Brand managers who see the opportunity to integrate themselves into conversations and culture via natural communication benefit by strengthening relationships with their audiences. Today, conversations—especially those happening among the coveted millennial demographic—are taking place on Snapchat. The disappearing messaging service processes nearly 400 million snaps per day. If your business objective is growth and sales with the next generation of buyers in mind, Snapchat should to be central to any forward-thinking communications strategy.
As with any social network, Snapchat has a learning curve, and a particularly steep one at that. To help strategize how your brand or organization can use the platform, here are three best practices for Snapchat, courtesy of Alexandra Kirsch, associate VP at Finn Partners and a speaker at PR News' upcoming Digital PR Conference.
- Build anticipation. Snapchat offers brands a unique opportunity to build social excitement. Whether it's through a series of snaps attached to the brand's story feed, or by leveraging other platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) to tease something big and exclusive to Snapchat followers, there are plenty of opportunities to build anticipation. It's important to evaluate each snap through a simple lens. Is this part of our brand's overall social story? Is there an element of intrigue to sustainably engage followers?
- Share experiences. At its core, Snapchat is an experiential platform for brands. It's a perfect venue for offering exclusive experiences (coupons, sales announcements, partnerships) and sharing branded experiences (capturing snaps from an event, mystery location, etc.). Creating exclusive opportunities for your Snapchat audience will help build brand visibility. This goes back to the concept of building anticipation, as it keeps your Snapchat audience hooked until your next snap.
- Engage partners. While social media platforms continue to evolve, some best practice lessons are transferable. Snapchat isn't about solo storytelling. It's a great platform for showcasing partnerships. Using the takeover method that has grown so popular on Instagram or hosting a snap-based Q&A with a thought leader, similar to a Facebook Q&A or Twitter Chat, are great ways to creatively tap into partnerships on Snapchat.
To learn more about sharing apps, video creation, social media and much more, join PR News for our Digital PR Conference, taking place June 1-3 at the Ritz-Carlton in Miami.
Follow Alexandra Kirsch on Twitter: @alexandrakirsch
Follow Brian Greene on Twitter: @bw_greene
Good concept