So you want to know what the big deal is about Snapchat

The revolution will be Snapchatted. At least, that’s according to the Most Contagious 2015 report. Over the past year, the disappearing-message app has shaken off its sexting reputation and has become a content discovery platform every brand should be taking seriously.

In January 2015, Snapchat introduced the Discover feature, a section of the app that allows brands to publish videos, articles and ads. Of course, this feature is reserved for a few curated brands that dedicate an immense amount of resources. The audience would need to be pretty big to justify the investment, and they’re just not there yet in South Africa.

But brands that aren’t in Discover are still finding ways to use the disappearing-message app to connect with followers – and doing it with fewer resources. Since Snapchat Stories rolled out in October 2013, brands have been offered a conversation that lasts for 24 hours – not just 10 seconds.

Love it or hate it, Snapchat is a big deal. But why should your brand use it?

  1. You’ll have the chance to make your mark on a local up and coming social media platform and not get lost in the 2017 crowd;
  2. Why not get back to basics and be authentic? Snapchat isn’t about the polished, slick, pre-approved marketing content you put out on other platforms. It’s about posting employee selfies, covering live events on the fly and offering a younger, engaged audiences a peek behind the scenes.
  3. Speaking of a younger audience, Snapchat has it in spades. The main demographic is stated as 13 to 23-year-olds and founder Evan Spiegel has remarked on a predominantly female user base. Users who are this age live through their smartphones and love the fact their parents are not on Snapchat (yet).

According to Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx, only 1% of South African brands are using Snapchat as a part of their social media marketing strategy. However, 18% of businesses plan to start using Snapchat in 2016. Are you one of them?

Sure, you can wait another year. You can wait and see, just like you did with Facebook (and drowned in the overcrowded sea), like you did with Twitter (and missed the boat), like you did with Instagram (and joined everyone else rushing to play catch up).

You could wait.

Ines

Written By: Ines Schumacher