Snapchat – The next marketing genius? Snapchat is no longer a teenage trend – it is a genius marketing channel and how! Snapchat is now a leader in private social media networks and your business can drive sales with Snapchat.
Snapchat is no longer used only for snapping cute selfies, maintaining snap streaks, or snap scores. It is now considered a viable marketing channel if your current target market falls anywhere between 12 and 34.
However, remember to keep an eye on these trends – as older generations may continue adapting to this platform as well. A trend is a trend – it tends to lead, and everyone tends to follow the trend.
So, what does Snapchat have that other social media apps don’t?
What makes it such a unique app, and why is it a raging trend amongst teens and adults?
And how has it gradually helped in inducing sales and monetization?
About eight years ago, 3 Stanford students created an app whose main selling point was “non-permanence.” This proposal’s main idea was to allow pictures to be exchanged between two or more people only for a limited time – not even 24 hours.
Back in 2011, this was considered a genius notion for the young adult generation – they found this disappearing quality to be a privacy related benefit and took the best advantage of it – thus the birth of Snapchat was spread to generations like wildfire, quickly gaining immense popularity and grabbing the attention of the internet, investors and most importantly – the general public.
Since then, so many things have changed.
– Snapchat is no longer meant for private use only. It is being used extensively by companies, celebrities, internet influencers, etc.
When was the last time you remember seeing either of the Kardashian-Jenners posting only cute snap selfies to their Snapchat story?
If you follow them, you would probably notice that they are one of the wealthiest American families. All of us are aware that most of their earnings come from marketing through online platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc.
Quick tip- Kylie Jenner makes about one million dollars per post.
That’s how much she influences the internet market—not feeling motivated yet?
When was the last time you remember seeing Internet influencers such as Huda Kattan (owner of HudaBeauty cosmetics) only posting selfies of her excellent makeup skills? With every post she puts up to her Snapchat and Instagram story, she commands attention.
Huda Kattan is considered a global beauty influencer.
Several million people have used the Snaplink feature to make a new purchase – miraculously, Snapchat supports this magic feature. What this means is that, when you are uploading something to your Snapchat story, you have the option to attach a link – so that your viewers and audience can swipe up their screen and go to the attached link.
Apart from these two globally renowned influencers, top-notch celebrities such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Selena Gomez, Cameron Diaz, etc. use apps such as Snapchat and Instagram for marketing their products or influencing others to purchase goods. A perfect example of this would be Selena Gomez being the brand ambassador at Puma and Coach – can you tell how much these companies’ sales have increased, ever since people saw Selena’s face?
Some celebrities not only own companies or collaborate with brands – but they also do both. These companies would not have come this far had it not been for marketing through platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, and Twitter. When you are done reading this, try looking up Kayne West’s immensely popular shoe brand, Yeezy – which collaborated with Adidas in 2013.
To make it more simple, a few points have been highlighted that show how Snapchat has increased sales for a business.
Converts Followers into Sales
The more followers you have, the more customers you’ll reach. This is a complete no brainer – the more followers you have, the more potential your business has to increase its sales. There is a direct link between followers and revenue. Among the content you regularly post, you can include occasional discounts or coupon codes, providing an incentive, and induce purchasing behavior. By converting followers into customers, you can drive sales with Snapchat.
Keeps your business up to date and really “fetch”
Who called it online marketing and not Snapchat marketing? Snapchat is a trending social media app, used consistently by the youth and adults. You are aware that the youth’s opinion is what makes your business trending.
Snapchat makes that happen.
It keeps your business up to date and also makes it look really “fetch” (courtesy of Gretchen Wieners). Any business having both an Instagram and Snapchat handle – are considered pretty cool, and obviously, cool businesses get more customers.
Reaches target audience effortlessly
Snapchat is trending – and if it is trending, you are trending. It does not matter whether your target audience is limited only to a specific age category or not. Your business will indeed reach the younger age category faster than the mature category, but that is not an issue. Sharing, forwarding is a way that people show their interest in your product – and once it is forwarded to more people, there’s no looking back for sales.
Geofilters – Geography with added oomph!
Geofilters might as well become your next Snapchat best friend! Geofilters are essentially a feature that is made available to all business and private accounts. It is location-based and helps spread awareness of your brand pretty well. If you were to host an event, then encouraging attendees or potential customers to use your Geofilter in the Snaps they share with their friends will spread awareness to people who have a high chance of being in your target market.
It’s a win-win situation! You get your popularity– they get entertainment.
User-Generated Content (UGC) is King!
UGC is considered one of the more authentic ways businesses can use social media.
UGC is where an individual user promotes your brand, instead of the brand promoting itself. This is considered more authentic and tends to reach the public easily. The general public would view this influencer’s Snap story – where he/she is using your product and tagging your account – and be influenced. This method has, in fact, enhanced sales over the years.
Snapchat Takeovers are genius
There’s a reason why they are called “influencers.” A Snapchat takeover is precisely what it sounds like – an influencer “takes over” your Snapchat account.
Sometimes, internet influencers can do more miracles in ONE day than what your business could do in years. Essentially, a Snapchat takeover is most effective when it takes place during an event of some sort. Influencers provide unique value to followers and will draw people towards your account and business, increasing sales.
Snapchat Q&A can be effective
Q&A can be all about fun and business at the same time. Snapchat Q&A is considered pretty significant if you want to draw attention to your target market. Not only does it draw attention, but it also shows the public that your business isn’t just about business – it also cares about what other people think.
If done right, a Q&A can be pretty fun and interactive way to engage with your followers, and hence the ultimate result would be induced sales – if they are satisfied with your work.
Snapchat Contests, next in line!
Snapchat contests are just as cool as Q&A, but more fun. Did we mention it’s cooler?
Snapchat contests are a great way to incentivize people to follow and engage with your Snapchat handle. This is similar to Snapchat Q&A, but with monetary incentives and a wider reach. The easiest way to run a Snapchat contest is to ask entrants to send you a Snap fulfilling some conditions.
After the contest is over, go through these Snaps – screenshot the ones you might want to use for content in the future – select your winner and send coupons and discount codes relevant to your business – This will help your brand grow and drive sales with Snapchat.
Exclusive ONLY discounts and coupons – genius or not?
Taking advantage of the 24-hour lifespan by sharing exclusive deals for your business is not rocket science.
The idea of hoarding coupons and discounts is pretty genius if you know how to do it right. Customers are made to believe that your products are available only for a limited period – more specifically, 24 hours- and that they need to order it now before it runs out of stock if they are interested in your stuff.
This is a marketing technique used by millions of businesses, which has seen undoubted success.
Sneak a Peek at your Product Launch!
Customer exclusivity is like the cherry on the top of a cake – Once your followers are made privy to your product launch – an intuitive sense of importance and exclusivity prevails in their minds. Such a feeling is a valuable asset when it comes to sales promotion – customers only go to those companies where they feel important and wanted.
Hence, if you were to make your customers privy to a secret product launch through your Snapchat handle, then you are sure to see a 50- 60% rise in your sales – which is precisely what you were aiming for, right?
Read More: 15 Twitter Tricks to Kickstart your Business
