With more than 100 million daily users, Snapchat is quickly becoming something all marketers need to pay attention to.
Agents and brokerages should get onboard Snapchat for one reason: your customers are there.
Now, before I get into how to build a Snapchat following, it’s important to establish a few things:
- A Snapchat presence won’t lead to immediate commissions
- This strategy is going to take time to pay off — a lot of time
I’ve written about playing the long game on social media, and this article will echo that sentiment.
Building a Snapchat following isn’t about six months from now — it’s about one, two and three years from now. The engagement level of audiences on Snapchat is through the roof; I’d compare it to getting on Twitter in early 2007.
So what should you do?
Put out content and a lot of it
Unlike other networks, Snapchat content doesn’t have any staying power. Any story you create has a 24-hour shelf life, and that’s it. After that time frame the content is deleted forever.
Because of this, it’s important to be snapping often. It doesn’t have to be overkill, but two or three times a day will be enough to keep people engaged.
Your content can be informative or strictly for entertainment.
Remember, you won’t hit a home run with every snap, but consistent posting is important to keep your audience’s attention. Here are a few tips to help you build a following.
1. Post your snaps on other platforms
One of the things about Snapchat is that it doesn’t allow for you to be discovered naturally within the app. You’re only able to add people by username or if they are in your phone book.
An easy way to get around this is to exploit the natural discovery of Facebook, Twitter or Instagram by posting one of your snap stories there, asking for people to follow you on Snapchat.
2. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there
Putting yourself out there is the biggest thing to overcome. People who are executing great strategies on any social media platform are willing to put themselves out there.
It might be a bit uncomfortable at the start, but once you get the hang of it, it’ll become easier.
3. Use Snapchat filters
Though using filters won’t directly lead to more followers on Snapchat, they do help you produce great pieces of content. Strong content will lead to a more attentive audience.
Most cities have local filters — these are great for adding a creative touch to your snaps.
Some thoughts on practical use in real estate
In terms of real estate specific content on Snapchat, take advantage of open houses. Also, any time you want to put a photo on Instagram regarding a listing, client meeting, closed deal, etc., take a photo in Snapchat first.
You can download your images from Snapchat and upload them to other social networks, but you can’t do that in reverse order.
Tweet [“You can download your images from Snapchat and upload them elsewhere, but not in reverse order.”]
This is a great time to take advantage of Snapchat because of the limited competition on the platform. On the other hand, it’s not for everyone.
If you don’t have a Facebook or Twitter account set up yet, I wouldn’t rush into Snapchat as a first means for social media. Facebook is a giant and will continue to be so.
And don’t forget to add me on Snapchat: cavejordan
Jordan Scheltgen is the founder of Cave Social. You can follow him on Twitter @cavejordans or connect with him on Facebook.
