize Influencers Marketing
Don’t be intimidated by the concept of influencers. Yes, there are pricey influencers like Kylie Jenner and Mike Platco out there, but you can also work with less expensive influencers who can use the Snapchat platform and create creative stories just as well. Accept influencers for Takeovers to spice up your content.
Conclusion
With a better understanding of Snapchat’s features, strategy, and implementation, you can decide how to best use it within your organization. Remember to keep an eye on competitors, businesses, and influencers who are succeeding in the sector to gain creative inspiration and the best strategy. Don’t be afraid to start developing content because ‘Stories’ content execution is the wave of the future for all social platforms.