With approximately 100 million active users and a valuation of 10 billion dollars, Snapchat is one of the most popular and currently most talked about mobile services. This messaging app allows users to take photos with a mobile device and send these to other users. The unique feature of this app is that the pictures will only be visible for a few seconds before they are deleted.
The use of messaging services, such as Snapchat is constantly increasing among mobile users. As a result, mobile messengers are also gaining importance as a dialogue marketing channel. Snapchat differs from services such as WhatsApp or WeChat as its focus is on communication via images (although text messages are possible) and the message is only displayed for a few seconds. Snapchat could be used for marketing in the following applicable cases:
Teaser Exclusive Offers
Images sent via Snapchat only reach the circle of Snapchat followers of a company and are deleted after a few seconds. (This is not entirely true. Although the images cannot be called up anymore via Snapchat, they are saved on the mobile device and theoretically can be restored.) This gives users the feeling that they have taken part in something unique. Snapchat images always carry a certain exclusivity and are particularly suited to teaser (equally exclusive) offers and trigger word-of-mouth marketing in the best case scenario. Examples are notifications about new products, limited special promotions, early-bird invitations to events or openings of pop-up stores. When designing the images, you should always bear in mind that they are only viewed for a few seconds. All relevant information needs to be immediately visible. This means: strong call-to-actions, key words and short, easy to remember URLs, hashtags or addresses instead of long information texts. TacoBell is one of the most active Snapchat users in marketing and uses the channel e.g. to introduce new products (see image).
Image Source: techcrunch.com
Send Coupons
The usage of mobile coupons is increasing. According to a study by Juniper Research, 1.05 billion people worldwide will use mobile coupons by the year 2019. When sending coupons via Snapchat, you need to ensure that the coupon code is easy to remember and that it is immediately obvious how and where the coupon can be redeemed. In order to increase the exclusivity of Snapshot coupons, you should set a validity limit to the coupon. Instead of sending a code via Snapshot image, you can also use the image itself as a coupon to be shown at the PoS. In any case, the user will have to be notified prior to receiving the coupon, e.g. via a Snapchat text message or via another channel, such as email, SMS or social media.
Multi-part Story Telling
Instead of sending individual images, Snapchat can also be used to tell a story with a series of images, e.g. in the form of a cartoon or a photo story. This has the advantage that the user will be tied to this channel in the long-term. He will be expecting the next image of the story and be fully alert. In order to create an even stronger bond with users, you can ask them to decide the direction of the story for themselves or even contribute with their own images.