The document serves as a comprehensive guide for businesses on effectively using Snapchat for marketing, highlighting its storytelling potential to engage audiences. It outlines various features such as messaging, stories, promotions, and geofilters while emphasizing the importance of authentic and creative content. Additionally, it provides strategies for measuring engagement and success on the platform, encouraging businesses to leverage Snapchat's unique capabilities for brand growth.

1. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO USING
BY ALISTE MARKETING
SNAPCHAT
FORBUSINESS

2. Blink. In that one second, 9,000 snaps were shared by Snapchat users—54% of which engage with the app
daily. For marketers, it should come as no surprise that using Snapchat for business is definitely a “thing”. The
Snapchat experience is so alluring that it became popular in nearly every demographic.
HERE'STHEFACTS...

3. Simply put, great marketing is all about storytelling—to help nurture and develop
meaningful relationships with an audience. The highly engaging, behind-the-scenes style of
Snapchat is perfect for engaging your social community. Take note, that it does require
unique content which differs from platforms like Facebook and Instagram. This social
channel’s most successful users tell stories through a raw, mostly unedited first-person lens.
A business aiming to thrive on Snapchat can utilize the storytelling capability to humanize
their brand. Knowing this, how will you fully leverage the benefits of using Snapchat for
business this year? Let's get started with the basics!
SO,HOWDOYOU
USEITFOR
BUSINESS?

4. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT THE PLATFORM
THE
BASICS

5. THEINSANDOUTS
OFCHATTING
When the recipient of your text opens the chat, they will be able to read your
message. Once they close your chat, the message disappears. There is an option
to save texts by swiping right. Otherwise, they’re gone forever. Add a fun twist to
your Chats with text styles like bold, underline, and italics. Just press and hold to
select a piece of text, and choose a styling option!
The ability to “Snap” a picture of something and draw or write on it to your heart’s
content is half the fun. The other half is knowing once your recipient opens it, it
disappears. Snap images can live up to 10 seconds. When time’s up, the image
vanishes. Snapchat introduced a replay feature allowing you to hold down the
previously viewed image and see it once more. Keep in mind that someone can
screenshot an image or video anytime. Snapchat tells the sender when this
occurs.
Like image messages, users can shoot up to 10 seconds of video, mark it up, then
send it out. Once received and viewed, the video will disappear. Also like Image
Messages, the option to replay once is available. While other users can’t record
the entire snap, they can screenshot a frame, and Snapchat will tell the sender if
this occurs as well. You can also use Lenses in a video chat! Just tap your face to
get started.
TEXT MESSAGING
IMAGE MESSAGING
VIDEO MESSAGING

6. PASTTHE
CHATBASICS
When viewing a Snapchat users’ Story (more on those in a bit), the option
to reply via chat hovers at the bottom of the screen. Swiping up gives you
the option to type a response to whatever you’re seeing. Snapchat will
send the reply to the user along with the image or video to which it refers.
With Group Chats, you can communicate with up to 16 friends at once.
These messages are deleted by default after 24 hours. Starting a group chat
is easy. Open the Chat screen and select the New Chat icon. Choose your
group mates, and select Chat. Remember, you can only add people to a
group if you’re both friends! To make it extra simple to use group chat,
Snapchat makes the feature available when you’re sending a new snap as
well. You can change the Friend Emoji that appears next to all of your
groups in Snapchat settings > Manage Preferences > Friend Emojis.
Snapchat added a live chat feature allowing users to video call with each
other. Like FaceTime or Skype, this feature makes it possible to have a live
two-way conversation on your device.
REPLY CHAT
GROUP CHAT
LIVE CHAT

7. SNAPCHAT STORIES
A Snapchat story is a compilation of photos and videos you posts to your feed, also called “My Story”. Stories are visible to all
of your followers unless privacy settings are modified. Unlike Facebook or Instagram where profiles are public, Snapchat
requires users to follow an account if they want to see a user’s story. To view the stories uploaded by your Snapchat
connections, select the purple icon on the lower right of the screen. Your friends’ stories appear under “Recent Updates”
ordered by whoever uploaded the most recent snap. Stories live for only 24 hours. During that 24-hour period, the stories
can be viewed as often as a viewer likes. As the poster, you have an option to download your story should you want to keep
it. No one else can download your story. Additional privacy settings allow you to select who exactly can view your stories
and how long they last. To post a story, simply snap a photo or video and upload it to the “My Story” option located at the
top of the “Send To…” Screen. You’ll find that Snapchat for small business is very successful when using the Stories feature.

