{"id":3714,"date":"2016-11-29T10:00:11","date_gmt":"2016-11-29T15:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moneyjournal.com\/?p=3714"},"modified":"2017-01-10T13:21:13","modified_gmt":"2017-01-10T18:21:13","slug":"snapchat-for-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moneyjournal.com\/snapchat-for-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Snapchat for Business: The Ultimate Guide to Grow Your Business in 10 Second Clips"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you are reading this article, then you likely fall into one of two categories. <\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. You are <\/span>not<\/span><\/i> using Snapchat for business and you’re looking for reasons to get started.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. You have already jumped on the Snapchat bandwagon and you are looking for ways to improve your performance<\/span><\/a> to grow at an even faster rate.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If you fall into the second category, then go ahead and skip to the section titled \u201c<\/span>How to Grow Your Snapchat Following.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

    However, for those of you in the first category who might be a little bit hesitant about Snapchat marketing, don\u2019t worry. <\/span><\/p>\n

    I know how you feel. <\/span><\/p>\n

    There are still a lot of stigmas surrounding Snapchat. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Some people still view Snapchat as an app for teenagers looking to share illicit photos without getting caught. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Some of you simply don\u2019t see the value in a platform that only gives you ten seconds per message. <\/span><\/p>\n

    And others may believe that the majority of Snapchat users<\/a> are simply too immature to market to and do not fall into <\/span>your target demographic<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"snapchat<\/p>\n

    Clearly an inaccurate assumption.<\/p>\n

    And while all of these points may have been valid in the earliest years of Snapchat\u2019s inception, they are <\/span>all <\/span><\/i>now a thing of the past. <\/span><\/p>\n

    In this article, I am going to breakdown not only <\/span>why <\/span><\/i>you should be using Snapchat for your business, but practical steps and case studies on how you can get started today. <\/span><\/p>\n

    So, if you’re ready to discover how you can transform your business through Snapchat marketing, then let\u2019s cut to the chase and dive right in. <\/span><\/p>\n

    A \u201cSnapshot\u201d of the Platform<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Now, for those of you who are not familiar with Snapchat, let me give you a brief overview.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"what<\/p>\n

    Snapchat<\/span><\/a> is a social media app that allows people or companies to send out photos and videos (called snaps) to their friends and followers. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Once the photo or video is sent, the recipient can view the photo or video for 10 seconds before it disappears into cyberspace. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The app also includes a number of filters and other features that have boosted viability for marketers. <\/span><\/p>\n

    For those of you who are still struggling to understand how this app serves as an asset to <\/span>any <\/span><\/i>sort of business, let me give you a quick example. <\/span><\/p>\n

    While I will dive into plenty of case studies later on, I want to start simply by showing you how one of the world\u2019s most cherished coffee companies used Snapchat to grow their brand.<\/span><\/p>\n

    During its <\/span>Snapchat Summer Drinks campaign<\/span><\/a>, Starbucks leveraged the popularity of their (in)famous Frappuccinos by creating their own custom Snapchat lens.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"starbucks<\/p>\n

    This lens created several marketing opportunities for the brand that the majority of the people using the filter were not even consciously aware of. <\/span><\/p>\n

    On a subliminal level, whenever Snapchatters opened up a photo from a friend with a Frappuccino filter plastered over the screen, they would be more likely to purchase one of the delicious beverages for themselves later in the day. <\/span><\/p>\n

    In addition to the subliminal messaging, the filter increased the number of people following Starbucks on Snapchat.<\/span><\/p>\n

    This increased the odds that Snapchatters would swing by their local Starbucks to fuel their growing caffeine addiction in the near future. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Now, despite Starbucks creative marketing tactics with Snapchat, some of you are still wondering why <\/span>you <\/span><\/i>specifically should invest in Snapchat marketing. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Well, let me show you. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Why You Should Get on the Snapchat Bandwagon<\/span><\/h2>\n

    While there are a number of reasons that you should hop onto the Snapwagon, in my mind, there are three that stand head and shoulders above the rest. <\/span><\/p>\n

    1. Snapchat is Growing at Some of the Fastest Rates Ever Seen<\/b><\/p>\n

    Let\u2019s get this out of the way right now. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Snapchat has been experiencing <\/span>explosive <\/span><\/i>levels of growth that are almost unheard of in the social media industry. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Snapchat has only been around for about 5 years, and in that incredibly short amount of time, it has already achieved an average daily user base of around 110 million people worldwide<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"snapchat-dau1\"<\/p>\n

    And if that wasn\u2019t enough, according to an <\/span>Infinite Dial study<\/span><\/a>, only 17 percent of the U.S. population used Snapchat in 2015. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Now, that number has grown to 23 percent. <\/span><\/p>\n

    That\u2019s 5 percentage points in one year, the same amount that Twitter has grown since 2013. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Since its launch, Snapchat has gone from an underground, semi-illicit app to the second most popular social media platform in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

    And if you are not taking advantage of it, you will get left behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. Snapchat is Becoming Much More Business Friendly<\/b><\/p>\n

    Despite its massive growth, Snapchat is still a relatively untapped marketing resource due to its relatively unfriendly business platform. <\/span><\/p>\n

