5 Reasons Why You Should Use Snapchat for Business

Open an app, take a quick photo, set a timer, and send it along to any friends you choose. Snapchat, now called “Snap,” is as simple as that for users of the popular platform, which has over 100 million daily active users, according to Hootsuite. Since the launch of Snapchat in 2011, it has evolved to offer new and exciting features – not just for your average user, but also for business. With snapchatters watching over 10 billion videos per day, using Snapchat for business may be something you should consider.

Here are five reasons why you should use Snapchat for business:

1. Up your engagement with geofilters. Snapchat offers on-demand geofilters for anyone. These geofilters allow snapchatters to use a custom filter on their photo. The way these filters work is pretty simple: users take a photo, then swipe left to browse through various filters offered by snapchat, which will include your own design. Once they’ve reached your filter, they simply send the photo along to friends, use it on their own story, or save the photo to their phone to post anywhere they choose. Best of all, these geofilters are relatively inexpensive! Depending on your “geofence” – the area of the geofilter’s reach – and the amount of time you want the filter to be active, it could cost you as little as $20 (and maybe even less!). To the left is a geofilter we created for Hero’s on New Year’s Eve. Snapchat also offers analytics with these filters, so you know exactly how many people viewed and used your filter!

2. Increase your social media presence. According to Hootsuite, Snapchat has over 100 million daily active users and is the most-used platform among those aged 12 to 24. If a younger demographic is part of your target audience, increasing your social media presence using Snapchat for business will help you reach them.

3. Build brand awareness. Creating a Snapchat account and regularly using it to promote your business can connect you with users in your geographic area and help them recognize your brand. If you use Snapchat in unique ways, you can gain a following simply by being entertaining. Larger businesses with a lot of money to spend on their advertising have used Snapchat’s Snap Ads – 10 second video ads that appear between stories on Snapchat. These helped build brand awareness and promoted their business to users of the platform.

4. Share important updates and exclusive content. Use Snapchat to show your friends things that no one else has access to. Tease a new product or service, give them a behind-the-scenes look at a process that’s interesting, or show them the face behind the business. If you give users an inside look they can’t find anywhere else, they’ll keep coming back for more. Even Taco Bell has used Snapchat to share exclusive content, such as a sponsored lens for snapchatters to play with that turned their head into a giant taco. If you don’t believe us, take a look at the video below.

5. Share coupons and hold contests. If you’re feeling generous and want to see just how engaged Snapchat users are, try sending them a coupon or holding a Snapchat contest. Simply use the features available on Snapchat to create a coupon to send out to the platform’s users. They can take a screenshot of the snapchat, show it in the store, and you can track how often it’s used. A contest can do the same thing – ask snapchatters to send you a photo related to a product or service you offer. If you own a café, send a snap to users asking for a photo before they’ve had their morning coffee. The best entry can win a $10 gift card to use for a morning pick-me-up.

Snapchat isn’t new anymore, but it has continued to grow since it was launched almost six years ago. According to Hootsuite, the platform only had 5 million daily users in 2013, which has increased to 100 million today. That number is projected to keep on growing, so join in on the fun and get your business involved!