With more than 100 billion daily active users it is imperative for any social strategist trying to reach millennials to understand why Snapchat is the next big thing. As a student of the Integrated Marketing Communication Program at Northwestern University and a Social Strategy intern at 360i, I lookout for the new trends.
Written by Matthew Tyson for Huffpost Business, 'Snapchat: The Thing You Should Be Doing in 2016' looks at Snapchat from a marketer’s perspective. It insists that whether one uses it or not, every brand trying to target millennials needs to be present on it. Millennials are looking for brands to interact with them on Social Media and traditional advertising does not do that. The one attribute setting Snapchat apart from the host of Social Media platforms is the authenticity it offers. Not only is the mode of delivery personal, to view another's snaps, you have to follow the account which means the follower is already interested in the content.
Written by Hope King for CNN Money, 'Snapchat is Growing Up' talks about the new features of Snapchat and its growth. Recently, Snapchat released a host of new features including audio calls, video calls, video messages and stickers in the chat box. From a brand that was once looked at as the ‘new kid on the block’, Snapchat is now an equal player on the table with Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp. The company has to be on its feet at all times since its competition is continuously upgrading to similar features.
Based on my review of these three articles and my work at Northwestern University, here are three actions you should be taking on Snapchat.
- Offer Authenticity - Every snap is in real-time and hence is authentic content in context. Forbes reported that 43% of millennials rank authenticity over content.
- Build Relationships - Every follower on Snapchat already values your brand which means they are a valuable consumer you should build a relationship with.
- Grab Attention - Snapchat is now competing with Facebook, Instagram and twitter and is leading the competition in terms of attention on mobile phones.
Using the three action items, you can use Snapchat to find a niche for your business. As we move ahead and social strategy becomes increasingly important, attracting millennials and engaging with them is a challenge you face. So understand Snapchat and use it!
I am Prarthana Gupta, a Communication Studies and Integrated Marketing Communications student at Northwestern University. I believe that technology today encourages global, real-time communication like never before and there are new trends to watch out for everyday. Apart from actively following the development of the social and digital world, I am also a HCI and IoT enthusiast.
Reach out on twitter @prarthana_g
