With more than 100 million daily users, Snapchat is the fastest-growing social media platform in the world. It has become one of the most engaging and interactive ways to reach customers on a personal level. In fact, over the past three years, there has been a 40% increase in businesses using Snapchat for marketing purposes. Today, according to our research, 28% of SMBs use it.

What is Snapchat?

Snapchat is a fast and simple way to interact with friends and family for those who don't know. You can send pictures, videos, and text messages, which disappear after a maximum of 10 seconds.

Snapchat is most popular with teenagers and millennials, but it has been famously used by celebrities including Taylor Swift and Kylie Jenner. It is also widely used by businesses looking for new ways to reach customers more personally.

Why is Snapchat Good For Small Businesses?

Snapchat is perfect for the small business community for a few reasons. First, it's vastly different than other social platforms like Facebook and Instagram. On Snapchat, you can only see the posts of people you follow (unless you choose to save them). That means that if someone follows a business account on Snapchat, they are actively choosing to follow the content they post there. This is an excellent way to leverage your marketing efforts by targeting customers already following your brand online. Another reason why Snapchat is perfect for businesses is that content disappears after 24 hours (unless it's saved). This encourages engagement because users don't want to miss out on something they might enjoy later. And if content disappears, the user needs to take action to view it again - so they're more likely to be aware of the business when they need it.

How are Small Businesses Using Snapchat?

Strategies for marketing on Snapchat are easy to come by. In fact, there are a few ways businesses are using Snapchat right now.

Forty-five percent of businesses have created a story. Snap stories allow you to show the day-to-day of your business or organization in a series of photos or videos that play one after another. You can create a story about anything representing your company and share it with other Snapchat users. It's an easy way to post content regularly without having to worry about coming up with new material every time you post.

Thirty percent of SMBs have run ads on Snapchat for increased visibility. Advertise your business by using sponsored lens filters to reach people near your business location or who have similar interests as your customer base. Promote deals, discounts, and special offers through sponsored filters as well.

Only fifteen percent have hosted an event for followers on Snapchat. Hosting events opens the door for communicating with followers in real-time while they enjoy themselves at the event and allows them to feel closer than ever before to you and your brand—it's like being VIP! You could host live events such as concerts, fashion shows, conferences, fundraisers, product launches, holiday parties, and more.

Snapchat is perfect for marketers because it connects people with brands in an enjoyable way without the inconvenience of traditional advertising methods like email or social media posts that go unread or unanswered.

What are the results they are seeing?

As with all advertising, results are mixed based on several factors. Some small businesses have seen incredible returns on their investment by focusing their efforts on Snapchat. For example, one small business owner spent $100 a month in advertisement and only received 4,000 views. However, after creating a Snapchat account and advertising it heavily, the company saw a return of $2,393 in just two days. Others have not been as successful. One consistent thing is that the users of Snapchat are engaged.

The average user spends 25 minutes per day on the app. And this doesn't even include people who visit through links shared on other social media channels like Facebook or Twitter. This means you can promote your content for an extended period of time without having to post it continually. You can also get creative with your messaging because there are no character limits on the app- perfect for getting across your brand's personality. Snapchat is a great way to reach customers with tailored messages.

What does the future look like?

In the future, we can expect that more businesses will be using Snapchat to market their business. It's a growing trend and a good one too. Unlike other social media platforms, it's easy to find information on Snapchat. In fact, 85% percent of Snapchat users don't mind brands following them or sending them updates because they know it will be relevant to the user. It's also been reported that over 50% of Snapchat users don't mind ads because they can still use the app without being interrupted by them. While there are still many people who may not want ads, there are more who accept them for now and may change their minds later on. Either way, this is an excellent opportunity for businesses, and we expect to see double-digit growth rates again this year.