As more and more people get smart devices, using social media applications via mobile devices are also increasing. From Facebook and Foursquare check-ins to live Tweeting at an event, social media apps are being utilized during every second of the day for a variety of reasons, both for personal use as well as professional.
Besides Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare another social media app that has been growing tremendously in the last year is Snapchat with roughly 30 million active users according to Business Insider.
Snapchat allows users to take photos and videos using their smart device and create “snaps”. These snaps can then be sent to other users you are connected with. The difference with Snapchat is a user can only open and view your snap for 10 seconds or less. After those 10 seconds are up though, it is deleted forever.
So you may ask, how can a business utilize the application that has such a limited life span? Here are two options:
- Utilize it for a teaser campaign. Trying to hype up a new product or service or provide but aren’t ready to give all the details? Why not send a “snap” to people to get them interested and curious to learn more. This can get their “taste-buds” moving and chatting to begin with others both on and offline.
- Custom couponing. By providing a coupon via Snapchat means they have no choice but to redeem it at checkout. This is a great way to get traffic into your store or onto your site, as they won’t be able to redeem it until checkout, where they can view the code and show to an employee.
These are just two examples of cost-effective social media campaigns that Snapchat can provide in helping your business get in front of a larger audience and create a relationship. It should be noted that the majority of Snapchat users are between the ages of 18 and 24. If that is your target market Snapchat should most certainly be considered. If not, you may be wasting your time.
Currently there is no monitoring and/or tracking software available for Snapchat. In the future though that may change, as then you will truly be able to measure the ROI that comes from these new up-and-coming social media applications.