Snapchat, a fast-growing photo- and video-messaging app, offers brands that act now an opportunity to stake their claim in a new digital land grab.

Snapchat’s user base is already substantial. More importantly, its fans are extremely active on the network. It boasts about 100 million daily active users with a large concentration of millennials (age 15 to 35). The platform delivers over 7 billion video clips a day. Facebook, by comparison, delivers 8 billion video views daily with 1.5 billion users.

“People are using Snapchat in 2016 like they were using Facebook in 2005,” writes Joe Scannell, senior account executive with Edelman. “Imagine being able to go back in time to 2005 knowing what Facebook would become. That would be like winning the lottery. As communicators, we should be excited and jump at the opportunity.”

According to Infinite Dial research, Snapchat is the second most popular social media network with 8% of Americans saying they prefer it the most. Instagram is third at 7%, and Facebook is the leader with 61%. However, Snapchat is the favorite among 12- to 24-year-olds.

The most common description of Snapchat is “ephemeral.” Snaps, or photos or videos sent to users, can be viewed for no longer than 10 seconds. Stories, or snap collections broadcast to followers, are available for 24 hours. That fleeting nature may be one of its attractions. Users don’t have to worry about their selfie at a party harming future job prospects.

Shapchat’s most common tribute is that it’s fun. It’s quick and easy to use. Its captions,  doodles and lens graphics that can be added to snaps offer “snapchatters” a creative outlet.

The app also offers possible uses for purely PR functions. PR can use it to quickly distribute news to followers, connecting with the media, and communicate with clients and team members.

The Ephemeral Power

Brands have discovered that short-lived snaps create a sense of urgency that increases engagement.

“Snapchat takes back the intimate feeling of having one-on-one conversations between a customer and a brand due to its here-and-now style, which leads to a key advantage—its extremely high open rate,” Ulrik Bo Larsen, CEO and founder of Falcon Social, told Destination CRM. “It really is a medium where, if you pitch your messaging correctly, you will enjoy far better engagement than on the other networks.”

The app is best suited for brands targeting teens and 20-year-olds, especially brands that produce content regularly like media and fashion companies. “[That’s] brands with a developed and confident tone in social, an audience which currently matches the demographic of Snapchat and a creative streak,” Hannah Beesley, social director at digital agency Iris, told Marketing Magazine. “This is a platform where thinking like the platform and putting audience first is essential.

“Snapchat is on a sharp rise,” she says. “So if brands can set themselves up with their super fans and become confident, once Snapchat monetizes and measures properly they’ll be in a great position.”

Toy company Sphero promoted its new Star Wars toy, the BB-8 droid, by collaborating with influencers who distributed pictures and videos of the toy. One influencer Shaun McBride boasts two million views a day on Snapchat. The campaign generated 10 million views in a day, half a million engagements on other social media sites. The toy sold out in stores in a day.

Taco Bell was one of the first brands to market through the Snapchat stories feature. One story portrayed friends who go on an adventure and eventually return to Taco Bell. It demonstrated how a food brand could encourage customers to enter its restaurant. The restaurant chain introduces new menu items on the app and entertains customers with witty interactions. Its Valentine’s Day campaign featured virtual Valentine’s cards that people could amend and share with their own sweethearts.

A World Wildlife Fund campaign, raised awareness about endangered and threatened species, using fleeting Snapchat images as a metaphor for endangered species. The photos included messages like “Don’t let this be my #lastSelfie.” In an integrated campaign, the nonprofit described the campaign in a YouTube video.

The Snapchance campaign of McDonald’s Norway showed how companies can use Snapchat’s temporary nature to good effect. The company sent out snaps with coupons for smoothies. Because the coupons disappeared shortly after opening, consumers had to go to a McDonald’s to view and use them. Within two weeks, McDonalds had 2,700 followers. More important, it encouraged more people to enter their stores.

