All You Need to Know About Snapchat: A Bufferchat Recap

Chris Mikulin stopped by #bufferchat on November 11th to share his insights about using Snapchat as a strategic tool. We had an awesome chat all about when, where, why and how to use it to engage with your audience/community and beyond! Check out the recap below for (almost) all you need to know about Snapchat!

Catch our weekly Twitter chat, #bufferchat, every week on Wednesdays, 9 am PT/Noon ET/4 pm GMT, for valuable industry insights and networking with nearly 400 other smart marketers and community managers.

*As a note, Chris updated his Twitter handle from @caribou_chris to @cmikulin!

Why should we (individuals or companies) use Snapchat?

From Chris:

• The data doesn’t lie: @Snapchat has 100+ million daily active users, plus 5 billion videos are viewed everyday!
• Over 60% of smartphone users between 13-34 in the US are on @Snapchat. 77% of them are over 18, so it’s not just teens.
• Snapchat is a great platform for building brand loyalty, storytelling and having one-on-one interactions with your audience.
• It’s a fun way for brands to show their authentic selves and not worry about creating high production value content.
• Many worry about disappearing content, but it’s a positive – it gives your audience a reason to check back, tune in & engage.

From the community:

• “For academia, Snapchat is a great way to engage, directly, with the pre-college and college age students!” @bookofcara
• “Snapchat gives insight into behind the scenes/things happening “right now”/what a company is up to…fun & fast!” @cateelise
• “@Snapchat adds variety to the mix of content we share across all channels. It’s fun, spontaneous, and very humanizing.” @NatalieBergen
• “Snapchat captures memories & can be a great way to share who you are & what your company is about.” @HouseofKTS
• “Snapchat allows brands to reach into the very heart of the millennial generation PROVIDED they do so with tact.” @raffeg

See all the great answers to question 1 here!

What makes a good snap?

From Chris:

• I always recommend being your true authentic self.
• The more real, authentic & gritty your content feels, the more likely your audience is to see it as genuine & approachable.
• It also really depends on the person/brand. For us behind the scenes or just random funny things I think of do well.
• A good snap is one that can tell a story & capture an emotion. Connect with your audience, predict what they want to see.

From the community:

• “The best kind of #snap? Make me wish I was there with you.” @lafitara
• “Setting, Subject, and Story are the ingredients of a good snap. @benfigo delivers this almost daily.” @tigga7d6
• “Capturing a moment that was unplanned + timed just right because the unexpected is what attracts the eye and emotion.” @foodsheblogged
• Quick wit! You have to be fast, and people won’t mind a 10sec interruption to their day if it makes them smile.” @formerlyvodak
• “Take advantage of Snapchat filters/features in funny ways. A friend live-snapped the GOP debate with the new Lenses!” @cateelise

See all the great answers to question 2 here!

What are some great ways to engage with others on Snapchat?

From Chris:

• A great way to engage with your audience is by just asking them a question. It’s as simple as that.
• We do ‘focus group’ questions where we ask people to screenshot their favourite colors …
• And since Snapchat records screenshots we’re able to see what colors are popular so that we know what to order next.
• Other great ways are hosting Q&A’s and fielding questions from your audience, art contests, scavenger hunts. Just have fun!

From the community:

• “Trivias! Snap the questions w/ ABC answers and ask people to screenshot the correct answer.” @sabcruzb
• “I like it when people have questions I can respond to, it often starts a great dialogue!” @LizaTaitBailey
• “one way is by responding to snaps via story- @lolojones does this often. Snapstories are short vlogs.” @psomebody
• “Snaps can be a fun and interactive way to cross-promote other platforms” @AlexFromMT
• “I like snaps that invite the user to screenshot the image. It brings them into your snapchat.” @Josewats

See all the great answers to question 3 here!

Should we measure engagement on Snapchat? How can we do that?