8. SMART WAYS TO USE
SNAPCHAT
FORBUSINESS

9. Who doesn’t love a good promotion? Social media promos are such a staple that you
would be hard pressed to find a brand that isn’t utilizing them.
Of course, not all promotions are created equal. When it comes to using Snapchat for
business, you have to think outside the box. Check out the example below from Taco
Bell’s Snapchat account Because you can’t include a link or direct opt-in within
Snapchat, businesses can get creative in the following ways:
.One of the best things about running promotions on Snapchat is the measurable
ROI. If a consumer uses the code, shows the screenshot at checkout, opts-in, or
redeems the coupon, your efforts are paying off!
Include a coupon code in your story that is redeemable in your online store.
Ask followers to screenshot a coupon and show it at checkout.
Send users to your blog to opt-into an email promotion.
Prompt users to send you a reply chat to redeem a coupon.
P
R
O
M
O
T
I
O
N
S

10. GETTINGYOUR
NETWORKINVOLVED
Isn’t it fun to see life from someone else’s point of view? Using Snapchat for business
means getting in on the takeover craze. Because finding users on Snapchat isn’t the
easiest thing to do, coordinating takeovers and swaps can bring your brand in front
of a whole new set of eyes. Increasing your reach is the main benefit of this effort.
Choosing the right accounts to work with is key. If you’re a local business, look to
Snapchat swap with neighboring businesses, especially if you’re in a high foot traffic
location. Consider these things when planning takeovers and swaps:
TAKEOVERS AND SWAPS
INFLUENCER CAMPAIGNS
Ensure the person/company taking over makes sense for your brand. For
example, a pro angler taking over Yeti Coolers makes sense!
Always plan in advance and share your plans with each other. The snap story will
likely be shot in real time, but storyboarding it out gives you and the person who
is taking over peace of mind.
Include a plan to measure the success of the effort. Consider KPIs, and put a
process in place to track them.
Depending on the size of your company and your budget, working with a Snapchat
Influencer may be right for you. The benefits are vast when the right influencer
meets the right brand. Take the guess work out of who to partner with by using a
site like Delmondo. This company works with over 1,500 of Snapchat’s top creators to
develop and execute high-performing Influencer campaigns. The goal is to
maximize your brand’s reach by bringing an influencer onto your account and
creating ways for new users to follow and engage with your business.

11. LOCALCOVERAGE
Geofilters are a fantastic way to increase brand awareness. There
are two types: On-Demand Geofilters and Sponsored Geofilters
On-Demand Geofilters are the more affordable of the two
because they tend to cover smaller locations. They are priced
based on the size of the area they’ll cover and the amount of
time they’ll be visible. Sponsored Geofilters are quite a bit more
expensive because they are covering very large areas. They can
can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but the ROI is
incredible if you can afford it. According to marketing expert
Gary Vaynerchuk, “…I do believe in the next six months to a year,
these are an amazing land grab with much bigger ROI potential.
If you can make a great design and deploy the very minimal
expense to get the square foot coverage, it will be an insanely
good deal.” Check out some of the awesome geofilters Gary has
been creating to the right. Geofilters are effective because the
ability to overlay them on photos and videos is hugely popular in
Snapchat. When users are within the geofence, the filter shows
up alongside the regular Snapchat filters making them easy to
use and very engaging.
CUSTOM GEOFILTERS
EVENT COVERAGE
The nature of Snapchat for business makes it the perfect platform to cover live events. If you have the opportunity to cover
a live event (or produce one) be sure to snap it. The fact that only the event guests truly get to experience it makes
Snapchat highly valuable in this area. Take advantage of it for your business!Give your followers “entry” into the event by
sharing it with them. If you’re in the event business in any way, this opportunity becomes exponentially more exciting for
you. Snapchat can be used to promote events in endless ways!