Snapchat Marketing Recommendations

Because the platform is still emerging, practices are not standardized, which Snapchat promoters say is actually an advantage. Nevertheless, social media marketers offer these recommendations for Snapchat marketing:

Compelling. Eye-catching, emotionally charged content is especially important on Snapchat.

Playful. The app is meant to be fun. Join the party.

Simple. Users don’t seek slick, carefully produced videos. They prefer candid, real-time, behind-the-scenes shots of your brand.

Engaging. Encourage followers to contribute to your story by sending you snaps. Don’t hesitate to use shock value to keep followers interested.

Intimate. Users care more about the emotions of the images than their appearances.

Cross promotions. Leverage Facebook, Twitter and other channels to promote your snaps. A Snapchat campaign marketed only within the app is less likely to gain traction.

Influencers. Find popular Snapchatters in your niche. They might be genuinely excited to help and may be able to help create content that would be well suited for your marketing campaign and to promote themselves.

A Path to Influencer Marketing

Snapchat offers enormous influencer marketing opportunities. Many early adopters of Snapchat have become digital celebrities who have gained the trust of large and engaged followings.

Before seeking relationships with Snapchat influencers, marketers should:

• learn about Snapchat’s unique features,
• properly vet potential influencers, and
• develop imaginative promotional strategies that match Snapchat’s environs.

With proper planning and execution, Snapchat influencer marketing can deliver superb results, and not just in reaching millennials.

Influencers Help Hotels

Hilton, whose typical customer is over 35 and traveling on business, has reached out to younger customers through Snapchat influencers.

“Any brand that does events struggles with how to make guests feel involved and engaged,” O’Leary, Hilton’s senior director of multibrand and loyalty marketing, told Digiday. “Influencers are a good way to do that if their tone matches the tone of your brand.”

The hotel worked with Kaitlyn Bristowe of “The Bachelorette,” who provided behind-the-scenes content from a concert with Jason Derulo at the Hilton Bayfront in San Diego. Marriott also ran a three month-long campaign with influencers, including Shaun McBride and Brittany Furlan last year.

Tactics for Collaborating with Snapchat Influencers

Social Media Examiner examines five ways brands can partner with influencers on Snapchat.

Share access to events. Providing influencers behind-the-scenes access at events allows them to show their fans a different side to your business. Many top fashion brands at New York Fashion Week cooperated with Snapchat influencers who showed models getting their makeup done, practicing their walks, and being fitted for the runway.

Drive traffic to your website. Ask influencers to write your company name or website address in the text box. Provide the text so the influencer can copy and paste it. Tell influencers to ask their followers to screenshot the snap so they have the information readily available.

Spread awareness for a cause. Ask influencers to help your organization’s philanthropic campaigns. Many will support the campaign free of charge if it’s for a good cause. It also gives them an opportunity to add their own personal spin to the story. Approaching influencers for philanthropic purposes often provides an entry to a more substantive commercial relationship.

Let them take over. In a “take-over” strategy, the brand gives a carefully selected  influencer access to the brand’s account. An influencer could do a day-in-the-life takeover and highlight their adventures in a creative and innovative way. In a takeover of Red Bull’s account, Canadian snowboarder and X Games gold medalist Mark McMorris showed his day of surfing and snowboarding.

Show your products. Influencers can educate their fans about your products and show them tips and tricks. Ingrid Nilson, also known as Miss Glamorazzi, displays her beauty routines, hair tutorials, and favorite products. She has worked with brands like Covergirl, Dove, and TRESémme.

It’s important for brands to recognize that most influencers on Snapchat and other social networks expect some sort of compensation for promotional relationships. Influencers and brands must follow FTC rules on disclosure and Google’s recommended best practices when providing gifts or payment to influencers.

Bottom Line: Snapchat’s remarkable popularity is gaining the attention of marketers. Some believe brands cannot ignore the unique messaging and photo-sharing app, that’s been called a party because of its playful nature. These examples and recommendations can serve as guideposts for marketers willing to join the Snapchat party.

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William Comcowich

William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.