Snapchat boasts over 150 million daily users and a shifting demographic of users aged 25 and older growing twice as fast as those under the age of 25. So why aren’t marketers capitalizing on this exploding social media platform?
Well, it’s complicated.
For starters, many marketers are at a loss on how to implement an effective strategy on a platform that has millions of daily users with an attractive demographic, yet an inability to track conversions; a problem rarely encountered in today’s environment of limitless conversion tracking data and tools.
Additionally, because Snapchat is one of the newest social media platforms and was originally mislabeled as simply a sexting app, marketers have been slow to realize its marketing opportunities. However, businesses that recognized that potential early on—like Gatorade, Everlane and Warby Parker—have created incredibly successful Snapchat marketing campaigns.
How can your business successfully market on an app without conversion tracking or marketing attribution? The answer lies in developing a Snapchat marketing strategy utilizing the app’s various features to increase brand association and boost brand awareness, which then leads to ROI and conversions outside the app.
Consider:
Marketing Through “Stories”
Marketers can engage with the millions of users on the platform by sharing images, videos, and other content through the “Story” component of the app to boost brand awareness. Snapchat’s “Stories” feature allows marketers to build a video series organically in real-time that can be viewed for 24 hours from the date published.
Posting your brand story or corporate culture frequently and regularly through this method helps your brand connect with a larger audience that is otherwise unreachable to your business.
Tapping an influencer and having them “takeover” your “Story” feature for the day is another effective method to drum up attention for your Snapchat emergence, net more followers, and grow your target audience. These can be influencers in your industry or on social media at large. A “takeover” means the influencer will be posting on your account for the day and typically responding to followers’ questions or snaps as they are received.
Marketing Through “Memories”
The latest update to Snapchat introduced a new feature called “Memories” that improves upon the app’s ability to be used as a marketing tool for brand awareness. Through the “Memories” section, marketers can now upload branded photos and images from their camera roll for the first time and post these to their “Story.”
It also allows marketers to save any Snapchat content in the “Memories” section, which can only be viewed by the account holder, where it lives permanently and can be repurposed for marketing uses as needed. This allows for more strategic planning regarding Snapchat content distribution since marketers can snap now and share later.
Marketing Through Filters
The advent and surge in popularity of filters for snaps sent between users or posted to “Stories” is also an element businesses can use to further their Snapchat marketing strategy. Marketers can design their own business or product-themed filters, pay Snapchat a fee, and have those filters live in a geolocation or become visible for specific business-related events or promotional opportunities.
These filters are visible to users at the location or event and allow them to immerse themselves in the brand culture. It also turns users into marketers when they share or post the content to their “Story,” thus advertising your business, product, or event to their audience.
Initially, Snapchat marketing seems difficult to validate in terms of ROI. However, there are various marketing initiatives that marketers can implement now to see an increase in brand awareness and brand association, which then leads to higher conversion rates and audience growth. By utilizing the “Stories,” “Memories,” and filter features with these goals in mind, businesses can tap into the ever-growing user base that Snapchat provides and prove that, although difficult to track, marketing on Snapchat is more than worth it.
There are risks involved with creating a Snapchat marketing strategy and investing in these types of marketing opportunities. However, I find it’s a risk worth taking and one that is paying off big for those that have already done so.
Gianna Scorsone is vice president of sales and marketing of Mondo.
Network
