What Snapchat’s New Features Mean for Brands and Businesses

For many businesses, platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram are the go-to for social media marketing. However, one platform that’s quietly making waves—and may soon be too big to ignore—is Snapchat. While it hasn’t traditionally been at the forefront of B2B marketing, its rapid growth and recent feature rollouts are worth paying attention to.

In fact, Snapchat's user base has tripled over the past year, showing strong potential for businesses aiming to tap into younger demographics. While most of our clients at JDR Group haven't yet embraced Snapchat as part of their marketing strategy, we believe it’s a platform to keep a close eye on.

A Shift Towards Public Profiles

Historically, Snapchat has prioritised personal connections, with content mostly shared privately between friends. However, the platform recently introduced a significant change—allowing younger users to create public-facing profiles. This shift opens up a new avenue for users to build a broader audience, and for brands to potentially connect with these more visible profiles.

This development comes with certain risks, especially for younger users, as more public-facing profiles can increase exposure to online interactions. However, Snapchat is intent on providing new opportunities for creators to grow their presence and for businesses to get more engaging content in front of more people.

What Does This Mean for Brands?

Snapchat’s focus on user-generated content has always been appealing for brands targeting millennials and Gen Z. But with public profiles now available, the potential for businesses to engage more directly with this audience has expanded. Creators are at the heart of this move, and Snapchat wants to make it easier for them to create more content that resonates with a wider audience.

In addition, Snapchat is working to facilitate more partnerships between brands and influencers through its newly launched “Snap Star Collab Studio”. This tool is designed to help brands connect with high-performing creators, enabling more tailored and authentic influencer campaigns.

For businesses, particularly those in B2C or those with a younger target market, this opens the door to exploring brand awareness strategies on Snapchat. If Snapchat continues on its growth trajectory and fosters successful creator partnerships, it could become a viable platform for more businesses to consider, even those outside the traditional B2C space.

Is Snapchat Right for Your Business?

It’s true that Snapchat isn’t the best fit for every business. At JDR Group, we understand that platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook often deliver the most value for B2B companies. However, for businesses looking to innovate and reach younger, highly engaged audiences, Snapchat might just be the next frontier.

While Snapchat's shift towards public-facing profiles and influencer collaborations is still relatively new, its explosive growth over the last year suggests it’s a trend that shouldn’t be overlooked. Whether or not it’s the right fit for your business today, it’s certainly worth keeping an eye on in the months to come.

If you’re interested in exploring new platforms or just curious about how Snapchat might align with your marketing goals, feel free to get in touch with our team at JDR Group. We’re always here to help you stay ahead of the curve in digital marketing.