We’re not going to pretend like we’re Snapchat experts. That being said, I would be even more leery about taking advice from someone telling you they are Snapchat experts, simply because the platform is so young and hasn’t exactly found it’s niche in the marketing industry quite yet. This means that anything is up for grabs, and those that adjust to using Snapchat in smart and innovative ways first are going to be the early winners in the next “big” thing.
Snapchat is so new, that even major brands in today’s marketing world are just now starting to find their flow. On the flip side, even more brands (big and small) are not even considering the thought of starting a Snapchat account because they think it’s a fad for teenagers to sneak stuff to their friends without their parents finding out.
Hmmm… and who remembers what brands were saying about Facebook back around 2007? So many people were scared out of their mind to get into it because they thought it was for college kids and couldn’t see the point. Those that got in early are sitting pretty today. Now, there are brands that literally only use Facebook for their marketing efforts, and they make a killing. If you could go back to the start of Facebook company pages and get in from the get-go, wouldn’t you? I certainly would. So what does that say about the sleeping giant that is just starting to wake up known as Snapchat? Maybe it’s time you should try and get in while it’s still a little early and everyone else is just pressing the snooze button.
I will add a little caveat to the list I’m about to drop; we are just starting to explore these tactics on our own, so I can’t tell you long term results. I’m honestly curious if others implement these strategies, so if you try them out or have been trying them out, please share your results. These are some of the ideas we’ve come up with in our own brainstorming and are just now starting to implement ourselves, so consider yourself getting an insider’s look at the beta phases of Web Canopy Studio marketing.
This one is our favorite. Each week we publish 2 blog posts. We are using Snapchat as a commercial of sorts that highlight the blog posts. We go through the topics, who they are intended for, and what the blog posts aim to solve. Sometimes we’ll type the link over the top and use a link shortener to drive traffic.
Interview a new staff member once each week. Use this as a way to build trust with your prospects and allow them to get to know you.
Don’t be camera shy. Or do. It doesn’t really matter here. Give Snapchat access to your staff and ask them to shoot from their own perspective. Let this be completely candid, funny, professional, or whatever moves them. Have fun with this one. This builds a more personable relationship with your prospects and customers and allows them to feel like they are getting to know your organization.
Everyone live tweets at conferences these days. That’s played out. Now it’s time to live Snap. Share your thoughts at conferences about what you’re learning. Capture a brief snap of the keynotes. If you meet anyone noteworthy, get a selfie together with them.
Write a post on your site that highlights frequently asked questions from your clients and prospects. Use Snapchat to post 1 question and answer, and then type a link to the full post over your video.
This one is a straight up push into lead generation. There’s no beating around the bush here. Create a landing page on your site for a free whitepaper, coupon code, how-to guide, secret hack guide, cheat sheet, or something people can download in exchange for their contact info. This should be something you only promote via Snapchat so there is some exclusivity in that promotion. On Snapchat, once every day, make a quick snap (or group of snaps) that promote the offer, and type the web address over the video (PRO TIP: use link shortener).
This is definitely one of those articles that are tied to the current date and time as far a relevancy goes. I’m sure in 8 years we’ll go back and look at this post and laugh. Some of the funniest blogs I’ve ever read are Facebook marketing suggestions from when Facebook Fan Pages first started and no one knew what they are doing. For now though, these are some great ways to get you started and well on your way to Snapchat awesomeness.