Stories & Spectacles: A Guide to Snapchat Marketing
Using Snapchat for your business might sound crazy, but consider this: If you’re looking to connect with customers under 38 years of age, this tool could soon become a viable part of your marketing strategy. The platform has a real hold on Millenials and Gen Z. Those who do Snap, snap hard.
All of which is to say, the social media platform is a great fit for businesses looking to connect with a young, passionate, highly engaged demographic. If that aligns with your social media target market, read on for some key Snapchat stats.
Snapchat has 3.8 million active users in Illinois alone
Snapchat reaches over 75% of the millennial and Gen Z population across the US
Users spend, on average, 30 minutes a day on the app connecting with their friends
Snap’s fastest-growing demographic as of January 2022 is 50+ year-olds, up 25% from 2021.
How Big Brands Use Snapchat
Taco Bell
The Bell launched exclusive promotions for customers who Snapped inside of their locations. They also provided sneak peeks of new products from their test kitchens. They even created a unique filter that turned users' faces into virtual tacos, resulting in high engagement and brand awareness.
16 Handles
The fro-yo chain gave a discount to existing customers when they sent Snaps of themselves eating the brand’s fro-yo. While the discount encouraged customers to return for more yogurt, 16 Handles community manager Adam Britten revealed that the most successful element of the campaign was earned media and exposure.
Sephora
The cosmetics giant uses Snapchat to provide makeup tutorials, behind-the-scenes footage, and sneak peeks of new products.
Red Bull
The energy drink company gave Canadian snowboarder and X Games champion Mark McMorris control of its Snapchat account to let users see a day in the life of his extreme sports lifestyle.
How You Can Use Snapchat
Behind-the-Scenes
Showcase glimpses into your operation, including the cooking process, ingredient sourcing, tours of your dining area or game room, and interactions with staff. Highlight a new menu item by showcasing ingredients, the cooking and plating process, then end with staff reviews of the dish.
Exclusive Promotions and Offers
Share limited-time coupon codes on your Snap Stories. Feature special deals like BOGO, $1-off appetizers, or highlight store items you want to clear from your inventory. This approach incentivizes users to engage with your brand and visit your establishment.
highlight inventory
Showcase a new food or beverage item for sale at your store and pair it with other products to drive sales. If you are offering a new food item, pair it with a beer or wine. Such content helps to humanize your brand and create a sense of authenticity.
In-House Competitions
Host staff competitions and have your customers vote on winners. The options for this are endless: pumpkin carving or gift-wrapping competitions, costumes on Halloween, best outfit, plating dishes, etc.
Staff take-overs
Allow a new staff member to “take over” your Snapchat account. They should be given the opportunity to feature whatever they want, like their unique experience as bartender, cook, cashier, etc. Let them review or suggest their favorite dishes, host a Q&A session, or highlight their favorite co-workers.
User-Generated Content Campaigns
Run contests or campaigns that prompt users to post photos or videos of their meals or using products purchased from your store. This approach generates buzz, encourages engagement, and provides authentic social proof for the brand.
Now Get to Snappin’!
The learning curve may take a little longer than some of the older platforms, but Snapchat is an effective way to reach a particular audience. Because they’re so fleeting, posts on Snapchat are a great way to experiment with creating new types of content.
Should you decide to move forward with Snapchat, make sure you link your handle on your profile pages or “about” section of other social accounts (i.e., Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.). Sign off blog posts with your Snapchat handle. Collaborate with other relevant Snapchat accounts to shout-out your Snapchat. Print out your snapcode on your business cards and menus.
Even though it attracts a particular audience, there are still ways that using Snapchat for business can help grow your brand. When you use Snapchat as an intentional and strategic marketing channel, it can help you drive traffic and increase sales among millennials and Gen Z as effectively as other platforms.
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