Several of you asked via my Facebook page that I write a bit more about Snapchat and how you can use the popular social media platform for marketing
Snapchat is without a doubt one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in Denmark right now.
Grow your follower base
There are the most basic ways of adding friends — such as adding via username (if you know the username) or adding friends via your address book (contacts).
Since Snapchat chose not to sell their platform to Facebook, there is no integration between the two. (That would probably have exploded the user base on Snapchat.)
Let me give you a few other ideas
Many Danes who use Snapchat also have a profile on Instagram and Facebook. Since you most likely already have some contacts on these platforms, why not use them to grow your Snapchat?
Example from my own Instagram
Enter your Snapchat name as your full name
Share on Facebook
Facebook is still the platform Danes use the most.
Therefore, we also have an average of 150–250 friends per person — and chances are, a large part of these users are also on Snapchat.
Example from Peter Bendtsen’s Facebook page
As you can see, Peter created a Snapchat profile picture.
Tip: Facebook has also opened up for the use of a video as a profile picture — this can be uploaded via the mobile app.
Integrate on your blog
Snapchat has created a handy little link function that allows you to link directly to your Snapchat from your website using a simple link.
The link should look like this: https://www.snapchat.com/add/username
So my link would look like this: https://www.snapchat.com/add/mickyweis
Collaborate with others in your industry
Far too few in Denmark use this method — in Sweden, the big bloggers are great at leveraging each other’s networks.
I don’t know if we Danes are afraid of giving too much away for free, but let’s say you know others with many Snapchat followers — why not give each other some great promotion?
Party share!
One thing I’ve noticed lately is that people use Snapchat more at parties than they use other platforms — which makes it a great way to grow your friends list. It’s super fast to add each other.
Also, your mom can’t see on Facebook that you added 17 girls over the weekend 🙂
It works like this: open Snapchat, tap on your little Snap icon at the top.
Then tap “Add friends”
And then select “Find nearby Snapchatter” — if you’re 10–20 people at a party, you’ll all have added each other quickly!
If there are others nearby, they will show up on this screen and you’ll be able to add each other. Pretty clever, right?
Personality
One of the reasons Snapchat has become so popular is that it’s less staged than many other social platforms.
You don’t have the option to run your posts through Photoshop — which many people use on Instagram (naughty).
(Yes, there are filters on Snapchat, but if you think your best friends actually grew dog ears, you don’t deserve to have a phone :))
You’re completely normal!
We all have opinions about other people’s lives — whether we want to or not.
As we grow older, it often matters less, but for Snapchat’s core demographic — 14–20-year-olds — it means everything how others perceive us.
So, it becomes a kind of reverse validation to see others — even A-listers like Justin Bieber, Christopher, Medina and many more — being totally “normal.” We want to see them being goofy, going without makeup, or whatever it might be.
It also opens the door to share personal moments from your life — musicians can share their own “special moments” with a hardcore group of fans.
In other words: show who you are — and you’ll get credit for it.
Involve your audience
I’ve worked with social media for 8 years — and started when Facebook was pretty much the only usable platform.
As more and more users join, it also takes more to stand out.
I’ve been fortunate to have Christian Stadil in my close network — and he said something to me recently at a talk we held for Firtal:
“Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Involve me and I will understand.”
This saying really stuck with me.
When we run internship programs or I want to pass something on to the sales team at Firtal, it’s crucial for me to involve everyone.
If people don’t grasp your message, you’ll end up spending more time explaining or repeating it.
The same goes for Snapchat
Involve your users!
There are countless ways to do this on Snapchat.
Examples of Snapchat engagement
- Questions: Let your users ask you questions that you respond to — it doesn’t take long to reply, and who wouldn’t want to ask someone they admire? Whether it’s a company or a personality, this can be very effective.
- Contests: Use Snapchat for contests — tell people to snap their coolest stories to you, and choose a winner within the hour. Contests are fun, cost little, and can go very viral.
- Ask for help: The BEST thing for humans is to help each other — that’s also why I’m writing this post. Don’t be afraid to ask your customers for help — imagine if they came up with a new feature for your product or website. That feeling as a customer or potential customer would be invaluable.
- Storytelling: One of the most powerful things you can do is storytelling. Make people feel like they’re part of a story.
A toy store in the US called Sphero needed to promote toys tied to the new Star Wars movie — they found 10 of the biggest influencers in the Star Wars universe who got to feature the little figure. People went crazy on social media — they reached up to 10 million views per day.
Partner up with businesses
If you run your own brand via Snapchat and want more followers — or just want to come across as more professional — you can benefit from teaming up with businesses.
Snapchat takeover!
There are some really great examples of celebrities taking over businesses’ Snapchat accounts. Depending on your own follower count, this may limit which businesses you can work with.
But — there are tons of companies!
If you’re into home decor — what about contacting a furniture company? The point is to show your passion and build your brand at the same time.
Victoria’s Secret lets their top models take over
This is what it looks like when it happens
There are loads of great examples out there.
My advice: follow the coolest brands on Snapchat and see what they do.
You might not be able to get Leonardo DiCaprio to take over your company’s Snapchat — but smaller names can work just as well.
And as with everything online: the most important thing is to gather as much data and insight as possible — that way, you’ll know what to improve next time.
Discount for business
Another trending feature on Snapchat right now is bloggers and influencers getting a discount code they can share with their followers — it could be 10% off at Nike.com (imagine Cristiano Ronaldo doing this — think of how much Nike would sell).
If you set up tracking on that discount code, you’ll also be able to see how many times it’s used. It doesn’t take many sales before it’s worth it — and it can go viral.
Remember: Always go after bloggers and influencers whose brand fits your product. It doesn’t have to be the most-followed girl with a perfect look — if you sell furniture, it might be someone with a strong passion for home interiors. Her followers are likely more qualified buyers.
Follow the development
One of the most important elements of Snapchat marketing is keeping up with the platform’s development.
So much is happening with Snapchat right now — so always update the app on your phone and stay tuned for new features.
Often you can hit the jackpot if you’re the first mover on something new!
That’s it!
Feel free to let me know what you, whether as a company, celebrity, or regular user, have gotten out of Snapchat — and whether you even use it?
Comments