Why You Need To Start Taking Snapchat Seriously Know how Snapchat is you way to reach a massive audience.

Snapchat has grown its unique brand of self destructing selfies into a multi-billion dollar business. As it stands, Snapchat is one of the big three competitors in the social media space and, with valuations of over $19 billion, it's easy to see why the yellow app is starting to gather attention from businesses and entrepreneurs alike. Here are 5 reasons from Creato Design Sydney detailing why you need to start taking Snapchat seriously and use it as part of your online marketing strategy.

A reliable way to reach a massive audience

2015 was a big year in Snpachat's journey. It recorded about 6 billion videos posts courtesy of its 100 million daily users. What's even more interesting is the fact that most of the posts were made by users in the age bracket 18-34; this age bracket comprises ¼ of the US population. From this, we can draw the conclusion that Snapchat has reached 80 million Americans with a potential $200 billion yearly buying power. Still not taking Snapchat seriously?

Snapchat isn't just for youngsters

Snapchat's exponential growth has seen greater numbers of older people become regular users. Mothers, fathers and grandparents are all getting in on the trend as they look to view and share images among family.

Initially, there was speculation that it would be difficult for an older demographic to get a feel for how Snapchat works. Similar concerns were first heard years ago with Facebook, which was then embraced and welcomed into the lives of the older demographic. Similarly, Snapchat's simple user interface and step by step guides are paving the way for easy access for all ages.

An effective and fun way of sharing business culture

Snapchat enables you to deliver business content in a fun and exciting way. When it comes to Snapchat content, the possibilities are endless. Emojis, geofilters, stickers, text overlay, photos, videos, stories and much more! These methods build a more personal relationship between you and your target market where, if done correctly, the audience will feel that they are being included in your brand, rather than being marketed to by your business.

Start now, be a trend-setter

Being a trend setter in the business world can gather a lot of positive attention for your business. If nobody in your industry is using Snapchat, now is your chance to stand out! For example, if you own a local restaurant targeting 18-34 year olds, and want to have an interesting and stand out marketing campaign, launch a Snapchat Geofilter at your restaurant. This will be shared around Snapchat and will more than likely make its way on to other social networks, simply because it's a new and interesting way of promotion! Needless to say, in 12- 36 months when every restaurant in town is on Snapchat, this restaurant's marketing campaign won't be such a stand out.

Enhanced direct-to-audience interactions

Nothing beats having a personalized video sent to your target audience. Snapchat can be used as an effective tool for addressing customer queries promptly as they are raised by your audience. Also, it can be a great platform to launch promos and contents, as users receive your Snapchat instantly and can act on your call to action quickly.