Is Snapchat for Small Businesses?

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You may have heard of the photo messaging app Snapchat because your kids, nieces/nephews, or friends are using it to send photos or videos (with added text and images, if they want) to a controlled group of friends. These messages, called “snaps,” disappear from the recipients’ device after just a few seconds.

Snapchat is often used for sending raw, unedited selfies or videos of pets, or the weather. People – mostly high school and college students and recent college grads – use Snapchat to stay in touch with friends in a way that can be more interesting than texting – and without having to worry about micromanaging an online profile and making sure each post is picture perfect.

But not all snaps disappear after 10 seconds. Snapchat Stories, which rolled out last October, offers brands the ability to combine multiple snaps together and create a story that stays up for a full day, rather than a few seconds.

Brands are using Snapchat in an attempt to reach a younger demographic, ios database says Jim Tobin, president of Ignite Social Media. They use it for the same reason that some brands use image-based social network We Heart It. “We Heart It is like Pinterest. Somebody said to me, ‘why would somebody use that instead of Pinterest?’ Well, there’s a real simple answer. The audience of We Heart It, 80 percent of it, is below 24 years old. The audience of Pinterest, 80 percent of that is above 24 year old. So if you think about why marketers are using Snapchat, they’re trying to reach an audience that communicates that way,” he says.

Snapchat’s demographic skews younger than Instagram, but according to a Pew Research Center report, Instagram is much more popular across the board. For instance, the report says 26 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds use Snapchat on their mobile devices, though only 5 percent of 30- to 49-year-olds use it. Meanwhile, 43 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds use Instagram on their phones; users drop significantly – to 18 percent – for those ages 30 to 49, but that’s still more than three times as many users in that age bracket than Snapchat.

Snapchatting with customers

Larger brands – and some smaller ones – are using Snapchat as an innovative way to communicate with their clients or customers.

Taco Bell uses Snapchat to promote specials, send images of food and keep in touch with customers. “We want to make someone’s day every day with our social channels, “the brand’s social media and digital lead Tressie Lieberman told Adweek. “It feels extremely special to get a Snapchat. It’s almost like we pick up the phone and give them a call.”

Taco Bell used Twitter to tell fans they’d be making a special announcement on Snapchat, and used the app to share the return of its Beefy Crunch Burrito, building brand loyalty and customer engagement.

Online clothing retailer Karmaloop also uses Snapchat, though the photos it shares are a bit more risqué. Karmaloop also shares information on new products and coupon codes.