Last week, in the first part of this two-part story about Snapchat content and measurement, we asked if you accidentally typed “Googles” when you meant to type “goggles” while searching for Snapchat’s new sunglasses. We noted how it was more Freudian slip than a typo. Snap Inc., as Ogilvy’s managing director of content and social for North America Kathy Baird points out in our Oct. 3 edition, was attempting to morph into a big company, offering a variety of apps and products. “It seems Snapchat wants to dominate…to be in a league with other platforms…that’s why it’s offering new products and features and changing the company name.”
MD,
Social/Content, Ogilvy NA
Developments at our press time illustrate Baird’s prescience. Media reports Oct. 6 had Snap Inc. preparing for a high-profile IPO, valuing itself at $25 billion or more. While the Wall St. Journal’s story failed to name its sources, it’s interesting that the Snapchat app is notable for embodying the antithesis of formality and other corporate values. It will be interesting to see where the app goes if it indeed becomes part of a public corporation.
And in a somewhat related item, we had a reverse of Snap Inc. acting like a big company: A big company acted like Snap. Social behemoth Facebook in early October launched additions to its WhatsApp messaging suite that ape Snapchat’s most-popular features.
With the above as context, it makes something else Baird told us in late September about Snapchat measurement, the focus of this second article, seem even more likely: “I think we’ll see more analytics in the next year” from the business-like Snap, Inc. In addition, PR agencies “are working on proprietary [measurement] packages for their [brand] clients” who are demanding additional analytics from Snapchat, she says.
What to Do Now
With the Snapchat environment in flux, what should communicators do to measure their Snapchat efforts now? A sensible approach is to begin with the basics, Baird says. Set goals from the outset. Are you trying to sell product through Snapchat? Gain exposure for your brand, raise awareness and create buzz? “Your goals will dictate your measurement methods,” she says. Indeed, the communicators we interviewed favored various measurement tactics, including unique views, open rates, story completion rates, screenshots and Snapchat’s own Snapchat score.
Baird concentrates on engagement, so she tracks story completion rates. Sarah Maloy, director, social media and external video at Fuse Media, parent of national TV network Fuse TV, endorses Baird’s choice. “Story completion rate is the most consistent metric available within Snapchat. It’s also the best measurement of quality” since it allows you to see “how engaged people were with your content.”
Online mattress brand Casper has used story completion rate to inform content, its VP of global communications Lindsay Kaplan says. “When we notice more users completing a specific story,” she says, “we build that out into a series.” For example, Casper created what it felt was going to be a one-off snap story about late-night thoughts people have when they can’t sleep. “It was just a black screen with text,” Kaplan says. But “so many users completed the story we now post a variation of it weekly.”
Laura Wilson, director of digital engagement & social media at Georgetown University, acknowledges the importance of story completion rate, but also recommends looking at open rates. “If you track the people who view the very first snap in your story, this number over time should increase as you grow your brand’s Snapchat community,” she says. “If you see it exhibiting a downward trend you either are losing followers or losing their interest with the content you are posting,” Wilson adds. “Since Snapchat is counting only unique views, the story open rate can give you a general sense of how large your Snapchat following is at that time.”
Director of Digital Engagement & Social Media, Georgetown
University
Casper relies on story views to track success, Kaplan says. “Outside of quantitative metrics like Snapchat score, follower growth and story views, we use screenshots and chats to measure growth. This direct, qualitative engagement can be a lot more telling and powerful compared to a number,” she says. “Users who screenshot our content often chat us, too. We’re asked for brunch recommendations or tips for going to sleep.”
Wilson is skeptical of the Snapchat score. “Snapchat says your Snapchat score is calculated by a special equation combining…I would pay less attention to this number right now until Snapchat is a little more transparent about how it calculates this metric,” she says.
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Editor's Note: Baird, Maloy and Kaplan will be speaking at PR News' Social Media Conference, Oct. 20 in NY. Click here for information.
This content appeared originally in PR News Pro, October, 10, 2016. For subscription information, please visit: https://www.prnewsonline.com/about/info