Digital marketers have an unprecedented number of media outlets and venues through which to pursue their objectives in the age of information. Social media networks in particular have become a very popular venue for marketing, in part due to the fact that large numbers of people can be reached – either through organic or paid means – for little to no cost. As the larger and more mainstream social media networks become saturated with marketing efforts, many digital marketers are in pursuit of opportunities on newer and more niche-like platforms. Snapchat has been one prime example of a newer social network that changes the way in which brands can interact with customers and subscribers. Today, we’ll lay our four digital marketing tips for getting the most out of your Snapchat experience.

Tell a Story

Snapchat is an intriguing network, but one that doesn’t function in the same way that many other social media networks do. With Snapchat, it’s all about being personal. Brands that do well on Snapchat tend to follow a simple guideline: tell a story. Whatever is deemed intriguing, creative or personal by an audience on Snapchat tends to do well and tends to spread like wildfire. Everyone – from small businesses to politicians – have begun using Snapchat as a way to communicate directly with people and to do so in a way that tells a story and shares personal accounts.

Peruse Existing Contacts

Millions upon millions of people use Snapchat, but how many existing followers and subscribers from your other efforts are on the platform? Snapchat can be used via any mobile device to determine whether existing contacts are on the network. This can be a great way to start pinging URLs to influencers and existing followers on other platforms. With great, original content, you’ll be able to grow an audience on Snapchat quite easily, but getting a head start by connecting with contacts who already follow you elsewhere can help to give you a jump start on the process.

Setup Alerts

Snapchat is a very dynamic platform and is best used to respond to late-breaking content, news and other current events. If you need a variety of ideas for how best to use Snapchat, then it may be a good idea to setup several news alerts across various topics and niches. This will help you find information on a daily basis that is worth engaging with on the platform. Using Google Alerts, you can easily find other, similar forms of content on a variety of networks like Periscope that can provide additional inspiration for fresh ideas.

Do Audience Research

Perhaps most importantly: before you start pinging URLs across Snapchat, you’ll want to make sure that the social media network has an audience that is developed enough for your particular purpose. Not all venues are created equally for digital marketers, and knowing where to focus versus where to avoid is crucial in being as efficient as possible. By doing proper research regarding the number of active people on Snapchat that will naturally gravitate toward your message and theme, you’ll be able