13 Surprising Benefits of Snapchat for Marketing (B2B and B2C) [Infographic]

In the social media marketing space, plenty of people swear by Snapchat for B2C marketing. There are others who try to steer clear of it altogether — making the excuse that it doesn’t work for B2B. (Maybe what they’re really saying is, they can’t figure out how to use the darn thing.)

The truth is, whichever customers you’re trying to attract, you have a pretty good chance of meeting them on Snapchat.

Here are 13 benefits of Snapchat that will have you hitting “sign up” in seconds:

1. You Can Find Your Audience Among Snapchat’s 360 Million Users

Pegged as one of the most popular social media platforms, by Search Engine Journal, Snapchat is a virtual home to roughly 360 million monthly active users and 249 million daily active users, according to parent company Snap Inc.

Moreover, at least 75% of the U.S. population aged 13-34 uses Snapchat. So, if you’re selling your products or services to a target audience in that age bracket, there’s a good chance you’ll find them on this widely used social media app.

Even if the person who ultimately signs on the dotted line is older, you can still reap the benefits of Snapchat. Depending on how your B2B or B2C business operates, remember that younger stakeholders often act as brand advocates and influencers in the decision-making process.

2. Younger Consumers Can Grow Up Alongside Your Brand

You know Snapchat users skew younger … but did you realize that, according to Snap Inc., the Gen Z and millennial Snapchat audience represents more than $1 trillion in direct spending power?

This is significant for B2C businesses especially. But even if you’re not slinging trendy tees or some other cool consumer goods, you can use this social platform to make grown-up offerings — like financial services products — a lot more appealing to a younger audience. By the time these consumers need a solution like yours, they may already have a connection to your brand because of what they’ve seen via your digital marketing on the Snapchat app.

And keep in mind that younger users are taking up an increasing share of the workforce. Estimates suggest that, by 2025, 3 in 4 members of the workforce will be millennials and 1 in 5 workers will be Gen Z. Even if these users engage with brands on Snapchat during their personal time, B2B messages can still resonate.

3. Geofilters Allow You To Reach Local Audiences More Easily

One of the difficulties in engaging audiences on social media is narrowing your reach to people in the right region. One of the major benefits of Snapchat is that it offers a variety of ways to target local demographics.

If you create custom Geofilters, also called Community Filters, people who are using the social platform within your specified location (Geofence) can see and use your filters in their own posts.

You can also get local exposure via the Our Story feature — a public compilation of content from users across the community. These stories are often themed or categorized, giving your business a chance to show your support for a local event or share your perspective on a trending topic.

Your Snapchat followers and other users can also find your location-based content on the Snap map.

4. Chances Are, There’s Less Competition

It can be challenging for businesses to cut through all the social media noise when they’re facing a lot of competition. On other platforms like Facebook and Instagram, your major competitors may have established accounts and larger followings.

But are they as successful on Snapchat? Are they even there? Maybe not.

Just take a look at this image from a site that lets you look up the Snapchat account for a personality or brand. The question marks show brands that aren’t currently using the app.

Look at these gaps as opportunities. Your business has the chance to be a pioneer and catch the attention of a pretty sizable untapped audience.

5. Your Account Will Never Look Stale to New Followers

When would-be followers come across your account on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, they’ll see posts with timestamps. If it’s been a while since you posted, everyone will know — and any inactivity could turn people away.

With Snapchat, on the other hand, posts are ephemeral. That means users aren’t confronted with a stale grid or newsfeed when they go to your account to follow you. Instead, they can simply connect with you and await your next post.

Say you plan to use Snapchat only when promoting and hosting a virtual event. This won’t be a problem like it might on other platforms, because those old posts won’t sit there collecting dust and potentially tarnishing your reputation.

6. You’ll Start Thinking Outside the Box With Content Creation

Whether you’re a small business owner or a marketer at a large company, you might find yourself in a creative rut when it comes to content creation. However, one of the long-term benefits of Snapchat is that it will encourage you to push your creative boundaries.

Ever since the platform’s debut in 2011, it has been a little different than other social media platforms. Most notably, it’s all about videos and pictures, with much less emphasis on text. You might spend much of your time crafting clever captions for Instagram and Facebook or even writing long-form content for LinkedIn, but you’ll have to shift gears for Snapchat.

You’ll need to stop going through the motions and start working on new, innovative ideas. Don’t be afraid to push the boundaries of your social strategy and see how you can amplify your brand message in a different way.