From Chris:

• Snapchat doesn’t make analytics easy, but there are a few easy ways that you can track your performance.
• If I was smart I would have created a Google Doc spreadsheet the day I created my account. Here’s what you can measure …
• Number of followers (track names/date), avg views, retention rate (% of views of your first snap vs last snap), screenshots.
• Since you can also see who views your snaps try to keep an eye on who engages the most and engage back.
• This ebook by @Delmondo covers everything you need to know about Snapchat analytics: http://delmondo.co/snapchat-analytics-ebook/ …

From the community:

• “Not in the way others do it. I say conversations and comments should be more important than views. That is true engagement.” @tigga7d6
• “Tough one; views count doesn’t actually mean they saw everything. Some people just want to kill the notification.” @sabcruzb
• “One good measurement is Story Fallout Ration, or, the difference in views between the first snap in the story and the rest” @northcuttHQ
• “I’m going to stick my neck out here. We SHOULDN’T be measuring snapchat, it’s spontaneous nature means data can be hindering.” @Berngaming
• “Yes! It’s still a process of finding the right way. Tracking views, screenshots, and replays is a good place to start.” @StoreCoach

See all the great answers to question 4 here!

What are some great resources for learning more about Snapchat?

From Chris:

• One of the podcasts I recommend to people who are new to Snapchat is w/ @garyvee and @shonduras: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/snapchat-marketing-with-gary-vaynerchuk-and-shaun-mcbride/ …
• My friend @benfigo has curated the most comprehensive list of Snapchat articles around. Checkout: https://medium.com/snapchat-strategy …
• I definitely recommend following @nickcicero. Turn on mobile notifications for him to stay up to date that’s what I do. lol
• A lot of the main blogs such as @smexaminer, @socialmedia2day, @adweek, @mashable and @socialtimes always post great stuff.
• WHAT SHE SAID >>> @OperAmericano (one of the top Snapchat influencers in the industry)

From the community:

• “Follow @benfigo on Twitter and enjoy his Snapchat stories & wisdom. Other than that – just try it!” @mjankovich
• “This is the BIBLE –> http://bit.ly/GuideToSnapchat ” @vincenzolandino
• “SC can be learned from people you admire. Here’s a good site to find them: http://www.snapchat.codes” @raygcreative
• “The way to learn is to use it: check out other snaps; discover stories. There’s no strict guideline–totally free-form!” @riabcruz
• “Check out @SMExaminer for some great snapchat tips!” @ListingDepot

See all the great answers to question 5 here!

What companies or individuals are nailing and crushing it on Snapchat?

From Chris:

• My favourite Snapchat accounts to follow are brandenharvey, salliasnap, Shonduras, figoamericano, wtfrankie, diplo, emgarber
• They’re consistent, interesting, fun, and understand how to get the most of the platform. Huge influences for me!
• Brands that are really crushing it on Snapchat IMO are natgeo, redbull, cocacola, mashable, shortyawards, webad (ripndip)
• I really enjoy what these brands are doing. They take risks + they’re true to the platform & always bring me back for more.
• Definitely keep an eye on @Delmondo, all of the creators/brands that they work with are doing AMAZING things! Love them!

From the community:

• “Ones I follow and love: @HuffingtonPost, @CBSNews, and @Misshattan (she’s in Dubai!). Always good content!” @sabcruzb
• “I don’t follow companies but my favorite is Hannahbgood, she’s a blogger and she curates her day so effortlessly.” @QueenReesa
• “@Starbucks wins at snaps. Their Snap stories feel like snaps from friends and not from a giant corporation” @riabcruz
• “@mashable, @funnyordie, @VSPINK, @NyxCosmetics. They know their audience and how to interact with them.” @cindymedran0
• “@Cosmopolitan is for sure killing it on @Snapchat!” @itsagreenthingg

See all the great answers to question 6 here!

Here’s a fun one! Save a photo/video from Snapchat and share it with us!

From Chris:

• JUST FOR FUN
• You can find me on Snapchat here, just snap or screenshot to add me.

From the community:

• “How about I share an entire story? http://vervid.com/tv/ZwyaNAw” @benfigo
• “From 40th Anniversary of Bohemian Rhapsody day #bufferchat (I wasn’t driving)” @ohiosocialmom
• “It’s my bday and a #bufferchat – how awesome is that!” @djksar

See all the great answers to question 7 here!

Thank you so much to everyone who joined in on this great chat!

Catch #bufferchat each Wednesday at 9 am Pacific/12 pm Eastern.

Do you have any comments or answers to these questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

Image sources: UnSplash