Businesses, new and existing, that leverage effective social media marketing techniques have seen a big increase in the amount of traffic to their website. This is especially true for businesses that are trying to reach a younger target market, i.e. millennials. Most successful companies have a presence on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more channels. It seems like the list goes on!

However, some marketers are overlooking the power of Snapchat. Snapchat is an application that lets users send videos and pictures, both of which disappear after a pre-determined amount of time.

Snapchat has become increasingly popular in recent years. It has roughly 150 million people logging on each day to use it. Also, it has more video views each day than Facebook, to the tune of about 10 billion hits.

Most of Snapchat’s users are between the ages of 13 and 34. Therefore, if your business’ target market falls within that range, you should be on Snapchat. In addition, because Snapchat users also have profiles on other platforms, they are likely to share content that they find interesting in different places.

There are a lot of ways that you can use Snapchat to your advantage. Make Snapchat part of your overall social media marketing strategy with the five following ideas:

Be original! Be yourself

Snapchat’s content can be no more than 10 seconds long. That isn’t a lot of time, particularly for companies. If you want to make the most out of what you are given, you need to encourage your followers to check out your Snaps. Of course, you can use Snapchat Stories to create a longer piece, but that may not always be feasible.

So how do you get your followers to take a look at what you’re doing? Offer exclusive pictures, shout-outs, insider tours or even information that they can’t get anywhere else. These snaps must be quick, so your content has to be relevant and interesting. It also has to be unique; if users can find it somewhere else, why would they seek you out?

Post teasers

Ten seconds is the perfect amount of time for a teaser. Let’s say you have a new product that you are getting ready to release. You could post a snap that gives your followers a quick glimpse of your new product and what it can do.

These types of snaps get people talking and interested because it only reveals a little bit of information. You can generate a lot of interest in your new product by creating a teaser. You can also do this for exclusive content and behind the scenes tours as well.

People are on Snapchat because they want to be entertained. Be as clever as you possibly can. You want to make people laugh or make them do a double take in surprise. Snapchat gives you all the tools you need to get creative; for example, you can draw on your pictures or post captions as well. Visuals are highly important on Snapchat.

Offer a special deal

If you’re running a specific promotion, or simply want to grow your Snapchat following, create a story and give your customers a coupon code to use. All your followers have to do is take a screenshot of the code and then type it in on your eCommerce website during checkout (or show it in the store). This way, you’ll know how much business you’re generating just from Snapchat.

Make a story

Snapchat has a “Stories” option, where you can put together several ten-second clips to make a longer advertisement. Stories also allow you to have up your content for a full 24 hours, rather than a very limited time period. You can put together clips from a special event you were hosting or showcase a certain product if you’d like. Users really enjoy stories. In fact, celebrities use this feature all the time. Take a look at Kylie Jenner or Ed Sheeran’s profiles to see what can be done.

Freebies are everything!

After you sign up for Snapchat, you need to get other users to add you. Try hosting a giveaway. For example, you could let people know that you have a gift card that will be given to one lucky Snapchat user. All they have to do to have a chance at the prize is to add you and send you a snap. Encourage people to share so that you get a lot of attention from your giveaway. You never know whom you might reach!

Snapchat is becoming increasingly popular. If your business isn’t using it yet, it needs to be. Otherwise, your competition will target your audience before you get to them. It’s never too late!