Everything you Need to Know About Snapchat: A Small Business Guide

Snapchat was created in September 2011. That’s almost 5 years ago. I don’t know why I felt It was created yesterday but it wasn’t. I still don’t know why I didn’t use the application this whole time. I had the application on my phone but everytime I tried to use it, I would open it, I wouldn’t know what to do and simply give up. I’m sure many people can relate.

Last month my mom sent me a Snap and I immediately went “that’s it, I need to figure this s**t out”. How can I claim to be a social media expert If I don’t master every social media application out there. I felt a mix of gilt and anger for not knowing how to use the app. I knew the application was popular among teens. I knew the photos and videos you share are posted temporally. I even knew DJ Khaled was of the most popular influencers on the app.  But most importantly I knew that I didn’t know enough about the app. So I started extensive research about it and here are some fun facts I learned along the way:

• Snapchat was created by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown when they were students at Stanford University.
• It was first called Picaboo.
• Snapchat’s mascot is called “Ghostface Chillah”, a name Brown derived from Ghostface Killah of the group Wu-Tang Clan.
• Mark Zuckerberg tried to acquire Snapchat for $1 billion in October 2013. Spiegel and Murphy rejected that offer. Zuckerberg returned a month later with a $3 billion offer and turned it down again.
• Snapchat is now worth over 15 Billion Dollars. A million dollars isn’t cool, you know what’s cool? 15 Billion Dollars.

So I started snapping. It took me a few days to get the hang of it but once I did, I fell in love with the app. Mostly because of Snap Stories. That’s when I was like “I get it now”. It clicked in my head how anyone can use Snapchat including small businesses. So Snapchat Stories allows you to create a constantly-updating 24-hour feed. When you add Snaps to your Story, your friends will be able to view that Snap as many times as they’d like for 24 hours. I don’t know why that’s fun, but it is. I felt freed to know whatever I’m sharing won’t haunt me forever in some sort of timeline. I felt like I’m living in the moment using it. I felt I’m sharing intimate and personal moments, and that made me happy.

I loved everything else about the app. The filters. the silliness. And even the small hacks of the app. In fact here are a few hacks I learned:

• You can add filters to your photos. After taking a Snap just swipe left or right to access the filters.
• You can use more than one filter. Swipe over your photo as you normally would to add the first filter. Then, hold down on the screen with one finger and carefully swipe over the photo with another finger to add the second filter.
• They also have special filters for selfies. When you’re taking a snap, simply press and hold on your face. Snapchat will momentarily scan your face to determine where to place the filter.
• Snapchat  can be a battery hog. But the app has a built-in feature that conserves your precious data called travel mode.
• You can use as much text as you need. Here is what you do: First, open your Notes app. Hit return as many times as you desire. Double tap and then hit “select all”. Copy the entire space. Open Snapchat, take a photo, and then click “paste”. And Booyah, Done.

I might be getting a head of myself. I don’t want you to bite more than you can chew. Especially if you are beginner. Although I want to share with you all that I learned in this Snapchat journey. If you are a small business, I want you to get on this train as soon as you can. You might feel that the average Snapchat users now are not your target market.  I recommend you think ahead to stay relevant. The high-school kids of today will be college students in couple years.

So here are a few ways you can use Snapchat as a small business:

• Share behind the scenes.
• Answer brief questions.
• Make unplanned temporary announcements and deals.
• Test your thoughts and ideas and see how people react to them.

To conclude, Snapchat is a viable social platform that shouldn’t be ignored by most businesses. I’m sure your customers will appreciate you going through the trouble of learning the app, to get closer to them. Its fun, its hot and its the fastest growing social media platform. Get on it and follow me at: hamzadaoui. I look forward to seeing your snaps soon.

Resources

• Snapchat
• BuzzFeed
• Mashabel
• WikiHow