In the last one year, Snapchat has transformed itself from a mere messaging service to a powerful Social Media platform. It has over 178 million active users every day making it an invaluable tool for any business or personal brand to grow.
Snapchat has great engagement with its audience. On average, users spend 30 minutes on the app everyday opening it more than 25 times.
Snapchat allows users to share a rolling 24-hour window of videos, photos having emojis, drawings, texts, and filters. It provides users a more intimate alternative to share their life with friends than Facebook’s timeline.
The app also offers custom Geo-filters and brand sponsorship opportunities thereby allowing users to monetize the service and appear to poise for an IPO (Initial Public Offering).
A major drawback of Snapchat is getting discovered. Discover-ability is a bit challenging as you will have to follow an account if you want to see somebody else’s stories. The converse is true if you want your masterpiece to be viewed by others.
Here are a few tips that will help you grow your followers on Snapchat.
1. Follow people and Engage with them
This is a tricky affair as Sanpchat does not have a search feature. You will have to download third-party sites such as Ghostcodes to locate individuals and brands to follow them.
Simply following brands and individuals is of no use. Make sure to engage with their snaps by snapping them back if you find something interesting about their snaps. Enter the conversation by sharing your opinions and thoughts. Entertaining users on the digital platform is similar to entertaining guests in the real-world. So, make sure to use the opportunity to communicate with your audiences well.
2. Include a variety of snaps
Digital platforms are all about compelling content and engaging images. So, if you upload snap after snap that isn’t telling a story or isn’t visually appealing, you are missing out a lot!
Even if your story is compelling but you don’t change your visuals, users will simply tap through it. To make your visuals more interesting, you can try different camera angles, use close-ups and apply various lenses. Do take the efforts of learning a few camera tricks if you want your story to be successful.
While most people post landscape videos, it will be interesting to note that Snapchat is designed for vertical/portrait viewing. Landscape snapping may just big a turn-off for most people using the app.
3. Add value to your snaps
With so many people clicking and uploading snaps today, it may be difficult to get people to view your snaps.
A simple way to attract users is to add value to your snaps. You can achieve this by educating or teaching your users something useful. Include images and videos that provide ideas and thoughts that can inspire or motivate a person in some way. Also, entertainment in the form of singing, dancing, telling jokes, juggling, etc., could help you garner an audience.
In short, content is king and you will have to provide your followers with quality content. This will make them come back for more and also recommend others to follow you as well.
5. Cross Platform Integrations:
You might have a few dedicated followers on other platforms like Instagram, Facebook, etc. Try promoting your snap profile through those and ask them questions like "Are you on Snap?" "Ping Me Up on Snap", "I have published something exclusively for Snap, check out now!" etc.
You can even publish your snap code on the Stories from where people can directly view your snap profile.
Cross Branding makes it easier to gather the audience that is required and increases your awarenes
s.
5. Avoid breach of snap etiquette
Snapchat has two modes- private snaps and public story mode. While the story is meant for followers following your 24-hour window, private snaps are specifically for people that relate to the snaps. You could send it to just one person or several friends with whom you wish to share something.
While there is no harm in sharing your snaps with only a few people, avoid clicking on each friend and share the snap directly. This is a breach of snap etiquette and is not a good way to share your snaps. The best way is to add the snaps to your story.
Most people private snap to increase their score as the number appears under your username on the main screen. Although the number is a mere indicator of the number of private snaps you have sent and received, most people simply enjoy increasing their snap score. It is a big NO and you must stop it immediately.
Follow these tips and you will definitely see a rise in your followers!