Marketing in a Snap: 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!