Much like the Little Engine That Could, Snapchat has been underestimated by numerous brands and marketers alike. Many advertisers dismiss Snapchat as a viable advertising tool because of its reputation for being a purely social platform that’s preferred by teenagers and young adults. But the image-sharing app has the potential to generate leads and keep profits rolling in.

As of the first quarter of 2018, Snapchat has 191 million users who are active daily. One survey has also shown that 86 percent of the platform’s users fall into the 13 to 37 age group and more than 7 billion videos were viewed on it daily in 2016.

However, businesses are not overly fond of Snapchat. A Clutch and Smart Insights study found that only 21 percent of businesses have Snapchat accounts. Compare that to the 89 percent of companies that are on Facebook, 80 percent on Twitter, and 56 percent on Instagram.

This means that brands have less rivals and more room to maneuver in Snapchat. The platform is also evolving continuously, as can be seen by its growing popularity among older users. After all, those teens using Snapchat would be joining the workforce sooner than expected.

You’ll need a solid marketing strategy if you want to enjoy all the benefits that Snapchat offers and kill your competition. Here are four ways you can do this:

1. Concentrate on a Younger Audience

Snapchat developer Snap Inc. designed the multimedia messaging app for teenagers. Recent data has shown that the company is doing a great job in keeping their young demographic engaged. A Pew Research Center study revealed that 78 percent of the respondents between 18 to 24-years-old are using the app. Meanwhile, only 45 percent of the same demographic use twitter.

You can leave your competitors in the dust by learning how to catch the attention of younger consumers. This means that simply inserting a Call-to-Action or highlighting your product won’t be enough. You have to create a good story in your Snap using a series of videos and photos enhanced by the app’s tools. Try to make the stories engaging and fun. For instance, Birchbox rolled-out Snapchat Stories that showed a woman going from her natural look to all-around glam.

2. Launch Products and Push Promos

Snapchat has a high engagement rate. As a matter of fact, it gets almost 4 times higher engagement compared to Instagram. This makes it a great place to launch your latest products or to push promos. Makeup brand NARS launched their new product line to great success on the platform. The company drummed up excitement by giving followers a quick look at their new line. This is one distinct product of Snapchat. It allows you to create short, informal videos that look unpolished but easy to relate to.

Another great example of how you can use Snapchat is Amazon’s Black Friday promo. The retail giant launched a Black Friday promo with exclusive promo codes that provided users access to deals like Bluetooth speakers for just $1.

3. Collaborate With Influencers

Influencer marketing is a very effective strategy. Companies can draw in a bigger audience because their content will be viewed by followers of the brand and that of the influencer. It’s a quick way of develop a large following in a short amount of time.

One company who successfully leveraged an influencer’s popularity was Audi. The car manufacturer partnered up with the popular show Pretty Little Liars and quickly amassed 115,000 followers on its Snapchat account.

You can also have an influencer take over your Snapchat account for a specific duration and post for you. For instance, Pharrell once took over one of the Adidas events.

4. Keep Followers Interested Longer

Snapchat is all about drawing people in and engaging them. You’ll have better sales results the longer people stay on your page or account. Other social network platforms keep followers engaged by having them take additional steps, like clicking on a link to send them to another website.

Snapchat keeps followers interested much longer because they have integrated eCommerce features in the app itself. For instance, users can use the app to call people, make dinner reservations, grab an Uber, or explore brands and their locations.

Conclusion

Snapchat is a relative newcomer when compared to Facebook or LinkedIn. The platform isn’t very popular with businesses despite its impressively high engagement levels. Take advantage of this fact and start incorporating Snapchat into your marketing strategy. Your brand will definitely benefit if you get onboard with Snapchat now instead of later.

[Featured image via Pixabay]