    However, this is rapidly changing.<\/span><\/p>\n

    According to Adweek, Snapchat has recently announced a <\/span>massive advertising and business expansion<\/span><\/a> that will make their company a marketer\u2019s paradise. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The most notable feature of this expansion is the inclusion of Snap Ads which are brief ads played between users stories. <\/span><\/p>\n

    And while some of you may be thinking that this will just make Snapchat like a 10-second version of YouTube, the numbers tell a different story. <\/span><\/p>\n

    In a collaboration effort between Snapchat and MediaScience, <\/span>320 consumers were surveyed<\/span><\/a> comparing Snapchat video ads to TV, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube over 552 sessions. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The survey team tracked emotional responses, implemented eye tracking technology, and of course, included exit surveys. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The results were pretty astounding. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Snapchat ads received double the visual attention of Facebook ads and 1.5 times that of Instagram.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"snapchat-test\"<\/p>\n

    Snapchat has even told us that the ads were cited to be more than 1.3 times as effective as YouTube ads. <\/span><\/p>\n

    If the statistics hold true, this would make Snapchat the <\/span>most efficient <\/span><\/i>marketing platform in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. Snapchat Gives You a Captive Audience<\/b><\/p>\n

    With most social media platforms, your ads and messages are, more often than not, buried in a clustered timeline and left unseen. <\/span><\/p>\n

    However, with Snapchat, this is not the case. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Snaps that you send to your followers will remain in their inbox until they decide to click them.<\/span><\/p>\n

    And, once they have decided to open them, the real magic happens. <\/span><\/p>\n

    You see, as humans, we have an evolutionary wiring that instills a <\/span>fear of missing out<\/span><\/a> or FOMO into our brains.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"ac6a63bda5b69581c9d2edbb9c924640da8dc31ae9abfd304b55ae5064a63688\"<\/p>\n

    As hunter-gatherer tribes, this fear used to be necessary to ensure that we did not miss out on potentially life-or-death food, shelter, and mating opportunities. <\/span><\/p>\n

    However, this same wiring allows you to use platforms like Snapchat to ensure that people will hear and respond to your message. <\/span><\/p>\n

    When your followers receive a Snap from you, they only have 10 seconds before the information disappears into the ether forever.<\/span><\/p>\n

    This means that whenever they open one of your Snaps, they will be glued to the screen from start to finish.<\/span><\/p>\n

    I don\u2019t think you need to be an evolutionary psychologist to see why this makes Snapchat a marketing powerhouse. <\/span><\/p>\n

    How to Grow Your Snapchat Following<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of using Snapchat to market your brand, grow your company, and generate revenue, we first have to discuss one thing. <\/span><\/p>\n

    How to <\/span><\/i>grow a Snapchat following<\/span><\/i><\/a> in the first place. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

    Snapchat isn\u2019t like other social media platforms. <\/span><\/p>\n

    There are no newsfeeds or hashtags that enable audience members to discover you through traditional methods. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The only thing that comes close is the <\/span>Snapchat Discover feature<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"snapchat\"<\/p>\n

    However, this feature only favors large companies with hundreds of thousands of dollars to invest into their marketing campaigns. <\/span><\/p>\n

    This means that you need to get creative and find ways to work around the platform\u2019s limitations. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Luckily, I have a couple of tips and tricks for you that will make growing your Snapchat following a breeze. <\/span><\/p>\n

    1. Follow Potential Fans Via Address Book<\/b><\/h3>\n

    One of the simplest ways to quickly find new Snapchat users who you can follow (who will hopefully follow you in return) is to use the <\/span>Find Friends Through Address Book<\/span><\/i> feature. <\/span><\/p>\n

    This simple feature allows Snapchat to crawl your address book and find the phone numbers of people who are associated with a Snapchat account.<\/span><\/p>\n

    You can then add them as friends and they will receive a notification suggesting that they add you back. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s how to do it. <\/span><\/p>\n

    \"download\"<\/p>\n

    Now some of you are probably wondering how this is really applicable for your business. <\/span><\/p>\n

    After all, if you have a phone number in your address book, odds are, they are already following you on Snapchat, right?<\/span><\/p>\n

    However, if you have a customer database, you can segment the data by phone numbers and import those numbers into your address book, giving you access to tons of new potential fans. <\/span><\/p>\n

    And, depending on how your Facebook marketing is setup, you can even <\/span>import the numbers of Facebook friends<\/span><\/a> to your address book and then use the same steps to add them on Snapchat.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"sync-facebook-contacts-with-iphone-step-4-version-3\"<\/p>\n

    2. Utilize Email Marketing<\/b><\/h3>\n

    Email marketing, although slowly being overtaken by new mediums, is still <\/span>one of the big dogs<\/span><\/a> in the online marketing world. <\/span><\/p>\n

    And it is also a great way to grow your Snapchat following. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The easiest way to accomplish this goal is to simply <\/span>include your snapcode<\/span><\/a> or Snapchat url in the body of your emails in some sort of creative way. <\/span><\/p>\n

