You miss 100% of the snaps you don't take

A common quote used widely throughout the sports realm is, "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take." It other words, you can't succeed unless you try; and you can't try without taking action. This quote doesn't only apply to action on the court, it applies to the "behind the scenes" action that drives consumer engagement.

Snapchat is being used by teams and athletes to build their brand. It can help teams drive more revenue from digital media and also accrue more fans in their stadiums. There are many ways Snapchat can be used as a form of advertisement, but there are five main tactics that have been found to be a successful driving force of fan engagement.

Tactic 1: Take fans behind the scenes!
-Due to Snapchat's video sharing capability, users can catch a glimpse of things that they would otherwise be unable to see. Fans want to see what goes on behind closed doors. If they are invested and want to spend money to come see a team play, then they would probably enjoy seeing the team prepare for them too. It makes the entire experience more personal. For example, the Atlanta Braves posted their commercial shoot on Snapchat recently. It was cool to see what went in to the final product that we will soon be seeing on our televisions (or on our social media sites). The Braves also showcased their new stadium on Snapchat. By doing this they are creating hype for SunTrust Park Stadium, in hopes of filling their stands on opening night.

 

Tactic 2: Promote the attitude of a champion

-Fans want their team to win just as much as the players want to win themselves. Viewers want to see their favorite team preparing for the big game. They want to see the players making great plays during practices or scrimmages, and they want to see them overcoming challenges in order to win. Loyal fans will support their team every step of the way. The fans want to know that if they are going to spend money and time viewing a game, then their team will take the time to invest in them by working hard. When teams have Snaps of a great kick, or record an awesome block, it hypes up their fan base.

                           

Tactic 3: Be silly, have fun with it!

-No Snap is permanent so the whole platform is very relaxed and fun! Teams should Snap a pic of a favorite player with a funny lens over their face; or maybe have them speak with a voice changer. Anything that is funny will most likely catch the viewers attention! Who doesn't want to see their favorite athletic team having loads of fun?

Tactic 4: Special team-based Geofilters

-It is crucial that a team has created, and is utilizing, their team-based Geofilters. By providing unique and creative Geofilters teams are getting free advertising every time a fan swipes to add it to their Snap. For example, the specialized scoreboard Geofilter allows fans who aren't even watching the game to still be tuned in to what is going on. I know I have personally used these many times. Especially after the Braves played 13 innings and Freddie Freeman hits for cycle against the Reds. Yeah, you better bet all of my followers knew that I was a loyal fan who stayed at the game until the early hours of the morning.

 

Tactic 5: Engage partners!
-I'm sure many team sponsors would love the extra advertising. Teams could find a sponsor and co-host an event with them. The Atlanta Hawks did a great job engaging partners by pairing with Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation to do vision screenings. The Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation "provides vision and hearing services through education, detection, prevention and treatment for Georgians in financial need." The Hawks had Mike "Moose" Muscala do the vision screenings which made the experience fun and entertaining for all!

Snapchat doesn't just offer teams the opportunity to brand themselves, they also offer the same opportunity to athletes. Athletes can build their personal brand by providing fans with an inside look on and off the field. By having a Snapchat, athletes can show their fans an unfiltered and honest glimpse of their lives. Athletes are also sometimes dehumanized due to their superhero-like abilities, so Snapchat allows fans to see that athletes can live a normal life too. Snapchat brings them back to Earth and makes them relatable to their viewers.

If you can't tell, I am from Atlanta and love baseball, basketball and football. Naturally, I chose to showcase my favorite teams. Go ahead and add them on Snapchat!

National Football League- @nfl
Atlanta Falcons- @falcons
Atlanta Hawks- @hawkssnaps
Atlanta Braves- @braves

Sources

http://www.sportsdigita.com/five-ways-teams-must-use-snapchat-drive-fan-engagement/
http://sportsgeekhq.com/social-media/sports-snapchat-every-usa-professional-team-snapchat/
http://mediakix.com/2016/06/best-snapchat-accounts-to-add-sports-stars-pro-athletes/#gs.rDjix5M
https://lionslighthouse.org
http://www.forbes.com/sites/actiontrumpseverything/2014/01/12/you-miss-100-of-the-shots-you-dont-take-so-start-shooting-at-your-goal/#6d8a56145e42

Travel. Snap. Share.

Being a young and aspiring traveler I turn to Snapchat to help brainstorm my next trip. I am currently following promoted Snapchat travelers such as "The Blonde Abroad," as well as my friends who are studying abroad. I have a profound interest in traveling, so I make note in watching these Snaps every day to see what my fellow friends are up to. Millennials love nothing more than documenting their cool adventures such as cliff jumping in Costa Rica, clubbing in Spain or studying at a local university in Sweden. They never fail to swipe over and add a Geotag so their viewers know exactly where they are at that moment.

The tourism and travel industry has a highly visual selling point. Snapchat has allowed viewers to see the raw content of a city. Posts are never edited by a travel agency to present a fake sense of what a city looks like. Millennials are able to see other millennials having fun in their own cities located different corners of the world. The "Snapchat Live" feature has promoted tourism around the globe. As you may know, "Snapchat Live" allows individuals within a certain showcased geographic area to post snaps using Geofilters. These "Snapchat Live" events are usually hosted during large celebrations throughout the world.

