Snapchat is a photo-sharing app that allows users to share short-lived photo and video messages with their friends and other Snapchat users. It was created in 2011 by Evan Spiegel and Robert Murphy, and was then bought by Snapchat Inc. in 2012.
Snapchat is unique in that it allows users to “retract” their messages after sending them, a function which Spiegel and Murphy thought of in early development of the app. Through this, the app gives the sender control over their messages and the power to decide if and when a recipient can see the message.
On Snapchat, messages are sent as “Snaps” - disposable photos or videos that disappear once the recipient has seen them. This has shifted the focus for many Snapchat users from creating content with high production value to capturing moments spontaneously, giving a more raw and “inside scoop” kind of feeling.
Furthermore, Snapchat allows users to create “Stories,” which are slideshows composed of Snaps taken throughout the day. Like Snaps, Stories can last up to 24 hours before disappearing, however, the difference between Snaps and stories is that Stories can be seen by all of the user’s friends at once, provided they are all on the same Story. Users can also choose to make their Story public, enabling anyone with a Snapchat account to view it.
Apart from Snaps and Stories, there is also the “Discover” feature, which presents a range of content from media companies, seasonal stories and news updates among other things. The content in the Discover feature is updated daily and is designed to provide users with quick but interesting viewing material.
The app has also become incredibly useful for marketers and entrepreneurs looking to increase product and service awareness. It offers brands the chance to create a personal relationship with their (potential) customers through emerging technologies like Snapchat filters, which create an extremely satisfying user experience. With these capabilities, Snapchat has become one of the fastest growing networks in terms of average daily users as well as ad impressions.
Become a Sales & Marketing Rainmaker
Learn valuable skills to win more customers, grow your business, and increase your profits.
Despite being an incredibly powerful tool for brands, marketers and entrepreneurs have to consider a few guidelines when utilising social media platforms like Snapchat. First and foremost, it’s important to make sure that the content produced is relevant to the brand and resonates with their target audience. Furthermore, it’s essential to ensure that the content created is suitable for all the ages that are on the platform.
When it comes to producing content on Snapchat, it’s important to create content with a clear beginning, middle, and end. This is because on Snapchat, content is often consumed in single sittings, so it’s important to stimulate the user and give them something that is worth their time. In order for content to be worth their time, it should deliver value - whether it be through providing a customized user experience, useful information, or an incentive (e.g. a discount code).
To ensure that engagement with the content produced is as high as possible, it’s important to be creative and optimise for the Snapchat platform by creating a range of content, such as polls, drawing tools and voice recordings. As Snapchat is all about capturing and sharing moments, it’s important to create content that’s spontaneous and fun, as this is what resonates best with users of the platform.
It’s also essential to ensure that your content strategy is integrated with broader marketing goals. For example, if a brand wants to increase the number of followers on Snapchat, it’s important to ensure that the platforms other customers are using (e.g. Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc.) are utilised to spread the word about Snapchat and to gain initial traction.
Finally, it’s also important to ensure that campaigns are tracked and measured properly, as this is essential in order to measure the success of a campaign, and to gain insights into consumer behaviour and interests in regards to the brand and its products.