Building Relationships in a Snap
There’s no denying that Snapchat has become one of the most popular social networking apps among Generations Y and Z. With stories, geotags and lenses—new animated effects that users can apply to their faces—Snapchat is hitting its stride as a means of casual and social interaction between brands and their target demographics.
Snapchat’s playful features and ease-of-use make it an attractive platform for public relations campaigns. Despite the app’s popularity, PR pros must evaluate whether Snapchat is the proper arena to share their clients’ messages.
PR Daily published an article titled “Snapchat for small businesses: Consider 3 key factors,” which urges businesses to examine their target audiences. It suggests that businesses evaluate whether they are ready to interact with customers in a fun way and invest time in developing a new marketing strategy before they adopt Snapchat as a communication channel.
Perhaps one of the most successful uses of Snapchat for PR was Taco Bell’s creation of the first-ever in-app branded short film to promote the launch of its Spicy Chicken Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco. Viewers watched as the story developed then offered feedback on all of Taco Bell’s social media platforms.
Taco Bell’s target audience fell within Snapchat’s demographic—users ages 16 to 24. The company demonstrated its commitment to interacting with customers and developing an innovative strategy by shooting over 30 scenes in just 18 hours using only an iPhone. The filming was timed perfectly to allow for a live red carpet arrival at the MTV movie awards.
From this, we’ve learned that Snapchat is an excellent tool for reaching younger audiences as long as you are committed to creating one-of-a-kind content on a regular basis. Largemouth understands Snapchat’s PR potential and has even helped its clients establish new avenues of communications through the app. To read more about Largemouth’s successful Snapchat launch for Hooters, click here.
As the app develops, be sure to use its increasing capabilities to convey brand messages in new and intriguing ways.
-- Allie Murphy
