Brand Predictions for Snapchat – ‘Net Features – Website Magazine

The percentage of those on social media who use Snapchat is low (18 percent), but the ephemeral network’s audience is one of the most active. Of the close to 100 million daily active users, 65 percent of them contribute content (photos or videos). In comparison, 44 percent of Twitter accounts have never sent a tweet. Snapchat is an engagement powerhouse and its younger audience (primarily 13-24 according to Snapchat data) is starting to get some company from older users with the 35-plus age group being the fastest-growing demographic to join the network. Savvy marketing executives – like those from Snapchat publishing partners (e.g., People, MTV, National Geographic) and early adopters (e.g., Taco Bell, Wet Seal, McDonald’s) – are ahead of the curve, already finding ways to not only reach a very large, very active audience, but also monetize their time spent there. With nearly two decades of experience on social networks at this point, brands should know there are two truths to social media: (1) Snapchat will need to cater to business interests to make a profit and, thus, will spoil the fun for many and; (2) teens and young adults will eventually leave the platform for a network their parents have yet to hear of. While there is plenty of time before the latter becomes true, Snapchat has already made moves to become a serious contender in social marketing. Most recently, Snapchat added two new senior measurement executives (from Google and Millward Brown) to help the company prove its value to marketers. With moves like these, Snapchat is becoming a place where enterprises will want to consider investing their resources (time and money), but what does the future hold for the network beyond an eventual teen exodus and an advertising-fueled app? Here are a few Snapchat predictions for brands: ORGANIC REACH WILL DIMINISH While Snapchat did turn down Facebook’s $3 billion cash offer in 2013, the network will likely have to entertain many of Facebook’s business practices in the near future, including an algorithm to sort stories (a compilation of Snaps a friend has posted) based on relevancy, timeliness and, of course, advertisements. Snapchat is already “scoring” its users based on a “special equation combining the number of Snaps you’ve sent and received, Stories you’ve posted, and other factors.”