Snapchat was launched during the year 2011 and is a popular mobile messaging application with which users can share videos, images, text, and drawings. It is a free app to download and to send messages. Also, the messages go from the user’s phone after a specific time duration even though the sender’s details and the time remains. Snapchat remains the top social media platforms across the world. Using Snapchat for business would be an efficient method to brand for wider reachability. Currently, Snapchat sees about 218 million active users per day on Snapchat. Ideally, then there are millions of snaps that are created each day and provided. 

Having millions of active users per month, using Snapchat for business marketing is relevant and an easy method. Snapchat for business use is an ideal way to be reachable for a huge audience. It allows users to send various temporary files like images and videos to many users. While Snapchat is a great tool for business use, it is not ideal for all business types. Before you choose Snapchat for business, you need to be sure of your target audience. 

Steps To Use Snapchat For Business

Having said this, let us discuss how to use Snapchat for business. The following steps will guide on its usage:

1. Sign up for an Account
2. Snap Anatomy
3. Profile Customization
4. Interaction with other Snap Users
5. Snapchat Stories
6. Advertising Methods
7. Influencers
8. Snapchat’s Tips

Let us discuss each step for using Snapchat for business.

• Sign Up For An Account – The first step to use Snapchat for business is account creation. For using Snapchat for business, create an account. Snapchat registration can be done on a mobile device. For this, you need to download the Snapchat app. Once your installation is done, the directions displayed on the on-screen would prompt with various questions that you require to enter. The questions would be to include your birthday, selecting a username, enter your email id, and initiate to add friends taken from your phone’s contact list. As you are creating a Snapchat for business account, it is ideal that you provide your business information.

• Snap Anatomy – The next step for your Snapchat for business is to understand the snap structure. Once you have signed in for your Snapchat for business account, it is time to navigate to the opening screen. Once you open the Snapchat app, by default the screen would open to the setting of a standard back-facing camera. Over here, you can switch the camera to the night mode, turn on, and put the flash to off. Turn around the camera, go to the nearby snaps, and then go to your profile. For taking a photo, press the button to take the photo. For a video, go to the video mode. Once you take a photo, you can set the time for how long the photo will last once it is sent to a person. It would range from one to 10 seconds. You can also edit your photo using various emoji stickers, links, text, or filters before sending your snap. You can also save the photo to your gallery before you send it. Once you have decided on the photo or video to send, you need to decide on the viewer for it or you can also include a snap story on it. 

• Profile Customization – Snapchat is a usual social network platform in that it does provide users to customize. But it provides space for users to give information about them and include username and bitmoji. On the default screen of your profile, the bitmoji placed on the left-hand corner identifies your profiles. At this location, you can view the summary of the Snapchat score, and this is the total Snaps count that you have sent and received. On your profile, you can see a yellow square that is generated into QR codes. Instead of searching for a user manually, a user would be able to focus on their Snapchat camera to another user’s code to include them without having to type their name. At present, you can create a QR code that would link to any web page on the internet by using the app.

• Interaction With Other Snap Users – Using Snapchat, you can interact with other users in Snapchat. Unlike other social networks, these connections are all remote, but for the stories feature:
  1. Adding Users – To add a user to your friend list, you will have to search for their usernames. You can also link your phone’s contact list to the app. Also, you can include users using the QR code.
  2. View Stories – You can view other Snaps stories and reply to them as well. Users will be notified in both ways. 
  3. Sending Snaps – You can exchange photos and video content with other Snapchat users. These interactions help to build the entire platform. In case you screenshot a snap, the snap’s sender will be informed about it. 
  4. Instant Messaging – Having the instant messaging feature in the Snap app, you can use Snapchat for business for various communication about your brand. This feature allows you to reply to a message that Snapchat users sent you, or to a Snapchat story that was shared. When you reply, it would be sent as an instant message. In case the instant message is a screenshot, the message’s sender would be intimated.
  5. Sending Snapcash – This feature needs to be manually activated in your Snapchat setting. After this, you need to link it with your debit or credit card. You can also be able to check with your transaction history and to include a security code to display before each of your transactions. You can enter the amount that you want to send to a Snapchat user by instant message. 

