By: Michael Sebring, Guest Contributor
Image from Iconfinder
Snapchat has always been something we occasionally use for fun with the filters & facial augmentations, but it was never something that warranted a major marketing push. After all, everything on Snapchat disappears after 24-hours.
With the addition of ‘Memories’ that’s no longer the case.
Now, Snapchat offers something marketers can get behind. If you or your company has been thinking about using Snapchat for some of your social media marketing, it’s time to find out why Memories could be the key to the puzzle.
What Are Snapchat Memories and Why Do They Matter?
The approach that Snapchat has always taken involved ephemeral Content that couldn’t be saved or stored. You posted a snap or a short video clip, and it was gone in 24 hours, regardless of what you did.
It’s a cool angle, but it didn’t offer a lot for marketers. The platform ended up being something that had a novel idea, but people weren’t taking it seriously. While it started this way, new features like stories, discoveries, & memories are causing major influencers to champion the platform as a valid marketing tool.
Specifically, Memories allow you to save & store your snaps. You can use them later, rearrange them, or send them to people multiple times. The snaps remain on the app, so they’re not taking up space in your camera roll either.
A simple press of the download button when viewing a snap will save it to your memories. You can access the menu from the home page of the app. The announcement of this feature represented a major turning point for the platform.
Now that we can store & reuse our snaps, the potential for marketing is right in front of us.
Let’s take a look at three implications of this feature:
3 Ways That Snapchat Memories Affects Social Media Marketing
1. It’s Time to Take Snapchat Seriously
Snapchat is more than just a novelty in today’s world. The platform has been experiencing consistent growth. Today, there are 158 million daily active users who are generating 2.5 billion Snaps each day. That kind of activity, paired with the ability to create lasting marketing efforts using Memories, is something that needs to be taken seriously.
While the ephemeral approach was certainly unique, these new features are making it so Snapchat can compete with today’s major networks. Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter are all in the same ballpark. The fact of the matter, is that more businesses than ever are starting a blog & promoting on social media. It used to be that Snapchat would be passed over in favor of better platforms, but memories changes that approach.
Even with the ephemeral features going to the wayside, the platform offers a very direct method of connecting with your audience, which still gives it a unique edge against the competition. All of this results in a scenario where brands need to incorporate Snapchat into their social media marketing strategies.
2. Start Telling Bigger, Better Stories
Snapchat’s story feature is something that other platforms have begun adopting. The key difference here, of course, is that stories only stick around for a day. With memories, you can rearrange & combine your Snaps into unique stories.
This also means that you can create ongoing narratives & throwbacks. For example, let’s say your company did an event & you want people to remember how great it was when you host the next one. You could do this by creating a story of greatest hits from the first event & republish it on Snapchat.
Thinking outside the box like this will allow you to leverage Snapchat’s memories feature to create better stories than ever before.
3. Bigger Budgets, More Potential For Big Returns
From a marketing budget perspective, Snapchat doesn’t offer a lot of potential for ROI. Before memories became a feature, you would essentially be pitching a marketing campaign that lasts for a day. Thankfully, the ability to save & reuse Snaps gives you the ability to make your marketing pushes on the platform more worthwhile.
Final Thoughts
Snapchat is carving its own place in the halls of social media, & with the addition of memories, it’s something marketers should be using more than ever. How does this feature help your social media marketing? Let us know in the comments!
All information/views/opinions expressed in this article are that of the contributor. This Website may or may not agree with the same.
Michael Sebring is a social media marketer who’s always on the lookout for new opportunities happening in the social sphere.
