You made your Snapchat account and have started sharing some creative content. There’s only one problem…

You don’t have any followers.

Snapchat is unlike any other social platform in that it does not have a native search feature. You can’t find other users in the app unless you know someone’s specific username, have their Snapcode, or have their phone number in your address book.

Growing a following on Snapchat can be difficult, but using your current audiences for promotion makes it easier.

While you don’t yet have a following on Snapchat, it’s likely you have a social following elsewhere. By taking advantage of the audiences that you have worked so hard to build on other channels, you’ll have a Snapchat following in no time!

In this blog post I’ll provide some easy, actionable tips to promote your Snapchat account and grow a following.

1. Use the network you know the best — your email list!

I bet you saw that one coming.

Your contacts signed up for your email list because they want to hear from your business. They are likely to connect with you on other social channels, such as Snapchat, because they’re already your most devoted followers.

In your next email campaign, make sure your subscribers know you’re on Snapchat. Be sure to include your username, a brief description of why your readers should follow you, and what they can expect from your Snapchat story — such as coupons or behind-the-scenes footage.

(You can find inspiration for what to post on Snapchat in my previous post.)

2. Share your Snapcode on social media

Do you remember QR Codes? Short for Quick Response Code, QR Codes took the marketing world by storm in 2009. Popular for their fast readability and ability to share information, they were used, and over-used, in marketing to allow users to open URLs or access bonus content.

Although QR Codes aren’t as popular as they once were, Snapchat has taken the QR code and made it cool again.

Known as Snapcodes, the yellow ghost images can be used to easily add users on Snapchat. You can find your unique Snapcode by signing into your Snapchat account and clicking on the ghost icon at the top center of the screen.

Tap on the code and choose the download button in the top right corner. This will allow you to share your Snapcode via Message, Mail, Notes, Twitter, Facebook, or other social networks you may have connected to your device. You can also save the image to your photos.

snapchat promotion gif

Try customizing your Snapcode to include a series of photos. This is a great way to make sure your unique code fits your brand’s image. Once a user sees your Snapcode, they can easily add you as a friend by opening Snapchat on their phone and pointing their camera at the code.

When the user taps on the screen, the app will read the code and automatically add the profile connected to that Snapcode. The user can also save your Snapcode to their photos and add it using the “Add by Snapcode” option. The app will confirm that the user has been added to your friends list with a success message at the top of the screen.

By sharing this code on your social networks, you are bringing your account directly to new users and inspiring them to add you with little effort on their part.

Brown Distributing, a beverage distribution business serving craft beer and specialty imports in south Florida, shared their Snapcode on Twitter with this clever Tweet:

Hey friends! We are live on @Snapchat, so make sure to follow us @ BrownDistFL to see all the madness ? #craftbeer pic.twitter.com/qHmb36scZc

— Brown Distributing (@FreshBeer) January 15, 2016

Another way to share your Snapcode is on Instagram. Carlos Gil shares his in this fun image and includes what followers can expect in his caption (as well as relevant hashtags!):

 

If you enjoy storytelling on Snapchat, scan this code and follow TheCarlosGil. Plus, drop your username in the comments for a follow back! ?

A photo posted by Snapchat: TheCarlosGil (@carlosgil83) on

Carlos has more great ideas, tips, and tricks for using Snapchat on his site, Snapchat.Tips

3. Repurpose your content

While your content will only live on Snapchat for a day, who says it ever has to disappear? Some people may see Snapchat’s “24 hour” shelf life as a disadvantage, but it can be a great opportunity to repurpose your content and really get creative.

Saving your Snapchat story as individual photos/videos or one all-in-one video will allow you to share your content even if they are not yet following you on Snapchat. Especially when you’re first getting started with Snapchat, this is a great way to provide teaser content and build a following. Even as you gain a following, it’s a great way to get more out of your content.

Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia, shares his Snapchat videos on Twitter to give his followers a sneak peek of his #SnapchatSecrets.

#SnapchatSecrets time ??? pic.twitter.com/SeSLvs0aGv — Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) January 12, 2016

4. Add your Snapchat username to your bio

One of the easiest tips for promoting your Snapchat account is to add your Snapchat username to your social media bios. Keeping your username consistent across each social channel is a great way to make sure your fans can find you easily. However, if you have different handles for your accounts, be sure to address that.

For example, Michael Stelzner, founder of Social Media Examiner, has different handles for Twitter and Snapchat: @Mike_Stelzner and mikestelzner, respectively.

Michael Stelzner bio image

He makes this clear by adding his Snapchat username to his bio:
Even if your social media usernames are the same, including your Snapchat username in your bio lets your followers know that you are on the channel.

