Allow me to preface this post by saying that I am a Snapchat user. When Snapchat first launched, it was making headlines for negative reasons. As the network’s reputation matured, users began to shape the service and how brands would eventually find success in using it. 
If you’re not familiar with Snapchat, it is a mobile-based social network that relies on sharing moments by permanently deleting messages sent directly to specific users or to all followers seconds after they have been viewed. By its very nature, Snapchat relies on the moments that individuals share and experience together. This can be a huge opportunity for small businesses and family entertainment centers that approach and use this network well. It can be a huge waste of time for businesses that use it as just another billboard replacement. The key, to users and to businesses, is to share authentic moments that depict life experiences. If you’re thinking about jumping onto Snapchat, here are a few things that you should consider first (at this time):
- Quality of Content to Share: Do you have a story to share, or are you just using Snapchat to push a sale or promotion. Like most other social media channels, brands rarely win if all they are pushing is a sales message. Make sure that you’re adding value to the conversation.
- Time Commitment: Brands that succeed on Snapchat don’t just have a great message, but the deliver value on a regular basis. Snapchatters are young, and they check their app frequently. Consistently producing great content takes time but it pays off.
- Production Quality: Remember when brands didn’t think that social media management was a real job? Snapchat Producer is now a real title, and it comes with a lot of responsibility. A production team, at this time, is a luxury that many brands cannot afford yet. However, brands that have successfully created content on Snapchat do so with a team of creative minds, and they cover all aspects of production.
If Snapchat is just something you want to test out, go ahead try it for your brand. Jump in the waters, but make sure you go head first and embrace it. Take the time to produce great content that your customers will find valuable, take the time to produce it and deliver it on a consistent basis, and pay attention to delivering a highly quality (for Snapchat) version of your message. Unlike other social networks, Snapchat doesn’t focus on sending users to your website. They live in the Snapchat ecosystem. Be prepared to measure your reach and success in different ways.
