How to Gain Followers on Snapchat (and Keep Them)

By: Lauren Lake

By now, it’s no big secret that Snapchat is a game-changer for brands. If utilized correctly, Snapchat creates a sense of a one-on-one, real-time interaction between a consumer and their favorite brands – an experience that is difficult to replicate on other social media platforms. And with over 100 million active daily users, 71 percent of which are under the age of 35, it’s also an ideal platform for brands to reach and engage millennials. This process is easier said than done, however, especially when you’re first starting out. To get the ball rolling, try incorporating these four tips into your Snapchat game plan:

First and foremost, share your Snapcode on other social media platforms.

Unlike Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, Snapchat doesn’t allow users to search for a person or brand unless they know the exact username they’re looking for, making it that much more difficult to gain new followers. Here’s where a little creativity, your Snapcode and other social media platforms come into play. 

Share your Snapcode as an Instagram post, make it your Twitter profile picture, add it to your Facebook bio, or one of our personal favorites, include it in your eblasts (seriously, the results can be amazing). Snapcodes are what QR codes wish they could have been, but never were. When shared on other social media networks, they seamlessly allow people to immediately follow your Snapchat account, without having to know your exact username. Followers simply hold their phone up to the ghost in your Snapcode using their Snapchat account, tap on the screen, and voila! You’ve got yourself a new Snapchat follower. 

According to Mashable, 70% of college students said they would add a brand on Snapchat if they were also following them on another social network, like Facebook or Twitter. That’s a pretty big number, folks. So, get your Snapcode out there for your fans to see and snap, and those “New Friend” requests will be popping into your account in no time.

Offer exclusive deals, only available for Snapchat followers.

This one should be a no-brainer. It’s no secret that consumers follow their favorite brands on social media for discounts or special offers. In fact, 90 percent of users said they follow a brand on Twitter in order to receive discounts or promos. So, why would Snapchat be any different?

Offering special deals through your Snapchat account is a sure way to gain followers and encourage them to keep an eye on your Snapchat stories in the future. Whether you tell your followers to screenshot a part of your story for a discount code, or have them snap you back a picture with your product to enter a giveaway, these deals are only available to your followers, which creates a sense of special status.

Grubhub, for example, used their Snapchat account as a way to hire a new Summer Intern. Only available to those who followed them on Snapchat, Grubhub requested that anyone interested in a summer internship snap them back with their best Snapchat doodle for a shot at the exclusive position. This is a great example of how businesses can make their followers feel special with these opportunities and deals they wouldn’t get elsewhere, which is a relationship all businesses should be locking down with their loyal consumers. 

Give your followers access to live events.

A real-time social media platform means endless opportunities for a special look into live events. When we say “live events”, we’re talking about a number of things. These events could be professional sporting events, fashion shows, product launches, sneak peaks…basically, the opportunities are endless. 

Giving followers the chance to experience something exclusive, and more importantly, in real-time, is one of Snapchat’s biggest advantages. Sure, you could just read about Kevin Durant’s MVP Speech on the Internet, or you could watch it live on Snapchat in real-time. And that’s exactly what the NBA did when they gave exclusive insight on Kevin Durant’s MVP Award Acceptance Speech via Snapchat. Pretty cool, huh?

Similar to offering exclusive deals through Snapchat, giving your followers access to live events lets them know they’re experiencing something not everyone is able to. This is an incredible way to keep your Snapchat followers interested, and even gain new followers who hear about these opportunities from their friends.

Show your followers the true culture of your brand.

When it’s all said and done, consumers truly want to know the people and culture behind the company they’re investing their time and money in – and you guessed it, Snapchat makes doing so easy and engaging.  

Take your followers around the office, invite them to “attend” a company party, or introduce them to your employees. These are all great examples of how Snapchat allows your followers to get a genuine feel for the voice of the brand, as well as people behind it (versus only being able to experience it through a product or Instagram post). At the end of the day, Snapchat is a very personal means of social media, and businesses have a huge opportunity to act on this by showing their followers what happens “behind-the-scenes” of their company.

Amazon, for example, used their employees and office dog in a Snapchat Story to explain the horrors of “Front-Facing Camera Problems”. They were able to successfully use Snapchat to hit on a humorous problem most of us know all too well, while giving their followers a chance to, in a roundabout way, meet the employees who make Amazon happen. Showing company culture is necessary, important and strongly encouraged if gaining and keeping Snapchat followers is what you’re looking for.

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Blue Bear Creative is a Denver social media agency focused on helping food and beverage brands market to millennials.