What is Snapchat?
In the growing world of technology, social media has become the main stimulant of communication.
- It provides users with a means of entertainment
- Allows individuals to stay connected with friends
- Gives companies a dynamic new medium to grow their business and communicate with consumers
Snapchat is a social media platform that is taking the world by storm. Snapchat was launched in 2011 by Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy and is a multimedia platform that allows users to send and receive images and videos to other users. These snippets of information are termed “snaps” and can be edited with text, filters, drawings and effects. Once the snap is opened and viewed for a user-determined amount of time, the snap disappears and can only be replayed one time. What was once just an idea for a Stanford class project, turned into a platform with over 100 million daily active users sending out over 400 million snaps per day.
Why is Snapchat so popular?
Snapchat began with the reputation as the app that allowed users to send risque photos to other people with all evidence being deleted, however, over the years the app has gained momentum and widespread popularity which has to lead to its status as a major messaging platform. In the beginning, the app was exclusively used by individuals to send snaps to other individuals. The company has since expanded, focusing more on Snapchat stories, which is a feature where users can post images and videos to appear for a span of 24 hours with the important note that Snapchat has a time limit of 10 seconds per media piece. This is part of the reason that the app is so successful. It is no secret that people these days, especially younger generations, have short attention spans. It doesn’t take long to get distracted, leaving active minds to wander off somewhere else. The short term nature of Snapchat grabs attention for the perfect amount of time, leaving no room for boredom.
The youth of today are very visual. They thrive on experiences. Snapchat gives individuals a window into the experiences that other people are having. Snapchat’s curated event stories not only show experience, but create one by allowing Snapchat users the ability to contribute to handpicked curated stories at events that are happening around the world. This gives Snapchat users at the same event the ability to see the event from other people’s’ perspectives, enhancing the overall experience.
There is only so much a Facebook post or 140 character tweet can do to capture a moment. Text requires the individual to envision the moment, whereas a video shows the moment exactly the way it is. Snapchat features such as text, video, images, emojis and drawings have taken all the aspects of other social media platforms and combined them into one. Snaps place you in the moment seconds after it occurred, sparking conversations and engagement.
Why is Snapchat Good for Business?
Along with personal use, Snapchat has gained momentum in the business world. It may seem like a hassle having one more social media platform to manage. However, it can have positive effects on your business if used correctly. Here are some ways businesses can utilize Snapchat.
- Behind the Curtain Content. Businesses can use Snapchat to provide followers with behind the scenes footage of day to day operations. This helps engage followers, which creates a strong and trusting company-consumer relationship.
- Offer Perks or Promotions. Consumers love discounts. Establishing special insider deals with Snapchat followers is a way to build up an audience and keep a strong relationship with the followers they already have.
- Showcase Private Content. Snapchat is set up in a way that allows only followers to view a user’s content. This in itself creates a community. Companies can utilize Snapchat to show followers sneak peeks of unreleased projects, giving followers the feeling that they are involved in the process.
Words from Good Monster CEO John Timmerman
“Snapchat is important for some businesses. If you’re anyone targeting any kind of consumer, it doesn’t matter the industry, if you’re targeting a consumer that’s anywhere between the age of 15 all the way up to 35, then Snapchat is a must. Without a doubt”
“What does being on Snapchat mean? Being on Snapchat means creating entertaining and possibly educational content that is going to relate to people’s needs. For example, if you’re a real estate agent, you should be all over Snapchat because you can walk through your houses, you can show different rooms. Each section of the story could be a different room. You can tell great stories on Snapchat, then you can promote that Snapchat story on other platforms and be like ‘hey you wanna learn about the listings in your area? Follow me on Snapchat, I do them every day.’ That would be a killer use of Snapchat”
“Most brands and entrepreneurs aren’t thinking that way. They are still thinking ‘I need to be on Facebook,’ but as Facebook becomes more and more saturated the ads become more and more expensive and the content that goes out there becomes less and less visible. The attention as you skew younger is starting to sway away from Facebook and more towards Snapchat”
What Goes Into Making a Good Monster Snap?
Making a Good Monster snap is not as simple as it might seem. As a company, we don’t want to just create content. We want to create content that is funny, engaging, and entertaining. In order for this to happen, there are three main steps that occur.
- Idea Generation. First, we need to come up with an idea. What type of message are we trying to send? What is the tone of this message? Once we answer these questions we can start brainstorming content ideas. We work together, shooting out ideas and playing off the ideas of others until we arrive at the most hilarious and perfect idea. From there, we hash out the details and develop a storyline and script.
- Execution. This is the part of the process where the idea comes to life. We shoot the video (often multiple times) until it comes out the way we want it. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. If the idea doesn’t work out as hilarious and perfect as we envisioned, we sometimes have to go back to the idea generation stage.
- The Final Product. Once we are happy with the result we add appropriate text, if needed, and send the finished snap out into the world for viewing.
Final Thoughts
Snapchat is continually growing in popularity and has the ability to reach individuals around the world, therefore, if used strategically and correctly businesses could benefit from adding this platform to their arsenal of social media accounts. It is understandable why some companies would be apprehensive about taking on another social media account, therefore, the Good Monster team has worked with companies to help make the process easy and effective. Staying ahead of the curve is a great way to continue giving a company an edge and Snapchat is the perfect platform for that.
