Three ways brands can use Snapchat

Snapchat is fast becoming one of the most important branding apps for the youth market, and some brands are already experimenting on it with great success.

So what is Snapchat? Well it's an app that allows users to send each other pictures with a set time of how long they'll display for. Once the time is up, the image disappears. And that's pretty much it.

Who better to explain how Snapchat works than the CEO himself, Evan Spiegel, in this educational video.

Here are three ways brands can use Snapchat:

1. Tell a story

Storytelling has been a buzzword since the dawn of branding time. Snapchat actually has a feature called Story, which is targeted at brands to tell a story through a selection of images that will stay on Snapchat for 24 hours.

It's visual, quick, and if done right, can be amazingly effective. Remember, the visual world is your friend.

GrubHub used this feature to post images that would lead their followers to a promo code for their takeaway services. The campaign created a chance for consumers to engage with the brand in a fun and interactive way, and through doing this, their followers became brand advocates.

Image via FastCoCreate

2. Get influencers involved

Influential marketing is a big part of many campaigns these days, and a lot of influencers are already experimenting with Snapchat. Initiating an influencer or celebrity takeover is a popular feature that is already taking place on Instagram. In the US, brands use this strategy to get more followers on their platform, and also to create hype around the launch of a product.

3. Take users behind the scenes

The most important aspect of this feature is exclusivity. Taking your followers behind the scenes of a brand campaign is a great way to bring some fun to real-time marketing. It allows your followers to get the inside scoop of a campaign that no one knows about yet, as well as creating some hype around it.

This approach also brings with it a human quality, one that many of the big brands are missing. Introducing the people behind the campaigns will make your brand easier to relate to. Generation Z are a very socially aware bunch, so it's not just about the brand touch now, it's about the human quality.

Image via FastCoCreate

Times are changing, and they're changing fast. Slowly Facebook and Twitter are starting to dwindle with the sheer amount of content being produced daily on the platforms... 2016 and beyond will see the rise of the visual apps - Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat will be the go to platforms for social media marketing. At least that's my prediction.

It's true that Snapchat is bigger in the US than it is here in South Africa, but with six million people using it daily, sooner or later it's going to arrive on our shores as an empty branding vessel waiting to be filled. Best brands and agencies start adding that little ghost icon next Facebook and Twitter.