Why Snapchat is a Powerful Business Tool. It offers access to a coveted (and shifting) demographic Snapchat’s 150 million plus users are generally still young compared to Facebook users, who average out at 40 years old in the U.S. And, according to a recent study, teenage social media users now rank Snapchat ahead of Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter as their favorite social network. These numbers hint at a bigger trend: millennials from the ages of 14 to 25 now turn nearly equally to TV and social media as a source of news content. Indeed Snapchat users quietly rack up 10 billion daily video views—rivaling the numbers put up by Facebook and YouTube. It’s probably the most innovative mobile ad platform Senior ad buyers are starting to advertise on Snapchat more than any other social media site. In addition to 10-second vertical video ads that appear between users’ self-generated Stories (daily montages of selfies and videos, shared with followers), brands can tap into next-gen ad formats. (Snapchat also recently unveiled self-serve ad tools so that even small businesses can get in on some of these features.) Older social networks have lost a great deal of that innocence and cachet. Businesses and leaders looking to stay ahead of the curve should probably start to spend some time there, as well. Did you like this post?
This post was originally published on LinkedIn.
Recently, I broke some major company news… on Snapchat.
Using a special lens that made me look like a bunny rabbit and talk in a high-pitched voice, I announced that my company had acquired a tool for tracking social media analytics on Snapchat. The update was a bit silly, but I wanted to prove a point.
Snapchat isn’t just for the kids anymore. The proof? This little video was viewed more than 100,000 times across different networks, drawing thousands of likes and hundreds of comments on social media.
Meanwhile, news quickly spread to mainstream media. The Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, and two dozen other outlets ran stories. It was easily one of the biggest responses to a Hootsuite announcement… ever.
Snapchat’s $20 billion plus IPO earlier this year put it on the radar of lots of people who had dismissed it as a toy for teens. But I think there’s still an exceptional amount of misunderstanding about what Snapchat is and—more importantly—its value for businesses and leaders.
As social media grows increasingly visual (just look at the success of Instagram Stories and Facebook Live, among other examples), tools like Snapchat will only grow more valuable. And despite threats from Instagram, Snapchat’s 18 to 34-year-old user base is extremely loyal: nearly 50 percent don’t use Instagram or Facebook, at all.
I’ve touched previously on why now is the time for businesses to explore Snapchat as a serious marketing and communication platform.
It offers access to a coveted (and shifting) demographic
Snapchat’s 150 million plus users are generally still young compared to Facebook users, who average out at 40 years old in the U.S. And, according to a recent study, teenage social media users now rank Snapchat ahead of Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter as their favorite social network. For brands and media companies forever trying to get tomorrow’s consumers hooked early, Snapchat offers a unique portal.
Beyond that though, more than half of new users signing up to Snapchat are over the age of 25. I’ve seen these shifting user demographics firsthand, with increasing buzz around the network among my own industry peers. An older generation (including me) are slowly but surely getting onboard.
It’s (already) bigger than TV in some ways
Recently, 40 million people tuned in to watch clips of the annual Coachella music festival—on Snapchat. The Story consisted…
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