06 Jul Blogtip – How to use Snapchat as a blogger
The time is right! You might already started or are about to take the next step: Snapchat, a social network that might be worth your time. Harper’s Bazaar called this “the fashion’s favorite new app”, so you cannot stay behind. I won’t argue that I completely master this app, but I do like to help out my fellow bloggers who tell me that they don’t understand the concept nor the benefit for their blog. I therefore would like to try to explain how to use Snapchat as a blogger.
Once upon a time, two friends were searching for a more exciting and personal way to communicate. With that idea in mind, they created an “ephemeral photo-messaging app”, named as Snapchat. Snapchat is an app that enables users to send photos and short videos to each other. Since 1 July 2015, the user can simply tap to view the story. These “Snaps” can only be viewed once and then they get deleted (unless you replay it, which is limited to one Snap per 24 hours). With other social media, recipients pay attention with the knowledge that this content can be viewed a few days later as well. However, the content of Snapchat is disposable and that makes this channel unique and forces users to keep a sharp eye out for content and stay active.
First Generation Z got highly active on this platform as the Millennials did on Instagram & Twitter. However, today it has become one of the most relevant social media platforms that’s available. According to Business Insider, teens & young adults are spending more time on Snapchat than on Twitter and the average user checks his or her account 14 times per day. Snapchat is no longer the place to send around nude photos but it is actually a place that can help your grow your blog.
So now that we know that your target audience is highly active on this platform, you should figure out how it work. Snapchat offers different ways to communicate. The two most important onces are:
- One-to-one via the “chat and video” – this might not be that relevant for your blog; and
- One-to-all via the “Stories”. This is a feature that tread snaps together to form a rolling flipbook of moments with each Snap existing 24 hours before it disappears. This is a one-way message (your viewers can not direct respond) and can be seen by all your followers. You can check the amount of people that viewed a “story” when you tap your story: next to the purple eye is the number of views & next to the green arrow is the number of screenshots.
So how can Snapchat benefit your blog?
Here are a few examples of how Snapchat can benefit your blog:
Show the real you! Snapchat is the bridge between the digital and the real world. Yes, ugly pictures and blunders are allowed! Share the “raw” moment via stills or videos. You can add text, drawings and a few filters to make them more personal. There are no rules to what or how many posts you do. Snapchat believes in the integrity of conversation: personal, unguarded and of the moment.
It is the next level of creativity! As you can add your own captions and draw on your picture, you can totally get loose and be creative. Moreover you can add location specific stamps, time, temperature and filters. Don’t forget to set the time limit (the picture can be shown in between 1 and 10 seconds), which also can add to the level of creativity in your snaps.
Get people excited for a new project – Your readers love to see the final result of your hard work on your blog. But they also love to see how you created this piece of work (smiles and tears). Let them flip through behind-the-scenes photos and show them little previews of your shoot, meeting, shopping activities, blunders or frustrations behind your computer!
Turn your snap into a vlog. Once you have your full flipbook of the highlights of your daily life, holiday or work day, you can save your Snaps in the Stories. This short video can you eventually turn into a vlog. Just remember to save your Snaproll in time as it gets deleted in 24 hours.
Announce a new post – You can excite your Snapchat followers when you just published a new article on your blog. The most logical way would be to make a little video in which you tell about your new blogpost or in which you quickly scroll through the post itself. Whatever you do, make sure they are triggered to visit your blog.
Share – You can directly share the Snaps in much more detail! You cannot wait and post them on another point in time, so your users will see reality! E.g. if you go to a fashion show at FashionWeek Amsterdam this week, your followers can join you by showing them your outfit, with whom you are going and of course, the ambience and the catwalk itself.
I hope these tips help you and inspire you to start! Apart from the fact that it is a good way to promote your blog, it is also really a lot of fun. My snapchat account is BagatYou. I really hope to see you on Snapchat so please leave a comment mentioning your account name!
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P.s. You might also like O Kingsday Bag & Am I delusional or just wildly ambitious!
