How Snapchat Can Help Your Business

Almost everyone is on social media. Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram or Twitter most people have now embraced the digital way of communicating. What’s even cooler, is that new social media platforms are popping up everyday, reinventing the way we communicate with each other on a personal level, but also the way businesses can communicate to their consumers.

Enter Snapchat

With more than 100 million users each day, Snapchat is the fastest-growing social network of them all. With the unique way Snapchat works, it stands out from the other platforms and means if your business joins in, you have an amazing opportunity to stand out and shine.

If you aren’t familiar with how Snapchat works, it’s an app especially designed to make the experience of seeing content online with a mobile device instant and for a limited time only.

Snapchat’s main feature is the short shelf life of it’s content. The user (whether it be an individual or a business) can choose how long they wish to share their photo or video for (we are talking from 4-10 seconds). This means the content that is shared captivates the consumer, because if they don’t pay attention the content will be gone forever. It is this need for undivided attention that sets it apart from the other platforms.

How this Can Help Business

Interaction with consumers is one of the most important aspects of business. Getting a captivated group of people who are interested in your product is way up there on the importance scale too. Snapchat makes both these things easy to do. Not only are their millions of young people using this app, but they are ready and willing to join in the chat – interact with businesses they are interested in buying from.

How One Business Uses Snapchat

Say hello to 16 Handles, a frozen yoghurt chain that sends out offers to their young target market using Snapchat. Their customers only have to send a selfie or a snap of their friends eating yoghurt at a branch of the business and they are immediately sent a discount coupon to use on their next purchase. It will be a discount of between 5% and 100%. However, the coupon cannot be opened until they are at the checkout because it expires 10 seconds after it is opened.

16 Handles’ target audience is Gen Y & Gen Z and they know this generation love taking selfies. With the discount offer expiring after 10 seconds it creates a sense of urgency, ensuring that it is highly likely to be used. When consumers use the coupon their details are kept by the business, thus enabling them to create a list of customers who are keen to buy. 

Not just food for thought

All kinds of business can benefit from Snapchat, especially if their target market is between 13 and 35. You can share behind the scenes snaps and other content users can’t find on your other social platforms, and have sneaky discount coupons, giveaways and specials of various kinds sporadically to keep them tuning in.