To be considered a good marketer, it’s well known that one needs to be aware of all the relevant tools that are available. In being a resource for clients how can you make recommendations on strategic marketing approaches if you are willing to ignore consideration of a particular marketing platform or media? Just because you are not familiar with a platform does not mean you are allowed to dismiss it as ‘too new’ or ‘unproven’. After all at one time Facebook advertising was ‘unproven’. And how did that work out?

The explosion in popularity of Snapchat is compelling me to learn about, consider and use Snapchat. And how might Snapchat be integrated into marketing plans for our clients and prospects? It’s complicated. Especially for me since from a personal standpoint I am not all that interested in Snapchatting. Probably age-related but of that I cannot be certain.

But that doesn’t matter does it? The more I read and hear about Snapchat and the amazing numbers of people and the level of their engagement, the more I know that Snapchat is no fad. The latest taken from AdAge:

‘Snapchat, which says it has more than 100 million daily active users and more than 8 billion video views every day, is calling its update Chat 2.0 and gives users a much broader way to communicate with other Snapchat users. Among the updates are more than 200 stickers (a very popular feature in messaging apps); video and audio notes, which lets you send videos up to 10 seconds long; or just an audio one if you can’t type but want to communicate; and audio and video calls, which can now be made even if the friend you’re trying to reach isn’t in the chat at that time.

Users can also now send multiple photos at a time in a chat and edit them with Snapchat’s filters.

One of the most alluring aspects to the update is that users can change how they’re communicating while they’re still in a chat. For instance, users can swap between video or audio calls, photos and stickers, as well as audio and video notes.

According to TechCrunch:

Snapchat has figured out how to pull every way humans communicate into a single interface — video, audio, text, symbols and drawing. Instead of having to choose how you want to connect before you start, conversations can evolve on the fly.’

So how will Snapchat help Business to Consumer (B2C) marketers spread the word and gain new customers? (Answer: With video/stickers/coupons there are intriguing options to be certain). Are there opportunities to engage B2B customers on Snapchat? (Answer: Yes). How long will it be before marketing on Snapchat becomes essential (Answer: Don’t know exactly. These things take awhile. Jump in and find out).

A single platform for communication of all types is a powerful one. Especially one that already has 100 million daily active users. Given the innate variety available on the Snapchat platform, brands will be scrambling to learn how to engage both customers and prospects.

Which means Snapchat is just another platform that I will be continually testing, watching and as little as I feel is warranted – using.

How will you market your product on Snapchat?