So, in my last post, I talked about how I’ve been immersing myself in Snapchat over the last month, and tried to learn as much as I can about it, and how we can use it for marketing. I gave you some pointers on how to use it (it’s confusing), and talked a little about the culture of Snapchat.

The culture is really, really important. Like any social media, you need to pay attention to the best practices of that particular tool, and you need to stay inside them. When you start, for example, to treat Facebook like it’s Twitter, people get turned off. In order to be accepted and have a voice on that network, you need to fit in. It’s basically high school. 😉

Today, I want to talk about how you can use Snapchat for marketing. Maybe it’s for marketing your business, or your own personal brand. I want to point out some folks you should be following to give you inspiration on how to use it effectively, as well.

Getting followers.

Put out to all your social networks that you’re on Snapchat, and share your Snapchat handle there. Put it in your bios on Twitter and Instagram, and use your Snapcode as your profile pic. Go on Twitter and do a search for the #Snapchat hashtag, and you’ll find lots of people to follow. Many people will likely follow you back, or you can tweet them and ask them to follow. Snapchat just announced yesterday that you can now have a direct URL for your Snapchat account (or anyone else’s). It is: www.snapchat.com/add/username. So mine is www.snapchat.com/add/rebeccacoleman.

What to post and who to follow.

Overall, what I’m currently seeing on Snapchat is people posting about the ins and outs of their everyday life. I’m seeing lots of photos of kids and what people are eating and the like. That’s cool. I’m not saying to not do that. Snapchat, to me, is the anti-Instagram. I love Instagram, but everything that I post on there is carefully curated, and my photos are polished. Snapchat allows its users to be silly and not take themselves too seriously, or strive for perfection. It’s just going to disappear in 24 hours, anyway!

However, the channels that I keep going back to and really prioritize watching do one of two things: they offer me value, or they tell me a story.

@GaryVee (love him or hate him) has been one of my biggest influences on Snapchat over the last month. He’s also, like me, immersed himself in it, and today, he published this post. He gives a lot of value on Snapchat: he shares #SnapchatSecrets and he answers people’s questions. On a side note, one advantage of being on a social network where it’s not so crowded yet, is that you have a better chance of making a connection. I was able to ask GaryVee questions which he responded to via Snapchat, whereas on Twitter… more likely he wouldn’t. My Snapchat buddy @BryanKramer was able to do an interview with him via their connection there.

Storytellers thrive on Snapchat. The medium is a challenge, but if you can do it well, you will get tons of followers. I’ve been loving @Implatco, @TristanTales, @Shonduras @MarkKaye and @Georgio.Copter. They are entertaining, and they tell stories, and they do art. Entertainment, let’s not forget, kids, is valuable.

Work with, or be inspired by, Influencers

Follow some Snapchat influencers (like those above), and start to note what kinds of stories they tell. Right now, because Snapchat is still so new, big brands are paying big money to work with these kinds of influencers to promote their products. Shonduras was recently working with Samsung, and @CyreneQ recently did a campaign with OPI’s new Hello Kitty launch. If you can afford to work with an influencer to promote your brand, you should do so.

Create Engagement

Give your audience a dilemna and ask them to snap you back what they would choose. Get vulnerable. Share a challenge you’re dealing with and ask for advice. Ask people to snap you what they are doing, what they are drinking/eating right now. Try to create those connections with others and begin to create relationships.

Conclusion

My advice to you on Snapchat is not that different than any other social medium: respect the culture and add value. Now that I’ve actually learned how to use the tool (technically), my  goal for the next couple of months will be to learn how to use it better for marketing and storytelling.

Are you using Snapchat for marketing? Let me know in the comments below what your strategies are, I would love to hear them.

Read more: Snapchat for Business: A Guide for Marketers