3 Fun Ways to Market Your Business with Snapchat

After reading that clever blog title, you might be thinking, “Snapchat? That damn thing my kids/random mall teens keep taking terrible photos with?”

That’s right! The same thing little Jenny is using to send secret photos to her “friend” is the same thing that will bring your business into the 21st century.

Here’s one simple reason you should be using Snapchat to market your business:

There are now over 150 million daily Snapchat users watching 400+ million videos every single day!

That is a hell of a lot of users, and with that kind of reach, it’s easy to see why I’m making such a big stink about using Snapchat to market your business (It’s because I care about you, okay?).

But before we talk about marketing tactics, let’s go over some of the basics for those of you who are still calling it chat snap….snap slap… whatever.

What is Snapchat?

Snapchat is a great way to tell someone you have time to take a photo and heavily edit it, but not enough time to give them a thoughtful phone call.

Just kidding.

Snapchat is actually a mobile messaging app that allows users to record and share “snaps” or short videos that are viewable for up to 10 seconds, before disappearing.

Forever (Let’s hope).

Snapchat also makes taking photos and recording videos fun with filters that can be superimposed over your face, and even includes drawing/coloring tools for you creative types.

Check this masterpiece out:

Now, you’re probably wondering:

Why in the world should I use this insane and likely pointless app to market my business?

The answer: Because Snapchat reaches 41% of all 18 to 34 year-olds in the United States.

And that’s a huge freaking audience to miss out on by simply not using Snapchat.

Not only that, but if you’re like me and have a tight budget, Snapchat is an affordable marketing tool for your business — all you need is your mobile phone and a few ideas!

Now that you know why you should be using Snapchat, here’s how you can use it to market your business.

3 Ways to Market Your Business with Snapchat

1. Show Off Your Cool Ass Team

You work with a bunch of great people. Why not show the rest of the world what makes them so great?

With Snapchat, you can help build your brand by giving followers a peek behind the curtain, like this:

Showing an intimate view of your brand and personality can build trust and make your audience more engaged.

So try taking a snap of your team in action during their work day, and make sure to have some fun with it!

1. Promote Special Company Events

The magic of Snapchat is that you can share even the most boring and insignificant events from your day and make them seem interesting, all with the press of a button.

So imagine what it would be like if you actually had a special event to share with your audience - they would go nuts!

Don’t know what to share?

Capture a few candid moments during a company activity or promote a new product launch. Sharing Snaps of these events can help build anticipation and excitement with your audience.

1. Promote a Contest

Let’s face it, everybody loves winning.

Charlie Sheen loves it. You love it. Everyone loves it.

So why not give your customers a chance to join in on the fun?

With Snapchat, you can start a contest that will give your audience a chance to win something, while building your brand.

To throw a contest for your viewers, simply make/take a snap (or series of snaps) of something relating to your contest, and then explain the entry rules and any rewards in your snaps.

Here’s a great example of a contest created by Grubhub on Snapchat:

As you can see, Snapchat is more than just a hotbed for short-lived photos and videos of people warping their faces with filters.

It’s a powerful platform for showing your brand’s true personality, and a light-hearted approach can help you drive customer engagement.

Have you tried using Snapchat to promote your business yet?