• Snapchat Stories – For any Snapchat story, even though it is not long, you should include at least one video or audio for story compilation. Story portions can be removed at any time. You will be able to see the number of users who view your story. Also, other users can check which story was viewed and the number of viewers. Other viewers can see when you also view their stories. You can view a user’s story many times and this information would not go to the users. Snapchat stories are a great way to display to your audience your business’s daily operations. It provides possible customers an idea of the workplace environment. Also, it provides a chance for the employees to express their unique personalities. You can also place live stories that would allow users to contribute to the same event or at a specific location. 

Snapchat story views are displayed in sequential order. When there are new viewers, they would include at the top of the list who has seen it. Those who viewed the story most recently would be displayed at the top while the first person who viewed would be listed at the bottom. Snapchat stories last for about 24 hours from the time it gets posted. 

• Advertising Methods – For using Snapchat for a business requires to advertise it properly. Snapchat has a few ways to advertise. There are three main approaches to advertise on Snapchat for business.
  1. Snap Ads – Snapchat for business sees a huge range of advertising methods. Snap ads are of ten seconds, vertical videos, and displayed on full screen. It provides some interactive element types like a call to action, to pay a visit to an exact link. Most of the ads include audio that would play automatically along with the audio on it. The short clip would provide your company information and about its products or services. 
  2. Sponsored Geofilters – This advertisement type for Snapchat for business allows users to send snaps from a location. The lenses can cover up a location like department stores, coffee shops, etc. For example, in case your business has many branches, you can set the filters to your location. If you are aware of the location, you will see major cities, and its areas have dissimilar filters. Also, a geofilter can be used nationwide with a specific theme. Many business brands make use of geofilters for their event promotion. During the year 2017, Snapchat has made it easier for all users to customize geofilter. The users can go to the settings and select on-demand geofilters and there are many templates that get displayed. You can customize it with various words and colors. This feature is affordable for all marketing options for small business.

• Sponsored Lenses – This advertising method is more interactive than geofilters. Filters are applied once a photo or video is taken, before sending to anyone and including it to a snap story. Lenses make use of facial recognition technology that permits users to take various forms. This takes place in three steps:
  1. Pre-trigger to detect a user’s face
  2. A trigger of the reaction of the user’s experience
  3. Post-trigger to create the final product

For example, if your company sells mobile, your sponsored lens could have a user having their new mobile and using it. The company can highlight that this product is more useful and popular for communication.

• Snapchat Discover – During the year 2016, Snapchat has revealed a new corporate feature called Discover. This is a different part present in the Snapchat app. Using this, users can view any content created by popular media organizations. Discover stories assemble both audio, video, and image content that would link to various graphics and articles. During the year 2018, Snapchat has introduced its merchandise store that resides inside Snapchat Discover. Here, users can purchase items. At present, the store has only Snapchat items, but going forward it could be an app commerce platform for various brands. 

• Influencers – This feature was introduced by Snapchat during the year 2018 and this feature lets users tag other users. This feature allows influencers to tag a company that they are promoting. Users can also assign a link to their snaps that is helpful in case an influencer is promoting a brand. Also, in case they require a link to a specific product, this is a useful feature.

• Snapchat Tips – Few tips and tricks that you can use Snapchat for business are the following:
  1. Document Your Company’s Daily Operations – Make use of the app’s story feature to get followers by using your workplace’s business operations. Provide them the access to the platform. You can make use of your story to showcase new products and to host questions and answers on the platform.
  2. Keep Uploading Content Regularly – On doing this, your followers would know that you exist. Make use of the app regularly to upload daily content. For this, snap stories are ideal, especially to capture your business activities.
  3. Interact With Other Users Regularly – Many users make use of the Snapchat app’s message feature. So, ensure that you answer all the messages that you come across. Also, return photo snaps.
  4. Sponsor For Snap Ad – A small 10-second video permits you with the freedom to drive an advertisement. This would be like the one that you do on other social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, etc.
  5. Sponsor A Lens – Encourage users to engage with your esteem brand by bringing in some interesting stuff. Find a method where an average customer would be engaged to your business service or products and then apply it to the lens. By sponsoring a lens, it becomes more effective on the platform. 
  6. Design A Sponsored Geofilter – When you make use of Snapchat for your brand across its location, the theme of geofilter would appear while you flip through the various filters before you send a snap.

Conclusion

Snapchat is indeed a unique social media platform in comparison with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. This platform provides a unique way to connect with many audiences that would help your business to a great extent.