SNAPCHAT FOR BUSINESS: WHERE IS OUR CUSTOM SNAPCHAT GEOFILTER?
April 28, 2016
We recently attended 2 pretty cool and big events in Las Vegas.
(Watch the :30 sec video above first and then read below.
These are actual Snaps we snapped at each event.)
These are actual Snaps we snapped at each event.)
(1) DINER EN BLANC
We registered for and excitedly attended Las Vegas's first ever, Diner en Blanc. This is a secret, all-white attire, pop-up dinner party. Guests literally have no idea where they are going - they just get on buses with folding chairs + tables in their fancy threads with baskets of cheese plates and desserts and are whisked away for a nighttime adventure. The April 17th event took us (and 1,000 other people) to The Park, T-Mobile's shiny and brand new space with a gorgeous statue and full-on Strip surroundings. Music. Dancing. Fanfare. People taking pics. No custom Diner en Blanc LV Snapchat filter.
(2) LIONEL RICHIE "ALL THE HITS" SHOW
We were lucky to attend the opening night of Lionel Richie's All The Hits show at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. We were excited. We were pumped. We were ready to dance on that ceiling, baby. We were ready to share with our community the entertainer and class act of Lionel. We were taking tons of pics and Snaps. No custom Lionel Snapchat filter.
So why am I telling you about 2 social events that I went to and sharing my Snaps? As a 17-yr veteran of the ad/marketing space, all I could think about were these "missed marketing opps". Custom filters are personal branding. The event, brand name and/or marketing style is literally shared visually as a filter over the Snap (aka a photo of video). Truthfully, I am cheerleading the brands. I want the them to have engaging marketing rewards. In this case, the custom Snapchat geofilters + social syndication was a no-brainer. All missed. Here are more thoughts - I hope some of my insight can be valuable to you.
THE BIG DEAL
ABOUT CUSTOM GEOFILTERS
Snapchat's filters are part of the major magic with this crazy-evolving platform. They are part of the secret sauce. They are one of the reasons that people check in to Snapchat every hour, every day. As an active daily Snapchat user, I check Snapchat almost first in the morning..."What's the filter today? Any new ones? Is there a new one for my city? Who can I share this with?" Or when I am in a new part of town or new city, boom, I am on Snapchat swiping like mad to see the current city's geofilter so I can share a snap with it in the mix. It's like a secret stamp that I got access to because I was in the right locale.
Companies, brands, institutions should be learning about, embracing, creating and providing custom geofilters for their community. They should be part of your marketing strategy. Why? Because we truly want them. We WANT to share with our tribe (over all social platforms) that we are attached to you, that we like you, that we endorse you. And with custom filters - a picture really is a thousand words.
In the case of Diner en Blanc - how many corporate companies are attached to this - Diner En Blanc, MGM, T-Mobile, NYNY, Monte Carlo, LVCVA, etc? That's quite a few brands that could have benefited from tweets, RT, and more with a visual mix - the filter. Again, all missed. All people wanted to do is say (or, rather, visually share), "Hey, we were enjoying you and we want to tell our friends about it!" Well, if that isn't organic word-of-mouth marketing, we don't know what is?
The rise of Snapchat's popularity and the ultimate real-time BTS sharing and PR engagement is so hot and so accessible that not providing a custom geofilter seems like a major marketing miss. Perhaps because it's so easy to do.
THE BIG LOSS
WHEN BRANDS + COMPANIES DON'T PROVIDE FOR THEIR PEOPLE
When Snapchat announced On-Demand Geofilters a few weeks ago, they gave US a bit of the secret sauce to handle. #Yes Anyone can create, submit and then use a custom geofilter. Having a wedding? A bday party? Any fab event? Yes, for the every day masses, it's fun to share those events with your friends. But the stakes exponentially grow when it comes to brand events. Lionel in Vegas? With 4,000 in attendance (including many Influencers with hundreds of thousands of social followers), where are more of your branded marketing assets? Why wouldn't you offer your people custom filter options? All we, your people, want to do with it is SHARE it with our friends, our tribe, our community. We are your guerrilla marketers, your loyal ambassadors, your organic media. You are leaving us empty-handed. And the potential for viral moments is lost.
Keep in mind that while people are snapping away like crazy, they are also downloading their Snaps and syndicating + repurposing the exact same visual content across other social platforms. (I downloaded my Snaps and shared them on my twitter to my 3,700+ followers. While that's not a huge #, it's something.) Again, brands and businesses should consider this "missed marketing opps" a hole that is growing deeper. Your tribe may be turned off. Don't forget that while people and Influencers may be on several platforms, they typically have one solid (and deeply loyal) platform. They are sharing their Snapchat content their too. We see it on the daily.
SO WHAT CAN BRANDS DO NOW?
- Bring Snapchat FILTERS into your marketing strategy.
- Create thoughtful geofilters that are relevant, fun and express your core values.
- Provide them as an option to your tribe.
- Reap the social rewards.
- Repeat.
Want to see more of our Snaps, head over to our IG because as of 4/28 @ 7:17pm PST, our 37 Snaps of the Lionel show will be disappearing. (See the 24-hour Life Cycle post here) Or have no idea what we are talking about and want to learn? We got you. START HERE on your Snapchat journey.