I tried Snapchat a few months ago and deleted it because I didn’t need another platform to send content to my friends. However, I  recently decided to give it a second chance and I am glad I did as it turns out to be entertaining on a personal level. Since I am currently doing a masters in Digital Marketing, I thought  how can brands use this new App.

Firstly, why is Snapchat doing so well? Since the content we post on social media leaves a digital footprint this makes snapchat appealing with its self destruct technology depending on the timeframe the user selects, unless the recipient manages to screenshot the image . Also I think people are more inclined to share content on Snapchat as it is linked to their mobile phone contacts and other snapchat users who may not be in their phonebooks, making it more personal than their contacts on Facebook or Twitter etc.

The Associations of Professional Surfers (ASP Snapchat: aspworldtour) uses Snapchat to their advantage and business and brands could learn from them. The ASP are constantly engaging with their audience, providing regular updates of competitions and the happenings at events. They also post short interviews with professional surfers and get the surfers to sign the screen, which I feel gives it a personal touch. Also sports clubs could use Snapchat to give short video updates or pictures of the sport to their followers.

I believe companies such as Insomnia and others businesses could definitely use snapchat to their advantage. Firstly, they will need to encourage their customers to download the app and set up accounts which may be more appealing to Snapchat’s demographic which  is 18-29 year olds (2013)  and less so with the older generation. But once they have followers, companies like Insomnia could send images of cups of coffee during the morning commute or deals for lunch and subliminally get the consumer to think about the brand or product.

It is also possible to do promotions, if a company posts an image or short video e.g. the first 50 people to Snapchat back get a % off a product. The followers who send messages back can be identified. Currently there are no tools to measure how successful Snapchat is at engaging with a desired audience, but it is possible to see the followers who have opened the message. If  a company has a significant amount of followers they could measure the amount of sales against the amount of people who viewed the image/video to see if the Snapchat campaign is productive, there are also the option to receive feedback from the customers. It could also be a new way to create short viral videos like Vine but instead for 10 seconds as opposed 6.

Other areas where I think Snapchat could work well would be nightclubs with drinks promotions, free admission and DJ’s , restaurants with lunch/dinner deals, new menus , department stores and high street stores with new season lines and end of season sales. Also it could be beneficial to charities as it is a free App.

If you have any other ideas, please comment below.

Cheers, Eoin.