Millennials are one generation that are very hesitant with traditional advertising methods. They do not believe every thing they read or hear, and often turn to their friends, or yelp reviews,  for a true evaluation of a good or service. I know from a personal aspect I would not even considering traveling somewhere without speaking to someone that has experienced the area first hand. How else would I know where to get the best food in the city, or see the best view in town?

Travel agencies have been slow to move towards Snapchat as a way to spend their marketing dollars. This is due to the fact 45% of Snapchat users are between the ages of 18 and 24, and this audience won't necessarily turn around and book a trip right away. Although this is the case, there really is a value in building a loyal Snapchat audience. Snapchat allows a story to be told, unlike Instagram- which could just be an iconic snapshot. It has actually proven to be successful when companies integrate the two social media platforms. Let's say you are scrolling through your Instagram feed with Spring Break in the back of your mind. You see a sponsored ad from a hotel chain in Mexico with a beautiful photo. The sunset is fading in the background, while the water rushes up between the toes of this tanned woman holding a fruity drink, which is of course, accessorized with a tiny umbrella. Although this picture may look beautiful, we all know it is cliche. Well what if in the company's Instagram bio they had a link to their Snapchat? And from there you were able to see that tan-legged girl check into the hotel. You were able to see the chocolates left on her pillow and her large room with a great view. You got to see her drink being made by Enrique, the funny beach bartender that kept cracking jokes. Snapchat allows the story behind the Instagram picture to be told, and this intimacy is key for consumers. This process I just described can also be used in the opposite manner. Companies can post shots on Snapchat, see which one is screen-shotted the most, and then take that same exact shot with a professional camera to post on Instagram, Facebook or their company website. This saves the company money because they already know which shot is a fan favorite, and don't have to waste a bunch of time and money shooting a bunch of different professional photos- they just shoot the one.

Since Snapchat is raw data, and not production ready video, it is not very expensive for a company to have their own Snapchat. Although it is not a heavy money investment, it is a time investment because you are expected to post content daily. Brands should consider hiring someone to take over their social media channels, and help build a following. They should designate someone to handle the account and be able to respond to their viewers quickly. Maybe they posted an awesome Snap of the grand suite at the hotel, and someone saw it but wanted to see the other room types they offered. Have that person show them! Brands could also have vacationers take over their Snapchat channel for a certain amount of time, or for a certain event, and in return the vacationer would get a reward! The opportunities with Snapchat are endless, especially in the travel and tourism industry. Brands should become aware of this and take advantage of this low-cost and low-risk social media platform!

Sources:

https://skift.com/2016/02/05/travel-brands-are-missing-out-on-snapchat-right-now/

https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-snapchats-impact-is-felt-in-three-different-industries/

Snap Facts

Snapchat. A fast a furious form of social media, where you can get a live feed from any event, anywhere in the world. Snapchat consistently ranks at number two for social media apps, only being beat by Facebook. From May 2015 to May 2016, Snapchat's daily video views have grown 400% over the course of the year (from 2 billion to 10 billion). At a linear monthly growth rate of 33%, Snapchat will surpass 18 billion daily video views by May 2017! That is a lot of people staring into their phone, waiting for the next advertisement to grab their attention. When deciding where to use your marketing dollars, you should consider Snapchat as one of your avenues...

• Snapchat ads have almost a million views per day
• Snapchat's video views have now surpassed Facebook's
• Snapchat has more users than Twitter
• Snapchat is now currently valued around $20 billion
• 60% of all smartphone users can also be found on Snapchat
• Millennials account for over 70% of all Snapchat users

Millennials are one of the top market segments business are trying to reach, so what better way to do it than Snapchat? There are three main ways you can go about advertising on Snapchat...

1. Snap Ads: A mobile video ad that appears in the context of a consumers other Snaps. Viewers can then choose to swipe up for more information.
2. Sponsored Geofilters: Depending on a consumer's location, the geofilter can be used on a Snap to describe where, when and why the Snap was taken.
3. Sponsored Lenses: These are the funny lenses that usually contain some type of animation or voice change.

Examples of Sponsored Geofilters:

Example of a Sponsored Lens:

There is also word-of-mouth advertising on Snapchat that has proved to be very successful. For example, the Speak Out game by Hasbro was extremely popular this past Christmas due to the fact that it made hilarious footage for people to put on Snapchat! If your product is something that is funny, or cool to video, you better bet that it will be put on Snapchat.

For the following blog posts I will go into more detail on how specific companies have profited by using Snapchat as a form of advertisement. I will write about how social media has impacted traveling, as well as various news sources. Please comment and let me know if there is a certain company or category you would like me to research to see how social media, specifically Snapchat, has impacted the company or category.

Sources:
http://mediakix.com/2016/01/snapchat-statistics-2016-marketers-need-to-know/#gs.XU2odZs
https://www.snapchat.com/ads