5 Reasons to Use Snapchat for Your Business
A lot of people have opinions of Snapchat. Unfortunately, majority of those people have never used it or know what the app even does. They may have negative things to say about it because their teenager uses it, but that doesn’t mean that businesses can’t take advantage of this app.
I grew up with a phrase, “Don’t knock it, till you try it”
Here are a few reasons you shouldn’t knock Snapchat for your business until you try it.
Teasing / Launching a new Product
If you have a new product or service that you are preparing to launch, it is a great idea to start teasing the product. The build up to a product launch can be hinted at by sneak peaks of features, colors, new services, new locations, etc. Let’s take a small, local restaurant for example. This imaginary diner will be opening in your location soon and they want to get you excited about the grand opening, so they could send a few pictures of the new location or foods that will be served and begin getting the local residents excited about the opening of this new diner.
As a resident of Delray Beach, FL I see a lot of new restaurants opening up in the downtown Atlantic Avenue area and a simple Snapchat username on the “Coming Soon” sign would be all it takes.
Don’t just say, Like Us on Facebook, because your Facebook posts are not being seen by all the people that Like your page. That’s a post for another time.
Coupons / Rewards that Expire
You may have seen others write about the example of how great 16 Handles has used Snapchat. Basically, while inside the store, you can send a Snapchat to 16 Handles and they will send you a discount code or coupon. By providing a discount code while the customer is inside the store, you are pretty much closing the sale. Sending emails with discount codes is not guaranteed to get anybody into any store, but forcing the customer into the store to use the coupon is majority of the battle.
Add to that the time limit of the coupon will make the customer use the coupon as soon as possible.
Just recently my wife and I had a coupon for a free piece of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. Now, who wouldn’t take advantage of that? Well we didn’t because we had a month to use it, then 3 weeks, then 2, then definitely have to use it within 7 days, and then it was expired. Had we received a coupon on Snapchat while we were eating dinner that we could buy one cheesecake get one free, then maybe we would have used it.
Traditional Media Alternative
Advertising in traditional media can be a bit expensive. Not only is advertising on radio and TV expensive, how many eyeballs are really going to see it? A local small business may not get a national TV spot, so it’s going to be a local spot, which may not even be seen because the consumer is fast forwarding through commercials because the show was recorded, or the radio commercial is not heard because the music is coming from Pandora or iHeart radio.
Seasonal Sales
Building your Snapchat following, just like an email list, can help promote seasonal sales. Mother’s Day is approaching real fast and I’ve seen a lot of 1-800 Flowers commercials and ads popping up over the internet. Not to mention the email I receive from them every single night at 12:06 a.m. You may not be able to afford that type of email marketing campaign at your small business, so the Snapchat strategy can be a lot more cost effective for you. Sending out a Snapchat of your beautiful Mother’s day bouquet of roses as a local florist could drum up more business than an email newsletter that’s lost in the wind.
People use it, eye balls!
This bulletpoint really doesn’t need much of an explanation does it? People are using it, there are sets of eyeballs with purchasing power using Snapchat, so if you’re not, you’re losing out.