12. PULLINGBACKTHE
CURTAINS
No matter what your company does, you likely have a few interesting stories about your day-to-day activities. Knowing
your audience is key when it comes to creating relevant content. This becomes doubly important when using Snapchat
for small business. The type of content you create hinges on what your audience wants to see.
Creating engaging stories by taking your followers behind the scenes might mean:
Focus on creating stories that evoke a “VIP access” feeling. You want your followers to feel like they’re seeing your
company in a way that most people cannot. Snapchat allows you to create an intimate human connection by featuring
the aspects of your business that everyone can relate to. Answering emails isn’t interesting on it’s own, but everyone
does it. So find a way to pair it with a funny anecdote and make a connection with your follower
Touring the office
Showcasing products or services in use
Introducing users to employees
Letting them in on ongoing projects
• …and anything else that feels like insider information
PRODUCT OR SERVICE DEMOS
There is nothing more powerful than demonstrating your product in use. The benefit of using Snapchat for business
means being able to showcase your products or services. It’s that simple! How you choose to do this is where the fun
begins. Build brand loyalty by showing how your product or service fills a need. Educate consumers on new or trickier
products. This comes in very handy if you’re a service-based business. There is no reason the local accountant can’t excel
on Snapchat; be authentic and build relationships through storytelling.
BEHIND THE SCENES LOOKS

13. ADVERTISING
MADEEASYSnapchat introduced Ads to major retailers first, but now they are available to everyone. A Snap Ad is perfect for
catching your target market where they spend their time. These full screen video ads are 10 seconds long and can
include an option to swipe up for more information. Snap Ads are so effective that they measure two times higher
visual attention vs. comparable platforms. Check out the available ad formats below:

14. HOWTOMEASURE
SNAPCHATSUCCESS
Every snap you upload will show a number of views at the bottom.
Views are important, especially from snap to snap, because they tell you how many people you reach. You can also
gauge the quality of your content by noting where people drop out of your stories.
It’s easy to stay on top of this as Snapchat will let you know how many people used your Geofilter. Be sure to note the
results somewhere so you can compare them again other Geofilter designs and placements so you can do more of
what’s working.
Snapchat will also track how many people view your Geofilter. This number will be a LOT bigger than uses because it
takes into account everyone who sees the snaps that have your filter on them. Even if you only purchased a filter for a
few hours, this number will grow for 24 hours as the snaps are viewed.
VIEWS
GEOFILTER USE
GEOFILTER VIEWS
PROMOTION REDEMPTION
Depending on how you run your promotions, measuring the ROI can be done in a few ways. For example, say you
chose to do the coupon code for users to redeem at your online store. As long as this code is unique to Snapchat,
measuring its success is as easy as seeing how many times the code was used.
SCREENSHOTS
Every time someone takes a screenshot, Snapchat will let you know. Using this as an engagement CTA is smart
because you can easily measure the ROI. Knowing what users like to see will assist with future content creation.

15. CONCLUSION
Understand how to
leverage all the Snapchat
features and functionality.
Text message
Image message
Video message
Reply chat
Live chat
Stories
Utilize proven Snapchat
engagement tactics such
as...
Execute a consistent
measurement process
and determine Snapchat
KPIs like:
Behind the scenes
Takeovers/Swaps
Promotions
Event coverage
Product or service
demos
Employee interviews
Influencer campaigns
Using custom geo-tag
filters
Views
Geofilter use
Geofilter views
Promotion redemptions
Screenshots

16. For more Marketing and Business
Development Resources, visit our blog
below and connect with us on social
media!
Ready to start using Snapchat to grow
your business? Use our strategy
checklist when creating content for
your Snapchat stories!
GET IT HERE!