How Brands With a Youth Market Can Utilise Snapchat Effectively – YouthSense

It has long been predicted that Snapchat would supersede Facebook, at least in terms of engagement with youth. At present, Snapchat sees 10 billion video views a day, 2 billion more than Facebook. Over 75% of Snapchat users are Millennials and, surprisingly, only 1% of advertisers are making the most of this application. It’s an intimidating platform to use, particularly as it involves real time activity and a meticulous strategy, but with 76% of users purchasing products online, it would be ridiculous not to consider the ways in which this app can benefit your brand.

Snapchat makes it near impossible to access basic statistics like follower count and snapcode-to-username add ratio. The more time you invest in the app, the more roadblocks you encounter. Do not let this deter you! Snapchat allows brands to communicate directly with their followers, which is invaluable. This supersedes the analytics mess we often lose ourselves in between postings. If you’re having a direct conversation with a potential client, someone you have never spoken to before, you’re winning – especially if they’re an ever-enigmatic young person.

When Snap Ads was launched in 2015, it cost 750K for a one-day ad. Holy noodles! Not all of us have that kind of dosh. That’s why it’s up to us to create our own accounts and our own followers organically or, to reach out to companies who have already established a significant youth following. If you’re a brand whose customer basis involves young people, you belong in one of two groups.

If you’re in Group 1, you’re a Snapchat Host with a vast range of products or services, with room to host brand aligning campaigns.

[I think the structure here is really good – breaking it into two distinct groups, but at this point the reader/client needs a solid explanation of where they fit. You could use a subheading like: “Which group am I?” or “What am I trying to get out of Snapchat?” Then make it really clear what the terms “snapchat host” and “snapchat campaigner” actually mean. 

All of the relevant information for you is in the first half of this article. Group 2 are Snapchat Campaigners, those with a singular product, line or service looking to reach a wider youth market. Your information is in the latter half of the article.

Group 1: Snapchat Host

Maybe we can cut some of this stuff below (about Year13’s services) and put it at the end of the article.

I am currently employed at Year13, a company which provides services and opportunities for high school leavers in work, study, and travel related industries. This means that I have, on hand, a huge range of stories to tell about the products we provide in order to generate leads and create brand awareness. I can arrange a Snapchat takeover from one of our customers on their Gap Year partying their way through Europe, I can Snapchat university open days, give insight into ‘life on the job’ in any and every industry I can think of. The opportunities are endless, which means engagement is high.

It also means that I can humanise our company. I can show our followers what life is like behind the scenes of a company they relate to. This emotional connection is vital. Building a relationship with your customers allows them to feel drawn to your product or service in a more intimate way. Once they develop trust in your product and service and regularly engage with your postings, you can reach out to those in Group 2 (or they can reach out to you!).

Year13 regularly giveaway product on our Snapchat to encourage engagement, collate data for clients and support youthful brands aligned with our own.

Once you knuckle down on a strategy for Snapchat, line up some content and start counting your followers daily. In the first month of instigating a more intentional Snapchat story in June 2016, Year13’s daily user add average increased from 2 to 16. Each month this number continues to grow.

Group 2: Snapchat Campaigner

Maintaining an active, interesting and participatory Snapchat for your brand is very difficult with a limited product range. If you’re selling juice, say, how many times in one week, in one year can you do a series of videos and photos of making juice, of talking to employees about juice and of juice-related events? There isn’t enough versatility to maintain engagement, therefore your platform dies, no one encourages their friends to follow and your enthusiasm for the platform deteriorates rapidly. Sad times.

You, Group 2, need to look out for brands which are targeting your niche effectively and reach out to create, dare I say it, NATIVE CONTENT on their Snapchat. And you must be willing to provide product to the Snapchat host, so they can create an engaging and creative story with your brand. Giveaways and discounts are also integral. I have often run a creative Snapchat story with a giveaway encouraging users to ‘Screenshot to win!’. The user screenshots and, as a result, has an image of promotional material in their phone. Their photos are usually linked to iCloud, iTunes and whatever else, ready to resurface during their search for an insta-worthy #throwbackthursday post. I then have access to every username that is actively interested in the product. Win!

As you approach more influential companies with an increasingly significant following, it will cost you money. Ask to see a media deck to see if the statistics and reach are of benefit to you.

Yeah, just have a good crack at YouthSensing this badboy up. Keep the structure, explain all the jargon in layman’s terms and I reckon it will be good to go.

To Conclude…

Group 1 can make Snapchat lucrative once they have generated a significant following, while Group 2 can have access to a concentrate of their ideal customers from another company that has done all of the brand building for them.

While creating interesting content every day is ideal, it is not feasible for most companies. And, in my opinion, less is more. Companies such as Pedestrian.tv and Buzzfeed that have constant content become too predictable and less humanising. In my experience, updating as much as you would as if it was your personal Snapchat creates a more intimate relationship with your potential customers (and you’re less annoying!).

If you’re a Snapchat Campaigner and your brand aligns with Year13’s – 13-25 demographic, please reach out! Similarly, if your company could benefit from a Snapchat workshop you can contact me at [email protected] for more.