Depending on what brings you success on Snapchat, you can use these new discoveries to inform other digital marketing efforts. For instance, a successful Snapchat story could inspire you to take a new approach to Instagram stories. Or if followers can’t get enough of your witty how-to videos, you might transform them into a YouTube series.

7. Snapchat Is an Easy Entry Point for AR Marketing

Industry researchers have found that roughly 7 in 10 media planners want to incorporate more augmented reality (AR) features into their digital marketing campaigns. That’s because, as 1 in 2 media planners believe, these engaging experiences will help minimize ad blocking efforts.

Each day, more than 180 million daily active users on Snapchat engage with augmented reality, according to Snap Inc. The app is a treasure trove of free AR marketing resources, with new filters and features available practically every day.

If you’re eager to augment your B2B or B2C marketing efforts with AR, but you aren’t sure how, Snapchat is a great place to start.

8. You’ll Have Plenty of Chances To Build Brand Awareness

As most sales trainers will tell you, it can take up to 8 “touches” before a prospect will start to soften up and take the action you’ve suggested. This often means agreeing to schedule an intro call or booking a demo. And, traditionally, this means you’re calling and emailing the prospect on repeat.

But who’s to say this 8-touch approach can’t work on social media?

Snapchat content has a short lifespan and users are constantly watching for new posts in their feed. Snap Inc. says daily active users spend at least 30 minutes in the app, on average, watching some of the 4 billion new Snaps that are generated each day.

This means you have a nearly endless amount of bite-sized opportunities to build brand awareness over time. While brand-new followers might not take advantage of a special promotion right away, those who have been taking in your messages for weeks or months may be encouraged to take action.

9. The App Supports User-Generated Content and Word-of-Mouth Marketing

According to TrustPilot, positive customer testimonials and reviews are among the most highly valued trust signals for buyers, outweighing other factors like a company’s own social media presence. Encouraging Snapchat users to share their own experiences with your brand can be a valuable way to spread the word and reach new audiences.

You can also host contests or promote branded hashtags to gather authentic user-generated content (UGC). With permission, you can repurpose this UGC across other marketing efforts. For instance, screenshots of enthusiastic Snaps can serve as customer testimonials and sources of social proof on your company’s website.

Within the app, it’s also easy for someone to send your post to another Snapchat friend, further expanding your reach.

10. You Can Get Your Messages in Front of the Right Users With Snapchat Ads

Snapchat advertising is supposed to be fun, interactive and engaging — and that’s all good for the bottom line. One retailer’s sponsored Geofilter generated a whopping 37% lift in purchase intent. Another brand’s Snap Ad saw purchase intent increase by 33%. These results are more than 2.5 times greater than the typical mobile retail campaign.

There are several ways to run ads, meaning marketers can find the most suitable way to promote their business account and product offerings or services through the app. These include Snap Ads, which are displayed between other posts, as well as sponsored Lenses and Geofilters users can play with.

B2B and B2C marketers can also use the app’s ads manager and tools like Snap Pixel for additional planning, optimizing and reporting on social media ad campaigns.

11. It’s Easy To Drive Traffic Between Your Snapchat Account and Company Website Using Snapcodes

One big challenge in social media marketing is driving traffic out of the platform itself and onto the company’s own digital real estate. Another issue is ensuring your customers know how to find you in the sea of social media accounts.

Snapcodes make this simple. They work like QR codes and can be customized to link to any destination, like your Snapchat account or exclusive content within the app, or even an external landing page. Whenever you include these colorful codes on print and digital collateral, users can simply scan them using the Snapchat app.

12. Snapchat Can Work as a Powerful Recruiting Tool

The benefits of Snapchat aren’t limited to “regular” marketing; they also extend into the HR department, where recruitment marketing has become increasingly important.

The app can be especially valuable for traditional B2B businesses that need to show off a more authentic, innovative and youthful side. Companies like JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs have successfully used Snapchat to attract the most promising talent from across college campuses.

The 9-day campaign by Goldman Sachs generated 2.1 million views and drove a significant amount of traffic to its careers page. Not to mention the fact that it earned the company a fair amount of media attention as the first brand to leverage Snapchat for recruitment marketing purposes.

13. Registering for an Account Can Save Your Spot on This Popular Platform

If you still aren’t convinced by the many benefits of Snapchat for marketing, defensive registration is still worth considering. If you reserve a social media handle for your Snapchat business account today, you can prevent someone else from taking it in your absence.

Who knows? With a little experimentation, you might soon capture new audiences — and get hooked on Snapchat yourself.