    However, my favorite way to use email marketing is to offer a limited time promotion that is only available on Snapchat. <\/span><\/p>\n

    For example, you could offer a 20% discount in your email letting users know that the only way to access this discount code is by following you on Snapchat and going to your story.<\/span><\/p>\n

    This will likely generate followers who will not even take advantage of the deal but simply want to stay in the loop for future offers.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Or you could always do something like this.<\/p>\n

    \"cg-everlane-email-about-snapchat-story\"<\/p>\n

    Tailor your marketing to your audience and figure out creative ways to convert your email list into Snapchat subscribers.<\/p>\n

    3. Implement Snapchat into Your Website<\/b><\/h3>\n

    Possibly the easiest way to start growing your Snapchat following is to include your Snapchat URL and Snapcode on your blog or website.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"plm\"<\/p>\n

    As long as you are creative in your execution, this will not affect the aesthetics of your website and will allow you to grow your Snapchat following in tandem with your blog. <\/span><\/p>\n

    4. Put Your Snapcode on Physical Marketing Mediums<\/b><\/h3>\n

    Depending on what kind of business you are in, you may still have a physical store or pass out business cards at events. <\/span><\/p>\n

    If so, then be sure to include your Snapcode on these objects. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Put your snapcode on the door of your storefront, the back of your business cards, and any other physical objects that are regularly seen by customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"download\"<\/p>\n

    This is a great way to grow your Snapchat following for (literally) only a few dollars. <\/span><\/p>\n

    5. Cross Promote Using Other Social Media Channels<\/b><\/h3>\n

    One of the most important things you can do to grow your Snapchat following is to <\/span>cross promote on other social media channels<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    If you have a large following on any of the major social media platforms, then you need to start taking advantage of it by cross-promoting your Snapchat account. <\/span><\/p>\n

    And it doesn\u2019t take much. <\/span><\/p>\n

    First, make sure that your snapcode is clearly visible on all of your social media platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Then do a simple call to action once a week asking people to follow you on Snapchat.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"coca-cola\"<\/p>\n

    Simple right?<\/span><\/p>\n

    How to Use Snapchat for Business<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Ok, so you understand what Snapchat is and why you need to use it. <\/span><\/p>\n

    You have built up your following. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Now, it\u2019s time to get down and dirty and start <\/span>using Snapchat Ads<\/span><\/a> to market your company, increase brand engagement and awareness, and grow your revenue. <\/span><\/p>\n

    There are a number of ways you can market your company on Snapchat, but for our purposes, we are only going to focus on three: Snap Ads, Sponsored Geofilters, and Sponsored Lenses. <\/span><\/p>\n

    1. Snap Ads: Build Brand Awareness and Keep Your Audience Tuned In<\/b><\/h3>\n

    For most businesses, <\/span>Snap Ads<\/span><\/a> are going to be your primary advertising method on Snapchat.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"snapchat-ads-hed-2016\"<\/p>\n

    Originally, Snap Ads were limited to the Discover feature on Snapchat which unfortunately left a large segment of Snapchat users unreached.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The thing is, only about 30% of Snapchat users actually use the Discover feature, but 100% of them use stories and chat. <\/span><\/p>\n

    And while Discover ads are <\/span>still alive and kicking<\/span><\/a>, the recent announcement of <\/span>Snap Ads Between Stories<\/span><\/a> is going to make Snap Ads a heck of a lot more powerful. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Running Snap Ads is going to be very similar to running video ads on any other platform.<\/span><\/p>\n

    However, due to the 10-second time limit on Snap Ads, there is one big thing to keep in mind. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Less is more. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

    You need to be sure that you share your brand message as succinctly and convincingly as possible within the 10-second limit. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Every second of your ad should have a clearly defined purpose, so don\u2019t waste even one of those precious seconds on superfluous talk or animations. <\/span><\/p>\n

    While the rules of traditional advertising still apply, advertising on Snapchat does require some extra creative power and a little bit of unconventional thinking to get the job done. <\/span><\/p>\n

    But if you can hack it, Snap Ads have a <\/span>clickthrough rate almost 5X higher<\/span><\/a> than comparable ad platforms. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Meaning 5X as many opportunities to make a sale and grow your company to new heights. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Snap Ads Case Study: Shock Top<\/b><\/h4>\n

    One of my favorite <\/span>Snap Ads case studies<\/span><\/a> is Shock Top.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"shock-top-logo\"<\/p>\n

    What\u2019s better than Snap Ads and the Super Bowl?<\/span><\/p>\n

    Snap Ads, the Super Bowl, and a craft beer company that knew exactly how to leverage Snapchat to achieve massive results. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The company had already developed <\/span>an ad campaign<\/span> using their slogan \u201cLive Life Unfiltered\u201d for their first ever super bowl commercial and decided to extend the campaign to Snapchat. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The objective for their campaign was simple.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cRaise awareness of Shock Top\u2019s brand and beer among Snapchatters, support the brand\u2019s broader Super Bowl 50 marketing campaign, and convey brand values of expressing oneself in a natural and unfiltered way\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    If you haven’t seen the commercial, then take a minute to watch the video.<\/p>\n