Joining Snapchat? Here’s What You Need To Know

Sahail Ashraf posted on 30 September 2021

Snapchat just keeps getting bigger. But it also requires careful planning and a focused approach if you are going to get the most out of it. Here’s a starter guide.

If you’re just starting to dip your toes into the world of Snapchat marketing, it can feel pretty intimidating.

At this point, there are hundreds of thousands of user accounts that brands are marketing to via Snapchat. And considering the fact that it’s growing at such an exponential rate, you’re likely wondering how your brand can snag some of that precious real estate.

The first step? Check it’s right for you

Snapchat has a demographic that is very firmly in the under 35 age bracket.

You need to consider if you can make things relevant to this demographic or not.

For example, if your brand is targeted towards six year olds (weird, but hey) – Snapchat may not be the right platform for you.

Then, tell people

Snapchat is great for marketing, but useless if your audience doesn’t know about it.  So start by creating an account, and then sharing it with your current customers via e-mail or social media. Post on Instagram, Facebook, and any other platforms your brand has a presence on.

Research the bad guys

Research your competitors and what they are doing on Snapchat.  Look around your industry on Snapchat. See who has an account and what they’re doing with it. If something works, see what you can do that is similar. If they are doing something effective, you know what works.

Make your goals clear. Work out your objectives on the platform and make sure they are clear to anyone who has responsibility for the account. Have clear objectives that fit into your business goals and can be served by your budget.

Create a content calendar.  Remember – Snapchat is not a magic wand. You need to have some kind of content strategy in place for this to work for you. Figure out what kinds of stories are going to go on the platform and how often. A good plan, even if it’s basic, will give everyone on the team an idea of what they’re trying to accomplish through their work on the platform.

Look at your brand identity and make sure it is consistent with Snapchat too.  Snapchat offers some unique lenses and filters, but it’s also about your logos and colours too.

Engagement too

Snapchat only works when you focus on engagement. It can be a big job to take on, but if you work hard at interacting with other users, you will start to build a useful presence.

So follow other Snapchatters. They won’t come to you (especially if you are new) and you won’t get anywhere as a brand until you engage with other users. Follow people who are typical of your audience.

Also, make sure to respond to Snaps and messages that are sent to you.  It is simple to do and you can prove you are real if you are quick to respond with an authentic voice.

Post at the right times. Timing is everything with Snapchat, from the time of day you snap to what you are snapping about. Do some research or look at your rivals’ times and see when they post for best engagement (and least competition).

Using analytics to see when competitors post helps. And once you know when to post for optimal reach, commit to posting regularly. 

Use the platform’s features

From filters to drawing tools, you can use features that will allow you to personalise your work. This helps with brand identity. Group together multiple snaps to tell a story and include some music in the background too. Snapchat is all about playing with the tools, and once you’re using them regularly, they become indispensable for your branding efforts.

Finally, ads

Ads are really ingrained in Snapchat now, and they have proven to be a great way to reach specific audiences and convert, mainly because there is so much tweaking that can be done.

Snapchat allows you to target ads to lookalike audiences, for example.  This means you can find an audience that looks just like your own following and then target ads to them.  It’s a super useful feature that will let you get even more out of your campaigns.

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