The Rise Of Snapchat

Four years ago Snapchat filled a void in the social market that most people didn’t even know was there. Known for quick videos and images that are not permanently stored on your phone, Snapchat gained huge notoriety from the public as a social service where users could send pictures and videos without fear of those pictures making their way into unintended hands. Some people say the service thrived on, for lack of a better term, “lewd image sharing” in it’s early days but has since risen to new more respectable business heights. Though I don’t disagree with the route that Snapchat has taken to become one of the largest social brands in the world, many people still view it unseemly light which I think has held Snapchat back from really breaking into the business world. Today Snapchat has over 150 million daily active users which is MORE THAN TWITTER. With over 10+ billion videos and images viewed per day, Snapchat is quickly becoming the #3 name in all of the social media world (Behind Facebook and Instagram of course.)

Why Should Your Business  Be On Snapchat?

Snapchat has a powerful platform that can be leveraged for businesses to increase brand awareness, reach new markets and help businesses stay relevant in a rapidly changing online social environment. As with Instagram, Snapchat really excels in several industries like hospitality, restaurants, bars and breweries where a business can show the culture behind the scenes. These type of insights are invaluable to consumers as you can control the image your business is portraying to the public without having to go through major branding campaigns in traditional advertising. An added bonus of Snapchat is that it is almost universally used by the sought after “millennial” generation. Over 80 percent of Snapchat users are between the ages of 16-35. No other social media service has anywhere close to that concentration of millennials using their services (RIP Facebook.) These demographics are highly targeted by marketers all over the world for various reasons, the biggest being…they have money now…and millennials are not generally loyal to brands. This means that the millennial generation is ripe for marketing as they have been shown to switch brands to whatever catches their eye. Your brand could be next if you get on Snapchat now!

4 Tips To Get Started  Using Snapchat As a Business

One of the hardest parts of getting started on a new social media platform for businesses is not really knowing where to start. In order for your social outreach to be effective you need to have followers who are accustomed to getting value out of your social media shares, Snapchat is no different. This value can be wide ranging and depends on the specific market you are in. Here at Oak City Tech we pride ourselves on giving actionable advice to our readers. Here are four actionable tips to get you started today:

1) Share Snapchat Only Promo Codes

This is a life hack that solves two problems. You are sharing value with your customers as well as providing easy tracking for you as a business to verify you are making a positive ROI!

2)  Show VIP Access To Behind The Scenes

For example, if you are a local brewery, show a quick clip of your new batch being made or a word from your brewmaster about the new product coming down the pipeline!

3)  Demo New Products Or Recipes

An invaluable way to educate the general public on what you offer as a business. If you’re a local restaurant show off your weekly special to increase it’s sales.

4) Promote Events

There is no better way to promote events today than social media, which Snapchat readily excels in. If you have a group of users who checks your account regularly, you can easily promote events in an inexpensive manner.