Jeweller - February Issue 2018

LOGGED ON
SNAPPING INTO BUSINESS
GREATER BRAND AWARENESS, CUSTOMER LOYALTY AND ENGAGEMENT – AND 178 MILLION USERS WORLDWIDE – ARE JUST SOME
OF THE REASONS RETAILERS SHOULD ADD SNAPCHAT TO THEIR MARKETING STRATEGIES IN 2018. JARED STANTON REPORTS.
Businesses looking to exact social media
strategies generally look to the big three:
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. These are
the platforms that dominate the market and
advertising dollars of most businesses but
Snapchat is emerging as a platform worthy
of consideration.
Snapchat is a messaging app that allows
users to caption and send image and video
‘snaps’ that are viewable for a set duration
before they self-delete. It is quite different
from the big three, which means it can be
intimidating to those who are unsure how
the platform can be used to connect with
consumers; however, in the right hands,
Snapchat marketing works.
USING SNAPCHAT TO SOAR
According to Snapchat’s most recent
financial report, there are 178 million people
using Snapchat. That’s a tasty number but
fine-jewellery retailers might argue that the
majority of Snapchat users are too young to
be targeted. Statistica reports that more
than half of all Snapchat users fall between
the ages of 18 and 34. Although this might
seem a bit young, what is known about
young adults in that age range is that they
like to get engaged.
With this in mind, it feels like any jewellery
business not using Snapchat will miss out
on a great marketing opportunity.
Businesses already know from Facebook
that new followers don’t automatically
become new customers so here are a few
ways retailers can use Snapchat to up their
marketing game.
SNAPCHAT FOLLOWERS
On Snapchat, users create stories, which
form the equivalent of the Facebook news
feed – followers can check in and see what a
business is doing.
Unlike Facebook, however, retailers are
advised against lengthy messages. Retailers
should be taking fresh snaps and adding
them to their business’ story often, focusing
on flashy, visually-interesting pictures of
aesthetically-pleasing product.
Some businesses use Snapchat to showcase
the voice and culture of their organisations,
and there’s nothing wrong with posting
a picture of staff members on a Friday
morning with a fun filter applied. Snapchat
is fun and followers want to have fun when
they are using it.
FILTER MANIA
Everyone loves a good filter. It was a fact
of life in 2017 and a trend that will likely
continue to evolve as the novelty of specific
filters wears off and new ones appear.
A filter, for those new to social media, is a
style that users can apply to their images
to alter a photo’s appearance. Filters may
change a photo’s colours, add a frame, apply
a design change or provide countless other
alterations. Snapchat’s website allows users
to upload custom-design filters and then
choose, for a reasonable fee, when and
where to make this filter available to users.
Businesses purchasing a filter distribution –
also known as a geofilter – can select where
they want their custom filter to be available
for users, fine-tuning locations right down to
even one specific building a business may
wish to target.
If jewellers are hosting a VIP in-store event,
they can create a custom Snapchat filter to
commemorate the event and distribute it
only to those in attendance.
This not only allows potential customers to
interact with the business in a modern and
trendy way but offers a certain exclusivity to
those who attend. Additionally, consumers
will be helping to spread brand awareness
by sending out snaps that feature the
jeweller’s own filter and logo to friends and
followers across the globe.
SNAPPING IT ALL UP
Consider this scenario: the team is at a
JEWELLERS CAN CREATE AND DISTRIBUTE EXCLUSIVE CUSTOM FILTERS
MORE THAN
HALF OF ALL
SNAPCHAT USERS
FALL BETWEEN
THE AGES OF 18
AND 34. WHAT IS
KNOWN ABOUT
YOUNG ADULTS IN
THAT AGE RANGE
IS THAT THEY LIKE
TO GET ENGAGED
tradeshow stocking up on new product for
the Christmas period, interacting with other
retailers and suppliers and having an allaround
great time. One of the staff members
has created a custom filter that is being
shared with fellow jewellers from the buying
groups and suppliers. No one can help
themselves and everyone takes a few snaps
to try out the filter, thus growing the business’
brand awareness.
While this is going on, the team has been
taking snaps and feeding them to the
business’ Snapchat story, beaming to loyal
customers all of the fun and productive
buying that is occurring at the event.
Some customers may have even spotted
some jewellery that they wish to purchase
immediately and orders are taken. In the end,
everyone is a winner.
Snapchat is a unique platform that allows
jewellers to generate business by doing what
they do best – showing jewellery. For this
reason alone, it should be considered in any
social media marketing mix. i
JARED STANTON is
account manager at SMA
marketing, a data-driven
marketing agency. Learn
more: smamarketing.net
40 Jeweller February 2018