By Ian Marker, Account Associate

We’ve all heard of Snapchat, and with 300 million monthly users, many of us have an account. According to Omnicoreagency.com,the company is no newbie to the social media game, marking its seventh anniversary in 2018. Working with clients at Rasor Marketing Communicationsin Cincinnati, we’re often asked if Snapchat is the right platform for their brand. When you look at promoting your brand using social media, is Snapchat worth a look?

There are two things to consider when asking if Snapchat is right for your brand. The first is identifying which message your brand is seeking to create. What do you want your content to do? Are you advertising to consumers? Sharing stories about your brand? Drawing attention to your brand? Snapchat started as a person-to-person photo-sending service where messages disappeared after a set amount of time. Today, the service has evolved to also include features such as stories that allow messages to be shared with friends; extended message lengths; and a “Discover” feature that helps you find new accounts to follow without knowing a person’s username. It’s all aimed at making Snapchat easier and more satisfying to use.

Despite the app’s updates, there’s still one big downfall: Unless you know the username of the account you’re looking for, it’s very hard to find, therefore making it hard to distribute your content. For example, hit HGTV star Drew Scott on Snapchat is @MrDrewScott, which means a lot of folks may not find him easily. But these challenges are offset by the platform’s value as an additional method for reaching your audience. Just make sure they know where to find you.

The next consideration, and arguably the most important, is understanding the ages that utilize Snapchat as a platform. If your brand targets the younger generations, you’re in luck! DigitalSummit.combreaks down the 2018 data that shows 12- to 17-year-olds have the highest adoption rate with 83.4 percent using the platform, and 18- to 24-year-olds in second with 78.6 percent adoption rate. The adoption numbers drop off sharply for those 35 and older. If your brand is trying to reach those older than 35, a different platform might be a better choice.

Many brands, like Doug the Pug and The Cut, have found success using Snapchat, but is it right for your brand? It all depends on what your brand is trying to promote and to whom. In recent years, other social media sites have adapted attributes of Snapchat to their own platform (like Instagram’s Story feature that I discussed in this blog post). The decision on which platforms your brand should use gets harder each day as new features are added. Fortunately for you, we have the experience and data to find the best fit. We’re just a call away.