How to Use Snapchat to Grow Your Brand

Snapchat has become one of the most popular social media platforms amongst the younger generation. With its fun features like filters and disappearing messages, Snapchat provides a casual and playful environment for users. This makes it an ideal platform for brands looking to connect with younger audiences authentically. In this article, we’ll explore how brands can leverage Snapchat to grow their presence and engage with users.

Getting Your Branding Right for Snapchat

• Use a light blue background for your brand design. Blue is Snapchat’s signature colour and will make your brand feel at home on the platform. Not only that, but light blue backgrounds can make your brand feel fresh and vibrant. 
• Show your fun side with your Snapchat name, emojis, and profile bio. Share your personality to connect with followers.
• Post a Stories highlight cover that represents your brand. This can include your logo, tagline or creative visuals.
• Create branded geofilters and lenses that followers can use to interact with your content. These should reflect your brand identity.

The key to success on Snapchat is having branding that fits the casual, fun vibe of the platform. You want your content to feel natural and relatable, not overly polished or salesy. 

Building Your Following

Once your branding is set up, it’s time to start building your Snapchat following. Here are some ways to gain more Snapchat followers:

• Cross-promote your Snapchat account on your other social channels and website. Let your existing audience know you’re on Snapchat.
• Run Snapchat geofilter or lens campaigns to get your brand in front of new audiences.
• Collaborate with Snapchat influencers in your industry to access their followers.
• Use Snapchat ads to promote your account and content. Target by demographics and interests.
• Create a custom Snapcode that makes it easy for users to find and follow you. Print it on your marketing materials.

Creating Engaging Content

The key to keeping followers interested is consistently posting fun, engaging content. Here are some Snapchat content ideas to try:

• Show behind-the-scenes sneak peeks of your business, products, events etc.
• Share employee takeovers featuring different team members each day.
• Post how-to tutorials or company tips related to your industry.
• Capture events like product launches or conferences via Stories.
• Curate amusing memes and Snapchat content related to your niche.
• Use lenses and filters to creatively highlight your offerings.

Measuring Success

It’s important to track the right Snapchat metrics to see what content resonates and drives growth.

• Follower Growth – Measure your follower count weekly or monthly to see how much your audience is expanding over time. Steady growth shows you’re reaching new people.
• Views – Check the number of views each of your Stories gets. Higher viewed Stories mean that content is resonating. Benchmark view counts to identify your best-performing content.
• Screenshots – See how many Snapchatters are screenshotting your Stories. More screenshots generally mean the content is appealing enough to share.
• Swipe-Ups – Count the swipe-ups on Stories leading to links. This shows engaging content that drives action. Compare swipe-up rates across different Stories.
• Website Traffic – Use analytics to monitor if traffic to your website spikes after you post certain Stories. This reveals your Stories that turn views into site visits.
• Ad Performance – Use Snapchat’s analytics to track your ad impressions, reach, frequency and conversions. See which ad creatives and targeting perform best.
• Lens/Geofilter Uses – Check the number of times your branded lenses and geofilters get used. See which ones appeal most to Snapchatters.
• Saving – See how often Snapchatters save your Stories to replays or Memories. More saves show your content has longevity.

With these metrics providing detailed insight, you can refine your approach to create content and campaigns that improve performance over time on Snapchat.

Other Top Tips

Here are some top tips that will help users engage with your content:

• Embrace imperfection – Snapchat’s beauty lies in its raw, in-the-moment feel. Don’t overedit or overproduce content.
• Use creativity – Leverage all Snapchat has to offer – lenses, geofilters, Bitmoji, etc. – to showcase creativity.
• Tell stories – Use multiple Snaps to tell engaging stories around themes and events. This keeps followers watching.
• Respond to messages – Build relationships with Snapchatters by consistently responding to chat messages.
• Reward engagement – Occasionally use Snapchat contests, promo codes, and exclusives to reward loyal followers.
• Take risks – On this experimental platform, don’t be afraid to try new content styles and push boundaries.

With the right branding, content and analytics, Snapchat can be a valuable channel for brands to engage younger audiences authentically. Showing personality and creativity on Snapchat can help you build meaningful connections with your target demographic. Start small and consistently post fun content to grow your following over time. Measure performance and hone your efforts. With a thoughtful Snapchat strategy, you can increase brand awareness and loyalty.