There was a time when Snapchat was mostly used for sending selfies to your friends that you didn't want seen by anyone else (hello 'grumpy face' filter). Whilst this remains true today, Snapchat now ranks 2nd only to Facebook as the most popular social app and is becoming a highly influential marketing tool for those targeting younger demographics. In fact, 30% of people on Snapchat use it because their parents don't.So is it time that your business was on Snapchat?Is it Relevant to You?As with all digital channels, you shouldn’t create a profile just because everyone else is. If you are going to invest time and energy creating content for a platform it foremost needs to support your business strategy and be relevant to your target audience. Studies show the biggest users of Snapchat are teenagers and young adults, so if this is your key target audience then Snapchat could be really valuable in extending the reach of your marketing messages. If however your business sells cruises for over 60's, these are probably not your people. Snapchat can be used to increase your brand awareness, develop 'like-ability' and improve recall. It's the perfect opportunity for you to speak directly to your customers and give them a 'behind the scenes' look at your business, which results in the perception that you are transparent, approachable and personable. The BenefitsSnapchat can also give your business an opportunity to engage in mutually beneficial two way dialogue with your target audience. You have the chance to learn about your target market and build relationships while communicating directly with them, and your Snapchat followers in turn receive free informative, entertaining and exclusive content. PurposeOnce you have established that Snapchat is a good fit with your business and brand, it's time to work out what objectives you are hoping to achieve. Are you hoping to get product feedback? Reach out to influencers? Create a community? As with any social platform, it's important to have a clear outline of your purpose so that you can measure results against your business goals. Your OptionsThere are several different things you can do on Snapchat depending on the objectives you want to achieve. Some of these include:

• Use a Snapchat story to show ‘behind the scenes’ at an event you are involved with
• Ask an influencer to take over your Snapchat account to attract new followers
• Make a Snapchat story giving your followers sneak peeks at new products or services

• Create a paid geofilter for your business or event
• Develop a sponsored lens

How it WorksThe four main Snapchat functions you need to know are lenses, geofilters, Snapchat ‘stories’ and the messaging feature.

• Snapchat geofilters are localised filters that are only available to users for a set time in a set place.
• Snapchat lenses or filters are movement sensitive animations placed over your face. Usually opening your mouth or raising your eyebrows will trigger an animation (eg. birds flying around your head).
• A Snapchat story only lasts 24 hours, and consist of a string of snaps used to create a video narrative - there are over 7 billion views of Snapchat pictures and videos each day, and an average of 9,000 snaps shared per second.

TipsRegardless of what your goals are and what functions you decide to use. it's important to remember a few things:

• Photos and videos on Snapchat only last a few seconds. Snapchat is not the place for a long serious presentation, so keep it fun and simple
• Direct Snapchat users to your other channels, this will increase your engagement across the board
• No social media platform should just be one way communication. Get your Snapchat followers to send selfies, pictures or drawings done in Snapchat for the chance to win a prize
• Don’t forget to use stickers and filters in your content to make it as visually appealing as possible
• Have a team member or influencer respond to questions via the messaging feature on Snapchat

If you are looking to engage young people with your brand Snapchat is a really valuable tool - but only if it's done right. Call Bang Digital today on (08) 9328 7000 to talk to our team about your business digital marketing strategy.