Snapchat is a popular photo messaging app. Basically that means that users can take pictures of something, draw or write on the image, apply a fun filter or a location-based filter, and send it to other users as a message. At this point it is pretty obvious that Snapchat is not going anywhere. So of course we ask the question, is Snapchat right for your business?

Is Snapchat Right For Your Business?

To answer that question we have to consider some factors about Snapchat and about your business.

1. Who is my target audience?

The average Snapchat user falls in the teen to early 20’s range. However, in the past year there has been increased adoption by those in the 40+ demographic. Slightly more females use Snapchat than males.

If this is your audience- If you are trying to reach a teenage demographic, Snapchat may be a great place for your brand. Keep this one important thing in mind. When it comes to Snapchat, teenagers know what they are doing. They will be able to spot someone who isn’t doing a good job from a mile away. If you are going to use their medium to talk to them, do it right.

2. What kind of campaign are you running?

What makes Snapchat fun is that the images you send have a short shelf life. There are two kinds of messages you can send with Snapchat.

1. Snaps- Sent from one user to another user directly. Once the snap is viewed it is only available for a matter of seconds
2. Stories- Sent from a user to all of their connections. Stories can only be viewed by others for up to 24 hours. After that, the story is gone.

Keep this in mind when developing a campaign for Snapchat- Because of this short shelf life your campaigns should be easy to understand and brief. Snapchat will not be a great place for a campaign that needs lots of disclaimers and legal jargon. This format could be great for a direct response campaign. For example a restaurant that runs a, “show this message for ‘buy one get one free’ on all desserts” could be a great idea. The user that sees the story will have to redeem the offer within 24 hours.

3. Can you measure it?

When you enter the world of Snapchat we have to remember that this medium is really not designed to drive traffic to a website. It is designed more to create a sense of urgency in the audience. With that in mind, marketers may have to measure the success of a Snapchat campaign like more of a traditional campaign. Measure the campaign by asking how many people came into your door and redeemed the offer or other brand awareness efforts.

What are your thoughts on Snapchat? Have you had success running a Snapchat campaign? Let us know about it.