How to use Snapchat to benefit your business.

I've got to be honest, I'm a bit old school when it comes to social media and while I'm pretty well-versed in the use of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the like, it took me a while to get on board with Snapchat. For a long time I associated it with pictures that you wouldn't want anyone else to refer to, and a place where girls put flower crowns on their head to make themselves look nothing like what they do in real life. But now I stand corrected and as it's still a relatively new way of marketing your business, I find it's a lot less crowded than those aforementioned platforms, so now I've got my head in it, it's bringing me reasonable success. Once you've got a handle on its functions and how it works, here are a few things that I put into place to start building on its success which you might also find useful.


Create a following.
 
This isnt dissimilar to the other social media platforms and while it takes time to build up a following, there's no point using something if you don't have the viewers! It's possibly a little harder to do this as Snapchat doesn't support the use of hashtags which Instagram is known for but again, it's not impossible. Sharing your Snapchat user name and photo across all your social media channels will see existing users start to follow you pretty quickly. You can make it sound like you're offering great content and they're missing out by not following you (even if they aren't )



Focus on your why.
 
When creating your content it's again important to focus on WHY you're on Snapchat in the first place. Is it to make sales? To create a good reputation? Or to build up a relationship with your followers? This is unique to all businesses depending on the nature of the service they provide, but always have your WHY in the back of your mind when posting. 





Interact with your followers.
 
I've often said that social media is like being in any social situation. You can't just sit there and expect people to talk to you without any input from yourself, and Snapchat is no different. Engage with your audience by asking questions, encourage them to screenshot and repost your content and follow people back. Always reply to any comments you receive to let people know that the person behind the screen cares. 



Snapchat is relatively new to social media businessmarketing so Im sure that its developing quickly behind the scenes. Are you using Snapchat for your business yet, and if so, what are your thoughts?