Notes

Section 4: Business Strategy
Since there are 187 million daily active users spending at least 30 minutes in the app a day, creating ads on Snapchat is simply not a complete business strategy. Another way to connect with customers is by sharing details of the day-to-day operations within the company.

With an emphasis on sharing real, not staged, content, brands can give their followers an inside look at the hard work that goes into the making and building of a successful business. Connecting customers with the people behind the brand increases trust and humanizes the company. These “face-to-face” interactions help personify brands, increasing trust and dependability.

In this section we’ll go over creating and maintaining an engaging Snapchat presence through marketing strategy, tactics, and ad campaigns.

Marketing Strategy and Tactics
OBJECTIVES
When you’re creating a Snapchat account for a business, you need to first determine what your end goal is. What is Snapchat helping you accomplish? Knowing what you want to achieve lays the foundation for the types of content you will create. Consider the following goals when determining your own objectives for your business’ Snapchat account:

Improve public opinion
Humanize business
Showcase products/services
Hailey Kowalski, in “Millennial Marketer: An Introductory Guide to Social Media Marketing,” writes “If you find that a campaign isn’t getting the results you want, take a moment to determine if your content or strategy is in line with the overall objectives. ‘Does this post / event / giveaway bring me closer to achieving my goals?’ If it doesn’t, then don’t bother! Don’t waste your time or your audience’s attention on something that won’t help in the long run.”

In order for you to assess the success of your efforts, you need to adopt measurable objectives.

Kowalski continues, “For example, if you decide the objective is to improve public opinion of your brand by 10 percent, you need to first gauge the current opinion through in-depth research. Then, after executing your campaign you would reevaluate public opinion to really determine how successful your efforts were.”

CONTENT
Now that it’s time for you to draft content ideas, keep in mind your company’s objectives. The photos and videos should be planned, prepared, and presentable.

PLANNED
Content should be planned 2 weeks in advance. It doesn’t have to be prepared and ready to post, but you need to know what will be posted for that time frame.

For example, if your business will have an in-store sale, you should alert your followers via Snapchat the week before, a few days prior, the day before, and the day of. Maybe the week before you could post sneak peeks of different merchandise that’ll be discounted. You could even create a Snapchat-only promotion to reward your followers. Be creative in thinking of new content to create around a topic. Look at what your competitors are doing on Snapchat to get ideas of different content you could share.

Keep in mind any upcoming holidays or local events when planning content. These can be great topics to create content around and can keep your brand relevant and relatable. Below are some content ideas that you can incorporate in your business strategy.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK
Show your viewers what has to happen in the background for the company to thrive. Give your audience glimpses of work in the office or of product inventory, or feature outstanding employees. You could also give followers sneak peeks of nearing product launches or secret collaborations.

GIVEAWAYS
Giveaways are a great way to reward followers for viewing your content. A giveaway could be a coupon code to use online or even hints to a physical prize hidden somewhere in town.

Q&A
Let your followers better understand the company by having an honest Q&A session. These questions could be answered vocally over your story or could be typed out so viewers could screenshot responses.

TAKEOVER
Is there an individual or brand that your company is collaborating with? Stage a Snapchat takeover where you swap Snapchat accounts to get new content from a fresh perspective.

PREPARED
When you prepare your content in advance you eliminate day-of stress; you won’t be scrambling to find something to post.

If your business has decided to host a Q&A, ask your followers to send in questions a few days before. Post the questions and your responses on the day of. At the end of the Q&A, drive viewers to the FAQ page of your website or to a customer support email account where they can send additional questions or concerns.

This openness with your audience will go a long way in strengthening trust and advocacy. Creating strong customer relations built on confidence will aid in your customer retention rate and open the door for new customers.

PRESENTABLE
The content you create and publish is a reflection of your brand. It shouldn’t be contrary to the company’s morals or of careless quality.

Post well-lit, creative photos and videos. You can still maintain realness on Snapchat with your audience by posting quality work that conveys your message.

ENGAGEMENT
An important part of any social media platform is engagement with your followers. Snapchat was made for interactions, so it’s vital that it’s incorporated in your marketing strategy. Not only should you create engaging content for your viewers, but you should also respond to others’ content.

CTA
As discussed in previous chapters, a call to action (CTA) is essential if you want your audience to do something. An example of a CTA is an invitation to visit your business location or even a blogpost on your website. You need to ask an audience to act if you want audience members to do something.

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Another way to increase engagement is to encourage follower participation. Have your followers share a happy memory tied to your product / service to receive a discount on a future purchase. Not only are they rewarded, but you can then share that UGC to promote your brand. Viewers could also send in suggestions for what type of content they want to see. If you’re torn between two potential products for your store, ask your viewers for their advice. Asking for opinions or idea lets audience members know how much you value them and their support.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Engagement doesn’t have to be limited to online interactions, especially if your company is a small local business. Host or sponsor an event that involves the whole community, and advertise on Snapchat. Involve your community through service projects, and give back to the locals. Not only will such steps increase brand awareness, but this kind of connection will also increase reach and the chance of converting new customers.

Snapchat Advertising Strategy
RESEARCH
So, you want to create a Snapchat ad campaign? The first thing you need to do is research, internal and external. You need have a clear understanding of your target audience and a robust understanding of your company. If you’re hiring someone to manage your Snapchat account, ensure he or she has full comprehension of the business, including history, products / services, and policy. He or she should also understand the objectives of the account and any ad campaigns.

Now it’s time to research successful campaigns that have been executed. A great place to look is Snapchat’s website. Details on campaigns presented there might spark some ideas for your upcoming campaign. A quick Google search also proves fruitful:

23 Creative Snapchat Campaigns from Brands to Inspire Your Snap Strategy

Snapchat marketing campaigns: 5 great case studies that produced results

14 of the Best Snapchat Accounts to Follow for Inspiration

CREATING A CAMPAIGN
As was mentioned earlier, Snapchat is most successful when ad campaigns are used in conjunction with a strong Snapchat account. So before you jump into an ad campaign, become familiar with the platform by building your Snapchat account, following, and content strategy.

When you’re ready to create an ad, you’ll need to first create a Snapchat Ads Manager account. This desktop platform will give you access to create, manage, and review your ad campaigns.

Next, you’ll decide between a “Quick & Easy” or an “Advanced Create” campaign. “Quick & Easy” allows you to set up a single ad, whereas “Advanced Create” gives you more control over multiple ad sets in a campaign.

Read through this walk-though guide to get familiar with Snapchat’s Ads Manager platform: https://businesshelp.snapchat.com/en-US/article/create-first-campaign

Now that you’re familiar with Snapchat and all the opportunities available, you’ll be able to implement these tactics into your strategy.