Oh, Snap

Video Content Marketing was made for Snapchat. A good, polished video is great, but a raw, unedited story is the way to make a connection last. At the risk of admitting we’re all fan-girl / guys, let’s just focus on the celebrities we follow for a moment.

In the glamsquad-gotcha-covered world of celebrity – we lose focus on who these people are as humans. Everything is (again) polished, filtered and edited for our viewing pleasure; but polished gets real old, real fast when that’s all you ever see. When famous folks hopped on the Snapchat bandwagon, the world of social media went crazy. The reason we love seeing celebrities on Snapchat is because we get to see behind the scenes, we get to see the real person – and the same goes for companies.

So with that ‘behind the scenes’ theme at the ready, let’s explore how you can build a kick-butt following on one of the biggest social media platforms available.

One of Snapchat’s’ greatest assets is its frequency of use. You may be wondering what sets it apart from other social media platforms… because there are a lot of great ones out there – and that would be just how engaged its users are. Snappers are already building their own personal brand here, and if there’s one key to building business, it’s to go where the people are. 

You didn’t think we were just gonna tell you to use Snapchat and leave it at that, did you?

As your trusty advisers, we have taken the liberty of compiling a list of snap-do’s and snap–don’t-even-think-about-it’s’ …to make building your brand up that much easier. No need to thank us.

DO

• Make sure your snap isn’t on mute. Pardon us for stating the obvious, but you wouldn’t believe how many ‘professionals’ make this mistake. Always check that bottom left-hand corner before releasing your snap into cyberspace.
• Give your snaps a soundtrack. After all, two thirds of Snapchat’s 10 billion (let’s reiterate that… TEN BILLION) daily video views are viewed with the sound on – utilise that.
• Create stories. No, really – we actually mean create a story. Take advantage of all those crazy filters available and get comedic. Make up characters and use them to narrate your day, your event, anything. Using characters is actually a great way to really engage your audience. It’s light-hearted and shows that your business isn’t all work and no play. Trust us, the last thing you want to do is come off as boring. Take a look at Shay Mitchell’s snap story to get a few ideas. [Note: FF to 0.25]
• Segwaying nicely on to our next point – create a mini film. You can use Snapchat as a totally inexpensive way to create advertisements or anything of the like. This method is especially good for launching new products.
• Snap before & afters shots. This works with any kind of brand from fashion to technology, and anything in between… there’s always a way to incorporate this style of snap story.
• Give your snap-fam exclusive access. Once your customers realise they can access things that are unavailable anywhere else except for your Snapchat – you’ll start to bring in way more traffic. Think behind the scenes content, Snapchat take-overs with special guests, and special offers. Your phone is your oyster.

DON’T

• Snap in a dirty environment. Unless you’re a scrap yard company… this is an absolute no-go.
• On a similar note. DO NOT SNAP WITH A TOILET IN FULL VIEW, OR ANY VIEW. EVER. Nuff said.
• Snap an entire speech / concert / event. Each snap is 10 seconds for a reason. Remember that.
• Cover the microphone with your finger. On a scale of 1 – Embarrassing, this is the equivalent of your mother trying to figure out how to use an iPhone for the first time.
• Snap every damn thing. In the same way that we get annoyed with people who share their life story on Facebook – that goes for Snapchat, too. Yes, content may only be available for 24 hours… but that doesn’t make it any less important to curate what you post.

…and there you have it. Our top tips on how to build up a kick-butt brand following on Snapchat, the rest is up to you. You got it, dude.