Why Snapchat Is Winning Attention

Snapchat is a mobile app that allows users to send and receive ‘’self-destructing’’ photos and videos. Photos and videos taken with the app are called Snaps. The sender determines how many seconds (1-10) the recipient can view the Snap before the file disappears from the recipient’s device. Although users use Snapchat for private purposes it doesn’t mean it can’t be used for a business.

Snapchat has had a phenomenal growth since it launched in 2011. In 2015, it has an estimated 200 million active users, which is double what was reported last year. 

 When you compare Snapchat statistics with the other major social networking platforms, Twitter, in its 4th year (2010) had only 30 million monthly active subscribers who sent 50 million tweets per day and generated $45 million in revenue. Instagram in its 4th year (2014)  had 180 million monthly active users, comparable to Snapchat who sent 70 million posts per day which is way less than what Snapchat users are currently doing. Facebook in 2008 (its 4th year) had 140 million monthly active users who updated a partly 13 million posts per day and had generated $272 million dollars in revenue.

1 billion stories are viewed per day. 400 million snaps are sent per day. 77% of college kids use Snapchat daily (USA). 71% of Snappers are under 25 years old (USA). The highest Snapchat usage is in North America (55%). 50% of Norway Smartphone users use Snapchat. Europe has 32% users. 25% UK students use Snapchat.

The new discover feature - featuring a selection of stories from media partners like CNN, Yahoo, Vice, ESPN and even Snapchat's own fledgling editorial team. Stories disappear and are replaced after 24 hours.

 You aren't aware of the length of the pictures delivered to smartphones. Once you have opened them, they stick around for seconds.

“In a digital world where everyone’s flicking through headshots, images, and text without processing any of it, Snapchat asks you to stand still and pay attention to the gift that someone in your network just gave you,” Danah Boyd, a researcher at New York University, wrote earlier this year, “Rather than serving as yet-another distraction, Snapchat invites focus.”

Snapchat has taken advantage of the ever-shrinking window of attention people are willing to give. Replacing the increasingly taxing task of logging into Facebook to actually read what your friends are doing, Snapchat, only allowing ten seconds per "snap", shortens the experience to quick, image-driven "stories". 

Everyone's ultimate goal is to get someone's attention, tell them your story and sell your products. Hence Snapchat helps you take your brand to the next level through innovative and contagious storytelling.

The best practices for brand communication on Snapchat.

1. Create a Snapchat account. 

2. Promote your Snapchat account on other social platforms.

3. Reward followers with a use case (contest, product sneak peak, coupon, etc.) relevant to your brand.

4. Distribute meaningful visual content through the platform to maintain engagement. Pro tip - remember that images and videos are only viewable for 10 seconds, then deleted.

5. Leverage the ''My Story'' feature to reach all followers at once, or send more targeted content directly to followers by selecting them from your contacts.

Sources:  Tech Weez, Grey Entourage, Pagemodo, Column Five, Marketo, Huffington Post, Hypebot.