Snapchat: Open for Business

Before jumping into Snapchat for your business, you may need a better understanding of what Snapchat is.

What Is Snapchat?

Snapchat is a social media platform that takes pictures to a whole new level. You can send pictures to friends or post them on your “Stories” to show your followers what you are up to.

Snaps let you live in the moment. Photos sent to you only last a few seconds, mimicking our busy, modern lives. Stories, on the other hand, last up to 24 hours before being deleted. Snapchat originally allowed only 10 seconds of recording, but now you can capture moments up to 60 seconds long.

With Snapchat, the camera is activated as soon as the app is opened, so you’re ready for action. Many people even use it to take a quick picture or video because of the instant readiness of the camera.

On Snapchat Maps, you can see not only the stories of people around the corner from you, but also what someone across the world is posting (with their permission, of course).

Snapchat is designed for people to take pictures and record videos in a fun, creative way. That’s where filters come in. There are plenty of filters people can use to change their appearance or voice, and new ones are being created every single day. Here are a few of the more popular filters for businesses.

Geofilters

Geofilters are probably the most well-known and widely used feature by both businesses and individuals. Only available in certain locations, they let you show where you are at a particular moment. These unique, local filters didn’t just appear, they were created by someone in the area.

• Community filters are free of charge, and anyone in the area can use them. These filters might be a cool design including the name of the city you’re visiting, or shopping bags indicating you are in a retail area.
• Event filters provide inexpensive Snapchat advertising, starting at $5.00. Many businesses and individuals use these filters to help celebrate an event like a grand opening, anniversary, birthday, graduation, or wedding.

All filters are reviewed by Snapchat before they are posted for people to see. This process can take anywhere from a day to a few weeks.

Sponsored Lenses

Sponsored lenses are interactive filters from companies that users can use. Companies known for their sponsored lenses include Taco Bell, Kraft, and Gatorade.

What makes sponsored lenses different than other advertising? Not only is the company getting their name out there, users are automatically associating something fun with that brand.

Sponsored lenses help companies by prompting the users to buy the product being displayed. Wendy’s reached 20 million people with sponsored lenses, increasing new visitors to their restaurants by 138,000.

Snap Ads

The newest addition to Snap Inc. allows you to have video ads or interactive elements. Currently, more users click on Snap Ads than any other social media platform. These ads are the newest and most costly addition to Snap Inc., starting at $3,000 a month.

Why You Should Use Snapchat for Your Orthodontic Practice

There are around 187 million people active on Snapchat daily (300 million monthly) and they spend about 40 minutes a day on the app. That’s a lot of advertising time they could be exposed to your business.

Having a Geofilter created for an event will make it easier for someone to stumble upon your business. And if that person posts a snap using your filter on their story, it can catch the eyes of others following that person, increasing your exposure to potential new patients. It’s like word-of-mouth advertising for the 21st century!

 

If you want to know more about Snapchat and how it can help your practice, contact Ortho Sales Engine today!