Did you know that Snapchat now has over 100 million daily users? That’s 100 million people that might not know about your brand – YET. Snapchat is a great business tool, as long as your audience fits within Snapchat’s dominant demographic (18 to 34 age range – although that is changing every day). Just like every other social media platform, Snapchat is constantly evolving which makes it imperative that you stay on top of new features because they just might open doors to a new audience. We’ve got tips to help you get started and to show you how this platform can be used to target your audience.

The Basics of Snapchat

Start by setting up a Snapchat account with a username that matches or closely resembles the name of your company. Make sure you set up your profile image also known as your “snapcode selfies” and take a screenshot of your Snapcode for future promotion on your other social networks!

A great Snapchat presence is best accomplished by someone “in-house.” It would be extremely difficult for a third-party person who doesn’t have constant access to your office, inventory, staff, and products to create enough buzz and consistent quality content to really take off on this particular social platform.

It’s crucial to snap quality content. Why would someone follow your brand over another if you’re just posting the same old stuff every day? Get creative! Do you run a small clothing company? Snap some behind the scenes video of your design process or a fun photoshoot! Everyone loves to feel like they’re getting an exclusive look.

Be sure to engage with your audience, just as you would with any other platform. Did someone send you a chat asking a question about one of your recent snaps? Make sure you answer them, then tailor your new content to promote more engagement like this.

Snachat Features & How Snapchat Can Help Your Business

Provide ‘live’ content:

With video streaming becoming more popular, Snapchat allows you to create video content easily with just a couple of taps with your finger. As we mentioned before, take your audience on a behind the scenes tour of your brand. Are you a chef? Make us a virtual meal! Do you own an Etsy shop? Show us how you make your masterpiece! Is your business at a tradeshow? Show us the ropes! The options are endless and there are so many pieces of unique content that are possible with Snapchat.

Exclusivity always trumps:

Snapchat is an excellent vehicle for delivering “exclusive” content to your fans. Snapchat allows you to post photos, videos, add text, artwork & stickers to the posts to get your message across. Posting exclusive sales, product launches, contests & content will help your brand become more coveted and your follower base will grow once the word spreads.

Need a great idea? Run a sale or contest solely for your Snap followers. Give them an exclusive opportunity that they can’t see from any other platform. You want your fans to want to follow you on Snapchat. They won’t need to unless you’re giving them an incentive that’s different from what they can see on Facebook and Twitter.

Snapchat has influencers too:

Did you think Instagram was the only place to find a good influencer to promote your brand? Think again! Snapchat has this benefit too. Snapchat allows you to take your reach even further because the type of media you can post is much more diverse and your influencers can promote it on their other social networks as well. There is so much possibility to grow!

We hope we’ve shed a little light on how Snapchat can benefit your brand, given you have the right target audience. Happy snapping!