Snap back to reality: Five tips to improve your Snapchat marketing

The exciting world of social media marketing can be a jungle for big and small businesses alike, with multiple viable platforms and mediums, but few clear strategies on how to use them to drive sales or engagement.

One of the most mystical platforms for SMEs and startups is photo-sharing app Snapchat, which boasts more than four million daily active users in Australia and over 150 million worldwide. While Facebook-owned Instagram is starting to cut into Snapchat’s market share, the millennial-dominated app can still be a key platform for brands to do some authentic online marketing.

Read more: How Kerwin Rae makes thousands of dollars in sales on Snapchat

Digital marketing guru Tony Tie recently shared his top five tips for Snapchat marketing on Entrepreneur, saying “for businesses that use social media to interact with consumers, Snapchat presents opportunities no other platforms can replicate”.

“Whether your company’s goal is recruiting new talent, engaging current employees or marketing to the masses, Snapchat has something for everyone,” Tie writes.

Indeed, companies have continued to innovate through the platform to come up with ways to engage with users; McDonald’s recently begun trialling recruitment through the platform, allowing users to send in 10-seconds videos when applying for jobs at the fast food retailer.

So take 10 seconds yourself and check out Tie’s five tips to improve your business’ Snapchat marketing.

1. Candid content is king

Tie believes spending the time to create tailored custom-made snaps for your audience is time better spent elsewhere, noting Snapchat users want “slices of real life” rather than produced ads.

“Let your employees post directly to a feed, or put a personable social media expert in charge of capturing moments to share,” he says.

“With brands now posting an average 13 stories per month and 11 snaps per story, according to Snaplytics, there’s no time — or reason — to get finicky about production.”

2. Prime talent can help

“Social media influencers and niche celebrities provide excellent brand exposure. Let someone else take over the Snapchat story for a while, and see what develops,” he says.

“Not only will brand loyalists appreciate the shakeup, but fans of the talent that was previously unaffiliated with the brand might become new customers themselves.”

3. Call your users to action

Just as calls to action are essential for email or Facebook marketing, the same applies when operating on Snapchat. Encouraging your users to get involved or share your content serves the double purpose of getting new viewers and getting current viewers engaged.

“Encourage followers to visit a website or share on other social media platforms. Incentivise engagement with special Snapchat filters or contests for prizes,” Tie says.

4. Make it a consistent conversation

Unlike Twitter’s hashtag function, Snapchat’s elusive 10-second photos or 24-hour stories can make it hard for brands to establish ongoing discourse with customers. To combat this, Tie suggests integrating Snapchat into your business’ marketing and branding outside of the app, such as placing you account’s Snapcode (Snapchat’s version of a QR code) on your business cards.

“A quarter of followers use a Snapcode … to find accounts. Make it easy for users to add you too by placing your username and a Snapcode on your business cards, other social media accounts and even email signatures,” he says.

Additionally, Tie says Snapchat shouldn’t just be a one-way street, and that brands should endeavour to interact with users by replying to Snapchats and leaving comments.

“And when you do engage with followers, make it a conversation, not a lecture. Ask subscribers to snap back, and then reward them for it,” Tie says.

“Comment on subscribers’ snaps, send replies and make sure the audience knows someone’s listening.”

5. Track the data

“Even though Snapchat lacks the more advanced analytic tools other platforms use, it still provides some interesting insights,” says Tie.

“Total views are useful, but story completion (how many people watched all the way through) and screenshots (how many thought it was worthy of sharing) pinpoint the most engaged users.”

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