Lately I was thinking about how I’m surprised that companies haven’t started using Snapchat to market and advertise to people yet. Sure enough, after a little Googling I realized that marketers are one step ahead of me. Many companies and brands are already using Snapchat to connect to their users. If companies want to reach out to young people, age 13-25, Snapchat is a great tool. Many stores are using Snapchat by having customers send ‘snaps’ of them using their products. In turn, the company sends a coupon back to the user. In a time when mobile sharing of information and media is a prominent force of communication, an app like Snapchat makes it easy for companies to get in the lives of people and connect with them. To the consumer, it makes the brand feel like a friend to them, and it makes people actively get involved with the company. Taco Bell used Snapchat to reveal their new Grilled Stuft Taco to people. One of the intriguing parts of Snapchat is that photos can only be viewed for 1-10 seconds. There is a sense of exclusivity in receiving a quick snap like this from your favorite brand. Other brands have used contests involving sending snaps to the companies in order to win something. Now that Snapchat has created ‘Stories,’ in which chosen snaps can be saved to view anytime, Snapchat is purely a form of advertisement. For me, Snapchat was the one app I have just for friends. To look at famous people or fashion brands or stores I use Instagram or Facebook. Now that Snapchat is being used to connect costumers with brands, I am interested in getting involved with some discounts or giveaways, so the business marketing plan is working on me!

To read more about Snapchat as a marketing tool, check out these links:

http://www.dazeinfo.com/2014/02/26/mobile-messaging-app-snapchat-new-black-mobile-marketing/

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/snapchat-for-business/