By Cassy van Eeden

Launched in the United States in 2012, Snapchat now sees over 8700 photos and videos exchanged each second. And yet, in South Africa, there are very few brands and businesses making use of this platform.

According to Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx, only 1% of local brands are using Snapchat as a part of their social media marketing. However, 18% of businesses plan to start using Snapchat in the next year, he says.

It’s the future of content
In a world where consumers have to wade through hundreds upon thousands of pieces of content each day, brands need to find new ways of grabbing their audience’s attention. The best way to do this is to give people what they want to see. Enter Snapchat.

“I believe that the way in which Snapchat packages content on their ‘discovery’ page, as a combination of text and rich media, is the future of online content publication,” says Heleen Mills, programme director at Treeshake.

Samantha Wright, editor of Tech Girl and part of Webfluential’s content marketing and sales team agrees; “I’ve found it is an ideal place to create entertaining content,” she says. “Because the content only ‘lives’ for 24 hours, it allows me to be a little bit more off the cuff and silly.”

It’s authentic

The question must be asked: just how authentic is our content when it is so carefully planned and curated weeks or even months in advance?

“One of the biggest hurdles for brands is that all content for Snapchat must be created and posted in real-time, on mobile,” explains Mills. “Unlike other social media platforms, there is, unfortunately, no way in which content can be pre-created and signed off in advance.”

“The positive thing about this is that we’ll be seeing more authentic content, as opposed to the highly curated content we see from brands on Instagram,” she explains.

This means that Snapchat gives brands and businesses the opportunity to show their audience just how true they are to what they put out there.

It’s reality TV in real-time
Imagine getting a 10-second snapshot into the lives of your favourite celebrities. Or a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at the hottest event of the year. With Snapchat, you can do that.

“Reality TV works because, whether we like to admit it or not, we are fascinated by how others live their lives,” notes Bailey Schneider, blogger and radio personality. Much like reality TV, Snapchat provides another way to follow and watch your favourite stories, she says. But, unlike TV, the content found on the platform takes place in real-time.

“It’s a great way for customers or fans to watch what goes on behind the scenes [and] what happens with their favourite products or brands,” says Schneider. She explains that a large part of the 10-second video format’s appeal is that the content might not be seen anywhere else.

Are you a Snapchat fan? Are there any South African brands you follow? Let us know in the comments below.