7 Ways To Use Snapchat For Business And Grow Your Brand

There is no denying it; Snapchat is on the rise. It has always been a powerhouse in the 12-18 age bracket, BUT in the past 12-18 months, it has been on the rise with 21-45-year-olds. If you are not utilizing Snapchat for your brand, you are doing it wrong. In this article, I am going to list seven ways to use Snapchat for business, and how it can grow your brand.

1. Deliver Private Behind The Scenes Content

You can use Snapchat to provide behind the scenes “special content” to your community. Exclusive access to you and your business is extremely valuable. The Snapchat platform allows for such an intimate look at what you are doing as a person and as a business. It’s just another way to provide content quickly that can bring extreme value to your community. Think of something unique to surprise your community with that will be exclusive to Snapchat. Think of releasing content on Snapchat as a preview before the masses have even seen it.

2. Contests, Perks, And Promotions

Everybody LOVES social media giveaways and prizes; it’s just human nature. Especially if the item or perk that you are giving away is extremely valuable. Think of how you can utilize Snapchat’s platform to run special time-gated community giveaways that will have your followers coming back for more. Some brands even do scavenger hunts through Snapchat and send their community on a wild goose chase to locate an object related to their business. Get creative with this one and build an engaged community.

3. Partner With Snapchat Influencers

Just as with Instagram you can utilize people who have HUGE followings on Snapchat to grow your Snapchat follower base and for brand awareness. What better way to use a platform than to promote your business with some of the most influential people on Snapchat. Get in touch with this people and build partnerships that can help both parties. When you partner with influencers, you will spread your brand awareness to a demographic that might be had to reach through traditional media, and other social networks.

4. The Snapchat Takeover

This one is fun and useful. Allow someone else either an influencer OR someone your audience would recognize and have them take control of your Snapchat account for a day or two. Allowing someone else to do this will bring their following over to you AND will bring a fresh face and sound to your Snapchat account for a short while. It’s a good mix up, and will allow you to utilize other talented people who have new and unique ways to reach people that you may not have.

5. Tell An Interesting Story

Most video, even on YouTube should be short and to the point, and this is certainly the case with Snapchat. With Snapchat, your audience is looking for brief content to consume while in line, at the Dr’s office, or short breaks in their day. Provide them with short content and they will eat it up.

Snapchat works because the videos are limited to only 10 seconds at a time. Utilize those 10 seconds well, and pack them with as much value as you possibly can.

6. Provide Access To Live Events

The NBA has done a great job with this during the playoffs. They are utilizing Snapchat to provide the audience with clips from the games going on that day. It’s a great way to allow the community to get involved with what is going on currently AND brings awareness to the current state of your brand/business.

Use Snapchat for product launches, trade shows, or events such as the 100th customer to shop with you or 100th client to sign up for your product or service. This gets your audience excited as you are providing a different, more “real” view of what is going on at the event.

7. Learn How To Use Snapcodes

The one downfall of Snapchat is how difficult it is for people to find your brand and become a follower. Snapchat has what they call “Snapcodes.” Learn more about Snapcodes here. You will need to familiarize yourself with this feature and how you can edit and share your Snapcode with your current following through your blog and social platforms. You can also create Snapchat direct links that will allow people to click on them on mobile and then be sent to your Snapchat profile to follow you from there.

Here is a video showing you how to create Snapchat Direct Links

In closing, Snapchat is still uncharted waters for businesses and brands and allows for a TON of creativity. If you are a business or brand, you NEED to be on Snapchat creating short-form content for your community to consume. You have an opportunity to be at the top of this platform and start doing something that could go “viral”, and allow you to grow a Snapchat following extremely quick.