Snapchat is the platform of the moment.
With over 110 million daily active users, sharing around 9,000 Snaps every second, the ephemeral content app is one of the fastest growing - if not the fastest growing - social networks on the planet. And with so much activity taking place on the platform, and with audience engagement with Snap content rising, brands, logically, want in. But for many, that's not as easy as they'd like.
Part of the appeal of Snapchat is exclusivity. Yes, Snapchat's different, the user interface is not as simple or straight-forward as other social apps. But that's actually by design. Snapchat's succeeded because it's become a place that not everyone understands, because it's not Facebook, where your aunt and your grandma are posting pictures and liking updates. No, part of Snapchat's resonance lies in the fact that it's a somewhat closed community, gated by a steep learning curve than some simply don't have the patience to master. There's also nothing saved on Snapchat, there's no content on your profile for you to show who you are or how many followers you have. Snapchat is about connection, intimate connection between the creators and their audiences. And that can make it significantly more challenging for marketers.
One way some brands are getting around this is by using influencers, which can be an effective strategy on any creative platform. And a particularly clever way to use influencer marketing on Snapchat is via takeovers.
A Snapchat takeover is exactly as it sounds - you get an influencer or prominent Snapchat user of some kind to log-in to your account and create content for you or your brand for a set period. Takeovers help expose you to a wider audience, as the guests normally alert their own followers that they'll be on your profile, while also boosting your own presence by providing you with content. Takeovers also work to that more intimate appeal of Snapchat, because your brand is using a human presence - a real, and skilled, creator who's there for your audience to connect with.
If you're looking for more info about Snapchat takeovers and how they work, check out this infographic from MediaKix.