August 22, 2018 By SmartBiz Team

If you think Snapchat is just for keeping in touch with friends or celebrities - you're mistaken. The reality is, it's a powerful business marketing tool.

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While Snapchat is a great place to advertise and provide sponsored content because of it's reach and demographics - especially if you want to get to mobile users. Small Business owners can market their business on Snapchat for free - by building a loyal and engaged following and sharing the right content. Anyone can pay for advertising - but the real way to make your business take off is organically.

Why is Snapchat so good for business?

First, Snapchat has a ton of users - over 150 million. Another important factor is that almost all of their traffic is on mobile. They do have a website - but hardly anyone visits it. With more and more people using their phones to browse than their actual computer - Snapchat is one of the best ways to engage with them.

Here's another thing - Snapchat is mostly used by young people. Most of their users are in the 18-34 bracket. This is one demographic that most marketers are desperate to reach. One reason is that they are far more likely to spread your marketing message for you as they love "sharing".

Snapchat is also great because it improves engagement with your brand. You aren't just asking people to look at your advertisements – you’re providing them something entertaining or of value that they'll enjoy interacting with and hopefully share with their friends.

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How to run an effective Snapchat presence for your business

Don't just treat people as a marketing target. Offer value. There are a number of different methods you can use to get the most of your Snapchat following:

1. Stream live events

Going to a trade show or having a sale? Stream it. Have a new feature in your office? Give a virtual tour. Share something fun and enjoyable, and your business could grow. One of the best things about Snapchat and other social media platforms as marketing tools is that they allow people to do your marketing for you by sharing with others they're connected to. One of your stories could be shared multiple times and have a big marketing impact without costing your anything. This sort of potential reach was unheard of before social media.

2. Offer exclusive private content

Try giving snapchat users special exclusive offers or discounts. Send them something tailored just for them. Make people feel valued and they should continue to reward you.

3. Run exclusive contests

People love contests and competitions, and you can run them on Snapchat to make them even more fun. You could even stream the results or draw live!

4. Launch new products live

Again, if you've got something extra special - either stream it live or post the video quickly to all your followers. This will get followers even more engaged with your brand and exited about your products.

5. Show people behind the scenes

Give people a bit of a peak behind the curtain at what you do. Show them something personal rather than just the polished marketing spiel of a big company. Let them in, and they should feel even more loyal.

How to get more Snapchat followers

While you can buy followers, this isn't necessarily recommended. It might make you look popular, but these followers aren't likely to spend money or engage with your brand. Most of them will be bots or accounts that aren't active.

If you really want to grow a great following, you need to do it organically. And that means quality content. If you follow the steps we've looked at, you should see the results you're looking for.

Don't make it hard for people to find your social media accounts - promote them. If you've got a store - put posters up (even outside). Print your accounts on your receipts. Make sure your staff reminds people to follow you at every opportunity.

Don’t have the time to manage your social media accounts? Check out this article to help you get some outside help: How to Hire a Social Media Strategist.

 

 

About the Author

Peter Ellington has years of experience writing about social media and other internet marketing issues. He enjoys sharing his knowledge with both new and old business users - and he also knows how important the right education can be for people looking to get into the industry. That's why he also writes for a home tuition blog, https://smiletutor.sg/blog.

 
 
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