Use Snapchat: How Brands Find New Ways to Engage

Who says Snapchat, an  app that allows users to take videos and pictures that delete after a few seconds, couldn’t become a hot marketing tool?

Recently, 16 Handles, a frozen yogurt chain based in New York City, urged its customers to send them Snapchats of their favorite yogurt. They received more than 1,400 snaps and responded with their own: a coupon. Could Snapchat be finding its place in brand marketing?

That and more in today’s Lunchtime Links:

Send them a snap: If your association could communicate one-on-one with its members, what would it say? Brands are showing Snapchat is more than a tool for selfies. Depending on your target audience, your association could use it to send a personalized message to  members. “Alpha Marketing speculates that Snapchat could open up a whole new genre of branded promotional engagement like contests that value ‘quick fingers and a curious mind,’ ” explains Say Daily  (opens in a new tab). “And unlike Facebook and Twitter, Snapchat is a personal communication tool that connects users directly to the brand as if by text message. So the potential for creating an intimate connection with users is an existing possibility that everyone will be watching as it plays out.”  Could you see your association figuring out ways to use Snapchat in the near future?

Find the engagement hub: How’s this for an experiment? The British clothing company F&F is hosting a social media contest on three different platforms: Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter. They’ve seen the most participation in Twitter, though Pinterest is a close second. An experiment like this could show where the most customer engagement lies. “A competition like this running across three of the top social channels makes for valuable insight into the workings of the great social hive mind—where’s most of the action happening?” says Social Media Influence  (opens in a new tab). Have you done any comparison testing of your social media outlets?

Leading the leaders: Entrepreneur and best-selling author Kevin Daum recently found himself moderating a panel of young leaders. He knew coming into it that it’d be a challenge to contain and facilitate conversation amongst powerful people that are used to being the facilitators themselves, so he put together some agile practices and went forth. Sometimes preparing is the best way to manage this type of situation. Check out Daum’s ideas online at Inc.  (opens in a new tab)

What’s on your reading list today? Let us know in your comments below.

(Snapchat)