(image: https://www.superdream.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/snapchat.jpg alt: Snapchat for business)
**New social media platforms are always popping up, and many initially saw Snapchat as a short-lived fad.**
However, more than a billion ‘snaps’ have been shared since the platform’s Android 5.0 launch in July, and there are now (link: http://www.searchenginejournal.com/7-brands-proove-snapchat-can-useful-tool/68582/ text: 5 million active users). Businesses are beginning to harness the potential of Snapchat too, as it’s a fun and safe way to share pictures and videos, and one of the fastest growing apps on the market.
As Snapchat is so new and popular, it is only really suitable for your brand if your demographic is young and tech-savvy, with (link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snapchat text: most users being between the ages of 13 and 23). There is yet to be a sustainable marketing model developed, but if you’re targeting teens and young people it is a useful way to reach a wide audience on a small budget.
How your business could use Snapchat:
– Announce up-coming competitions
– Send discount codes and coupons
– Share videos
– Introduce new team members
– Offer behind-the-scenes insights into your company
So, which companies currently use Snapchat?
**Co-operative**
The Co-operative claimed to be the first UK retailer to use Snapchat for marketing. The campaign is aimed at students, who can receive £30 off a Co-operative Electrical laptop if they add the Co-operative Electrical as a friend on Snapchat.
The offer is running throughout September, perfect to target students as they start or return to university. (link: http://www.campaignbrief.co.uk/2013/08/the-co-operative-electrical-is.html text: Pete Jackson, senior planner at Holler’s) – the London creative agency handling The Co-operative’s social media marketing – said “This is not about novelty. This is about targeting a specific audience using a platform they love, with something they need, at the time of year they need it.”
**Lynx**
Another UK brand who experimented with Snapchat is Lynx, who ‘leaked’ the details of a secret Lynx launch party to their fans. Behind-the-scenes pictures of Sky Sports News presenter Charlie Webster were also sent to Lynx followers. The campaign was set up as part of the company’s innovative digital marketing strategy, and is the first Unilever brand to use Snapchat.
**16 Handles**
New York based yoghurt shop 16 Handles was apparently the first US brand to use Snapchat for a marketing campaign, and it turned out to be particularly effective.
16 Handles asked their fans to send an image of themselves eating yoghurt to the company’s Snapchat account. They were then sent a coupon back to their account. However, they would have to wait until they got to the register to redeem it, as the coupon image would be deleted 10 seconds later.
The discount was between 16% and 100%, so this added a fun surprise element and persuaded people to make the purchase on a whim, as they would have to do so instantly after receiving the coupon. After all, who doesn’t love a discount!
**TacoBell**
US fast food brand TacoBell has been using Snapchat to promote the launch of its Beefy Crunch Burrito since May. The brand claims to be using the app because it wants to treat their mainly young fans personally as friends, rather than consumers.
**MTV UK**
(link: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s152/geordie-shore/news/a493242/geordie-shore-season-six-to-be-promoted-via-snapchat.html text: To promote the sixth season of trashy hit Geordie Shore), MTV sent reminders to the show’s fans of the air times, as well as exclusive photos and videos of the cast. The marketing team saw Snapchat as the perfect direct marketing route to their young fans.
**Karmaloop**
Streetwear retailer Karmaloop kept the original use of Snapchat and its teenage target audience in mind when it used the platform as a marketing tool. The brand has been snapping risqué pictures (as well as coupon codes!) to its followers, and currently has 2,000 friends on Snapchat.
Keeping your brand relevant and ahead of the curve is essential for today’s marketing campaigns, and while it isn’t going to work for everyone Snapchat is a brilliant way to capture your customers attention quickly, cheaply and directly.
The app enables brands to form an even more personal connection with fans than Twitter or Facebook would; the messages aren’t public and permanent in the same way, and feel individual even if the snap was sent to 1000s.
Companies will have to accept a lack of tangible results however – you can’t count followers, retweets or email opens, as Snapchat doesn’t allow you to keep a record of these. It is most suitable for the forward-thinking and innovative marketer who wants to experiment with something new.