According to a Harvard University survey released on December 10, Snapchat has beaten Instagram to emerge as the fastest growing social network for American millennials.
Conducted on 2011 Americans in the age-group 18-29, the research revealed that the number of people on Snapchat increased by 8% over the previous year. While participation in Instagram grew by a close 7%, the figures remained nearly stagnant for Twitter and Facebook.
Source : Harvard University Institute of Politics
Clearly, Snapchat is poised to become the next big thing in the world of social media. In fact, with a current strength of almost 200 million active users who share more than 700 million snaps daily, Snapchat is already a force to reckon with, especially for marketers.
Here’s what Snapchat’s newly acquired top spot means for your brand!
Deliver crisp, fun and casual brand messages
Like Dubsmash, Snapchat is a platform specifically suitable for light conversations. As per Snapchat statistics, 4 Billion+ snaps are sent every day on the platform. People use Snapchat to share pictures and stories from their daily lives with their friends and families. And its amplifying user base is a testimony to the fact that young people today are increasingly inclined towards short, media-rich content that is lively and relatable.
To make content that aligns with the tastes of their target audience, companies targeting millennials need to make sure their brands are fun, personal, and humanized in their interactions across all platforms. Serious, plain or professional-sounding brand conversations are now a thing of the past.
Strategize for low-cost, temporary, engagement-driven marketing
Marketers have by and large steered clear of Snapchat, because the images and stories shared on it are self-destructible. However, it is important to note that while the shelf life of any marketing materials you produce for Snapchat is very limited, the costs of building a brand presence on Snapchat are also appropriately low.
Snapchat is therefore a low-cost branding platform, particularly as you can easily re-purpose your existing videos and graphics for it. Besides, it is more conducive to creative storytelling, as you only have 10 seconds to make your point and make it last.
Brands can use Snapchat Marketing for :-
1) Contests
For example, H&M, a fashion retail brand, organized a contest in Poland, where it hid tickets to a secret party in its stores, and released clues through Snapchat.
A ‘clue’ snap sent out by H&M Poland
2) Teasers
For example, Lynx, a deodorant brand from Unilever, used Snapchat to share exclusive behind-the-scenes content from their launch party with their core fans.
Lynx UK on Snapchat
3) Celebrity Branding
For example, McDonald’s collaborated with celebrity athletes such as LeBron to drive more views. Similarly, General Electric used Snapchat to introduce astronaut Buzz Aldrin to engage with curious, young fans.
General Electric introducing Buzz Aldrin via Snapchat
Brands can also use Snapchat marketing to showcase their work culture, product stories (for example, how a particular drink is made), and for collaborations with video-based influencers from YouTube, Vine or Snapchat itself.
So get your funny side up, don your creative caps, and give your budget some breathing space – it’s time to snap up your marketing with Snapchat!