5. Offer deals in exchange for followers

People will be most enticed to follow you on Snapchat if they know that they are going to get something out of it. Most of your fans/customers will follow you if you offer nothing more than great content. However, offering an exclusive deal will make sure those stragglers convert to followers.

NV Concepts, a Massachusetts-based entertainment company, provides their followers with the opportunity to win tickets if they follow their Snapchat account:

Who wants to win @tiesto and @Jauzofficial @WinterWhiteTour tickets? Follow us on @snapchat and find out how… pic.twitter.com/D7RSfEfYIq — NV Concepts (@NVConcepts) January 8, 2016

For your small business, consider offering a reward to your followers. If a customer presents their mobile device at checkout to show they are following your Snapchat account, offer a small free item — like a sticker or a pen — or even something bigger like a discount on their purchase. These rewards depend on your business, but no matter what industry you are in, your customers will enjoy being rewarded for their loyalty.

6. Use the Add Nearby feature

In July 2015, Snapchat released the Add Nearby feature. To use Add Nearby, two users must go to the Add Friends setting and choose Add Nearby. This feature uses your location to find and add Snapchatters who are also on the Add Nearby screen.

This feature is a great way to quickly and easily add users in-person, such as at your cash register or an event.

Image courtesy of Snapchat

Once you have followers, make sure you keep them.

Use these creative tips to keep your followers excited or explore Snapchat’s geofilter to keep them engaged!

Happy Snapping!

Check out how we are using Snapchat —  follow us!

constant contact snapchat image

Talk to successful veterans of the startup world and one piece of advice most will give you is to launch your startup early.

Let’s unpack this a little. There are three possible times to launch your startup:

  • Early,
  • Right on time, or
  • Late

We can eliminate “late” as a good option because, by definition, it’s a mistake to launch late. We can also eliminate “right on time” because you can never really know this until much later down the line…if at all.

That only leaves the option of launching early.

Before we go further, let’s talk about what an early launch is. The way I’m using the term, it means that not everything is in place.

For example, if you’re launching a service that will ultimately be automated via software, during an early launch you might use people power in place of developing all the software. In other words, you haven’t burned through all your development money yet.

With that background, let’s look at some of the advantages gained by an early launch:

1. You learn the market.

No matter how much market research you do, there is no substitute for actually being in the market. Imagine the benefit of directly asking rooms full of people if they would buy your product and how much they would be willing to pay. Until they are actually faced with the prospect of money coming out of their bank accounts, you won’t really be able to gauge their interest.

With an early startup launch you can get a real sense of what the market will bear, and because you haven’t spent all your development money yet (hopefully) you’ll be better positioned to take the next steps and make adjustments.

2. You get great feedback.

Not only will you get an understanding of how price-sensitive your market is, you’ll quickly find out what product or service features are popular and which are a waste of your resources.

This will help you tailor your offering to exactly fit what your customers or clients want. You’ll also avoid wasting money developing features that don’t increase the desirability or value of your product.

3. You suffer fewer financial pressures.

The first two points both illustrate the fact that an early launch saves you money. In those examples, I’ve implied that you have received startup funds from some source.

Frankly, we all know that the source of those funds might be your savings account, charge cards, or even a mortgage on your home. Let’s consider a worst-case scenario for a moment. (It’s painful, but always a necessary exercise.) If you do an early launch and the only response you get from the market is the sound of crickets on a warm summer night, you can pull the plug early.

The longer you wait to launch your startup, the more money you will have invested and the more difficult it will be to walk away from your startup. Let’s be honest: Sometimes walking away is the smartest thing you can do. It often takes entrepreneurs a few tries to become successful.

4. You beat the competition to market.

This is, of course, one of the biggest advantages of pushing your startup to an early launch. Every day you delay gives your competition an additional opportunity to be the first one to market.

Think about those little grains of sand that drop from the top to the bottom of the hourglass. You want more sand left in the top of the hourglass than your competitor.

What are you waiting for?

If you’re considering your first startup, remember that you’ll never have all your ducks in a row. Startup marketing initiatives may help you get enough of them lined up so you can bring a minimum viable product to market. Once it’s out there, the next steps you need to take will be much clearer.

Pondering “When is it best to launch?” is something that every entrepreneur does, and it’s natural to be anxious about launching too soon. Consider these advantages of launching early, and above all, always stay focused on the customer relationships you’re creating.

By taking early customers along on your journey, you’ll inspire loyalty that lasts long after your launch.

Find more small business advice from Susan here.

One of the best things about using an email marketing service to do your email marketing is that you can create awesome-looking emails even if you don’t consider yourself an expert designer.

