Using Snapchat as a Marketing Tool to Target Millennials
When one considers social media marketing, the first name that comes to mind is more than likely Facebook. But savvy marketers would be wise to look beyond Facebook and consider a new platform that’s quickly risen to become the third most popular social media platform: Snapchat.
Snapchat is an application that allows users to send followers pictures and videos, with the kicker being that these messages self-delete after a pre-determined amount of time. Senders can add doodles or captions to their messages, and send mass-messages to their entire list of followers.
From its 2011 inception, Snapchat has grown exponentially. With over 100 million daily users, and an average of 8,765 messages sent each second, Snapchat has the potential to become the marketer’s newest tool for success. And when you consider that 60% of all Americans ages 13-34 use Snapchat, the ability to capture the coveted millennial demographic is literally at your fingertips.
As a social media and marketing tool, Facebook still reigns supreme, but as stated above, Snapchat has now risen to third, ranking just after Instagram. This shows not only the popularity of Snapchat, but its potential in reaching a continuously growing audience
Snapchat Supreme – Taking a Lesson from Taco Bell
Taco Bell is a brand aimed at a millennial audience, so it’s no surprise they were one of the first companies to use Snapchat for promotional branding and marketing purposes. On April 30, 2013, Taco Bell tweeted that they had joined Snapchat and provided their username to grow followers. They encouraged followers to add them on Snapchat by promising to send a secret message to all of their Snapchat friends the next day. Fast-forward about a year and a half and Taco Bell’s Snapchat had grown to over 200,000 friends. The brand estimated that 80% of this audience opened their snaps, with 90% of the audience watching each snap in its entirety.
This is the type of open-rate clients dream of, and to be getting it from an audience that is not only coveted, but seemingly highly guarded against marketing and advertising, is a huge boon for Taco Bell. In fact, you can tell how big of a boon it is just in Taco Bell’s commitment to the platform. Currently, Taco Bell employs two Snapchat specialists that are in charge of maintaining Taco Bell’s Snapchat story and account.
Owing to its personalized feel, Snapchat provides an effective, low-cost channel for brands to communicate and create a relationship with their customers. Brands seeking to increase engagement and customer loyalty would be wise to steal this page from the Taco Bell marketing playbook.
Growing Opportunities: 3V Program & Truffle Pig
Snapchat’s marketing tools have recently come into focus as the app has launched its 3V Program, as well as its digital content agency Truffle Pig.
The 3V Program is an advertising platform built entirely around videos. 3V refers to vertical video views, which provides a full-screen format for mobile devices. This format delivers an optimal experience for Snapchat’s users, who often prefer to view videos vertically. Advertising within 3V will appear within premium content created by brand partners, as well as Snapchat-curated content.
Snapchat has also launched Truffle Pig, which provides marketers with a marketing package that includes media planning, content marketing, branding, audience development, and thorough data analytics. Named after the pigs that find the highly sought after and expensive truffles, Truffle Pig’s aim is to be your “pig”, hunting out your best customers and leads. Truffle Pig is a partnership of Snapchat, Daily Mail, and P.R. firm WPP.
As Snapchat continues to grow, it will look to evolve its marketing platforms as well. Truffle Pig’s use of analytics is already a major step forward for the app, as this was the biggest hurdle for marketers considering whether or not to advertise on Snapchat. The fact is, when Snapchat turned down Facebook’s buyout of $3 billion, it sent a clear message (no pun intended) that there would be a major focus on advertising revenue. Today, brands are reaping the rewards of Snapchat’s advertising evolution. If you’re a brand seeking the lasting attention of millions of millennials around the world, the answer to your marketing prayers may lie in a message that will delete after 10 seconds.