Snapchat is not the largest social media platform, but it can be a very powerful tool for businesses that are targeting a certain audience, such as millennials. Snapchat has over 180 million users daily, including many under 34 years old. When used properly, Snapchat can boost sales and increase brand awareness.
Not familiar with Snapchat? Snapchat is more popular than Facebook, Twitter and Instagram because of its short-lived nature. Snapchat allows users to share images and videos with each other. However, unlike other social media platforms, Snapchats expire once they are opened.
While some people may find that an expiration date is burdensome, business owners can capitalize on the fact that it’s time-sensitive, promoting engagement through urgency and exclusivity.
Does Snapchat work for your business?
It’s important to know your audience before you start a Snapchat campaign. Snapchat is a more youthful platform than Facebook.
You could be missing out on a great opportunity if you fail to “snap”. If your audience is older, you might want to look at other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter.
How to boost sales with Snapchat
If your audience uses Snapchat, you have several options to create buzz about your brand. You can grow a loyal fan base and increase your sales.
1. Exclusive Offers
You can give your Snapchat audience a reason to check in each day by offering them exclusive offers, coupons, or promotions.
You can share special offers in many different ways on Snapchat. Snapchat Stories can be used by some companies to promote their offer at the end of the video. This ensures that users view the entire clip.
Offer coupons and discounts for users to share photos or stories about using your product or shopping at your shop, or fulfilling other fun requirements.
It’s important to remember that followers should not expect promotions every day. There is no anticipation when they are expected. You can lose the urgency of your promotional offer if you run it too frequently. Your followers will stop engaging and will not feel the need for shopping, as they will assume that there will be another one tomorrow.
2. Leverage Influencers
Influencers, or social media users who have a large following, can influence their target audience. You may not be able, as a small company, to attract the attention of an influential person right away. It could be expensive. However this tactic of “word of mouth” marketing is still within your reach.
Find micro-influencers within your niche and neighborhood and try to entice them into using your product or service. Offer a product or service for free in exchange of a few photos supporting your business.
It may take some creativity to find the right Snapchat influencer. You can begin by looking at your existing followers, and then searching for YouTubers or Facebook pages that are in niches.
3. Get VIP Access
Snapchat was designed to support VIP access, exclusive sneak peeks, and the urgent nature of social media campaigns.
A Snapchat-only campaign is a great way to generate buzz for a brand launch, an event that you are hosting or attending, or a product or service that you plan to offer.
If you are about to launch a service, for example, you could start by promoting it exclusively through Snapchat. After you have raised some awareness, you could invite some lucky users over to try it out. You can then encourage users to share their experiences and give other users a unique look into the world of Snapchat.
There are many ways to do this, but ultimately the goal is to create intrigue and excitement. Your followers will likely do the rest.
4. Use Geofilters
You might consider using a Snapchat Geofilter if you are planning an event, a special in-store campaign, a store opening, or other business activity. This allows you to engage your followers at a particular location and for a certain time period.
Small businesses are able to choose between community filters (which are free but require approval in just a few days) or geofilters on demand.
Geofilters on-demand can be created for an event, location, or business. However, they aren’t free. They are very affordable and you can design them yourself. You can therefore create something highly relevant to both your business and target audience.
On-demand geofilters are priced at $5 per hour, or 20,000 square feet. While this can add to the costs of promotions lasting several days, or encompassing a large geographical area, small businesses may be able to leverage geofilters on demand for a low cost.
Snapchat is a great way to increase sales and build a following of loyal followers. Understanding your audience and engaging with them is the key to success. Create a strategy that combines creativity, engagement, and a mix of methods.