With customizable newsletter templates and drag and drop editing, you can create emails that follow email design best practices, match your brand, and make your business look professional in any inbox.

Check out this email design example from Massachusetts burger restaurant, Tasty Burger:

Anniversary - Tasty Burger

Or this one from Wisconsin coffee company Door County Coffee:

Welcome - DCC

Or any of these awesome-looking emails from Constant Contact customers.

But even though email marketing services, like Constant Contact, make it super simple to create emails that look great, there are still some important design best practices you need to be aware of. Even small design mistakes, which are easy to fix, can have a big impact on whether or not someone pays attention to your emails.

To help you avoid possible setbacks, here are 7 design mistakes to watch out for:

1. Ignoring mobile

More than half of all emails are now read on a mobile device. This means that your message needs to look great on any device, regardless of the size of the screen your audience is using.

The easiest way to look great in the mobile inbox is to make the switch to a mobile-responsive template. These templates have built-in technology that allows your email to adapt to the size of the screen a reader is using and reorganize the content so that it displays effectively.

But even if you aren’t using a responsive template, remember that people read and interact with your emails differently on a smaller screen. Make sure you have a clear and concise message, and follow these five steps to make your emails look great on mobile.

2. Forgetting about branding

People should be able to immediately recognize your business when your email arrives in the inbox. This will help you better connect with your email readers and make your business look professional in the inbox.

Here are three easy ways to brand your emails:

  • Be consistent with logo & branding colors: Your logo should be positioned at the top of your email and the colors you use should fit your brand.
  • Use images of your business, products, and people: Include real images that show the work that you’re doing every day.
  • Use consistent language: Use a consistent tone in the content that you write.

3. Using hard-to-read fonts

Adding too many different fonts will make your emails look messy and distract readers from the message you’re trying to get across. Avoid using more than two different fonts in the emails you send out.

When choosing fonts you have the choice between Serif and Sans Serif fonts. Serif fonts are considered to be more traditional and are identified by the small curls at the end of each letter.

choosing a font image

When you’re creating content that will be seen online, use Sans Serif fonts because they are easier to read than serif fonts. Try using common fonts such as Arial, Helvetica, or Verdana. These fonts are highly legible and compatible with many other less standard fonts.

Other considerations for fonts:

  • Font size: Use 22-24pt for header text and 12-16pt for body copy.
  • Amount of text: Constant Contact recently found that 20 lines of text results in the highest click-through rates.

4. Adding the wrong colors

Using too many colors can be distracting and make your emails look unprofessional.

Colors that are off brand and unrecognizable to the people who know your business can cause confusion and lead people to ignore or delete your messages.

Instead, try to stick to 2-3 colors that align with your brand.

Don’t know your exact brand colors? Tools like Color Cop for PC users, or Digital Color Meter for Macs, allow you to pull the RGB or Hex value of the colors on your website or in your logo. You can then enter these values into your Constant Contact account and we’ll provide the colors that match.

5. Forgetting to organize

People scan emails and make snap decisions about whether the message is relevant to them. If you want your emails to connect with your audience, you need to make sure your content is well organized and laid out so that it’s easy to read.

Ideally, you’ll have one primary piece of information you want to get across to your audience and no more than 2-3 secondary messages. Your primary message should be the first thing people see when opening your email newsletter.

Start with a short header message that sets up the content people are about to read. The copy that follows should be clear and concise. Replace lengthy paragraphs with quick sentences that let people know what you’re doing, why it’s important to them, and what action you’d like them to take.

6. Not using (or misusing) images

Your email should have an eye catching image that pulls the reader in and makes them want to pay attention.

You can upload your own photos — of your staff, products, or place of business. Or select a stock photo that supports your message and fits your brand.

Be careful not to overload your email with too many images. A recent analysis of more than 2 million Constant Contact customer emails found that emails with 3 or fewer images result in the highest click-through rate.

7. Not adding relevant links and buttons

Your email should include at least one relevant link to drive people back to your online properties — like your website, blog, or social media profiles.

Be careful not to overcrowd your emails too many links. A recent analysis of Constant Contact customer emails found that after 5-7 links, additional links result in minimal additional click-throughs.

When including a link to your website, be sure to drive people to the most relevant page for the action you want them to take. For example, if you want someone to purchase a product, send them to that product page and not your site’s homepage.

Are you making any of these mistakes?

Don’t panic. All it takes is a few simple tweaks to update your design and make your emails look great. By making small changes to the design of your emails, you’ll have more people reading and interacting with your emails and a better return from your email marketing investment.

Log into your Constant Contact account to put these tips to work.