When discussing your social media marketing strategies, does your business mainly focus on the behemoths of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? Your answer is probably yes, and understandably so, given how massive “the big 3” are. However, you will soon be missing out if you don’t start using Snapchat – and the unique opportunities it presents – to market your business.

To help get you started, we’ve gathered some of tips for how you can use Snapchat for your business:

Use Snap Ads

Snap Ads are the vertical video adverts that play in between Snapchat stories, and are the perfect way to start using Snapchat for your business. The fact that the ad runs horizontal means that content has to be tailored towards – or custom created for – the format, and this can make them feel more unique and creative. These ads run for 10 seconds, and have the unique advantage of offering viewers the opportunity to swipe up to access more detailed content like a mobile website or full length ad. This added layer of interactivity can encourage increased interaction with your business as, according to Snapchat, viewer swipe-up for Snap Ads five times more than the average click through rate for comparable ads on other social media platforms.

 

Embrace Influencers

Influencer marketing has seen increasing levels of popularity over the past couple of years, as more and more high profile social media users are embracing their status as “influencers.” The more personalized nature of Snapchat as a platform makes it an ideal pairing for influencer marketing strategies. Partner with a few different influencers to create brand stories on their personal Snapchat accounts, or offer influencers the chance to take over your business’s Snapchat account for a period of time, exposing your business to a whole new potential audience.

 

Boost customer engagement

Use your company Snapchat to encourage increased engagement from your followers by running contests and giveaways on the service. For example, if your company has a new product out, ask your followers to send selfies of themselves interacting with it, with random responses being awarded money off vouchers. Alternatively, post snaps with discount codes or vouchers on them, with a call to action, telling your followers the voucher is only good for one day. 

Posting the offers and contests on Snapchat in this way makes customers feel like they are having a unique interaction with your business, fostering a more personal connection between you.

 

Extend the reach of live events

If your business is taking part in a trade show, or hosting its own live event, then Snapchat can be used to extend the audience of the event beyond those who can make it in person.

For example, if your business is celebrating a landmark event, such as an anniversary or a new product launch, you can use Snapchat to broadcast the event to all of your followers. Post videos of all the exciting moments of the day, or post behind the scenes snaps to give people the feeling they’re getting an authentic, inside look at your business.