Chris Mikulin stopped by #bufferchat on November 11th to share his insights about using Snapchat as a strategic tool. We had an awesome chat all about when, where, why and how to use it to engage with your audience/community and beyond! Check out the recap below for (almost) all you need to know about Snapchat!
Catch our weekly Twitter chat, #bufferchat, every week on Wednesdays, 9 am PT/Noon ET/4 pm GMT, for valuable industry insights and networking with nearly 400 other smart marketers and community managers.

*As a note, Chris updated his Twitter handle from @caribou_chris to @cmikulin!
Why should we (individuals or companies) use Snapchat?
From Chris:
- The data doesn’t lie:
@Snapchat has 100+ million daily active users, plus 5 billion videos are viewed everyday! - Over 60% of smartphone users between 13-34 in the US are on
@Snapchat. 77% of them are over 18, so it’s not just teens. - Snapchat is a great platform for building brand loyalty, storytelling and having one-on-one interactions with your audience.
- It’s a fun way for brands to show their authentic selves and not worry about creating high production value content.
- Many worry about disappearing content, but it’s a positive – it gives your audience a reason to check back, tune in & engage.
From the community:
- “For academia, Snapchat is a great way to engage, directly, with the pre-college and college age students!” @bookofcara
- “Snapchat gives insight into behind the scenes/things happening “right now”/what a company is up to…fun & fast!” @cateelise
- “
@Snapchat adds variety to the mix of content we share across all channels. It’s fun, spontaneous, and very humanizing.” @NatalieBergen - “Snapchat captures memories & can be a great way to share who you are & what your company is about.” @HouseofKTS
- “Snapchat allows brands to reach into the very heart of the millennial generation PROVIDED they do so with tact.” @raffeg
See all the great answers to question 1 here!
What makes a good snap?
From Chris:
- I always recommend being your true authentic self.
- The more real, authentic & gritty your content feels, the more likely your audience is to see it as genuine & approachable.
- It also really depends on the person/brand. For us behind the scenes or just random funny things I think of do well.
- A good snap is one that can tell a story & capture an emotion. Connect with your audience, predict what they want to see.
From the community:
- “The best kind of
#snap? Make me wish I was there with you.” @lafitara - “Setting, Subject, and Story are the ingredients of a good snap.
@benfigo delivers this almost daily.” @tigga7d6 - “Capturing a moment that was unplanned + timed just right because the unexpected is what attracts the eye and emotion.” @foodsheblogged
- Quick wit! You have to be fast, and people won’t mind a 10sec interruption to their day if it makes them smile.” @formerlyvodak
- “Take advantage of Snapchat filters/features in funny ways. A friend live-snapped the GOP debate with the new Lenses!” @cateelise
See all the great answers to question 2 here!
What are some great ways to engage with others on Snapchat?
From Chris:
- A great way to engage with your audience is by just asking them a question. It’s as simple as that.
- We do ‘focus group’ questions where we ask people to screenshot their favourite colors …
- And since Snapchat records screenshots we’re able to see what colors are popular so that we know what to order next.
- Other great ways are hosting Q&A’s and fielding questions from your audience, art contests, scavenger hunts. Just have fun!
From the community:
- “Trivias! Snap the questions w/ ABC answers and ask people to screenshot the correct answer.” @sabcruzb
- “I like it when people have questions I can respond to, it often starts a great dialogue!” @LizaTaitBailey
- “one way is by responding to snaps via story-
@lolojones does this often. Snapstories are short vlogs.” @psomebody - “Snaps can be a fun and interactive way to cross-promote other platforms” @AlexFromMT
- “I like snaps that invite the user to screenshot the image. It brings them into your snapchat.” @Josewats
See all the great answers to question 3 here!
Should we measure engagement on Snapchat? How can we do that?
From Chris:
- Snapchat doesn’t make analytics easy, but there are a few easy ways that you can track your performance.
- If I was smart I would have created a Google Doc spreadsheet the day I created my account. Here’s what you can measure …
- Number of followers (track names/date), avg views, retention rate (% of views of your first snap vs last snap), screenshots.
- Since you can also see who views your snaps try to keep an eye on who engages the most and engage back.
- This ebook by
@Delmondo covers everything you need to know about Snapchat analytics: http://delmondo.co/snapchat-analytics-ebook/ …
From the community:
- “Not in the way others do it. I say conversations and comments should be more important than views. That is true engagement.” @tigga7d6
- “Tough one; views count doesn’t actually mean they saw everything. Some people just want to kill the notification.” @sabcruzb
- “One good measurement is Story Fallout Ration, or, the difference in views between the first snap in the story and the rest” @northcuttHQ
- “I’m going to stick my neck out here. We SHOULDN’T be measuring snapchat, it’s spontaneous nature means data can be hindering.” @Berngaming
- “Yes! It’s still a process of finding the right way. Tracking views, screenshots, and replays is a good place to start.” @StoreCoach
See all the great answers to question 4 here!
What are some great resources for learning more about Snapchat?
From Chris:
- One of the podcasts I recommend to people who are new to Snapchat is w/
@garyvee and@shonduras: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/snapchat-marketing-with-gary-vaynerchuk-and-shaun-mcbride/ … - My friend
@benfigo has curated the most comprehensive list of Snapchat articles around. Checkout: https://medium.com/snapchat-strategy … - I definitely recommend following
@nickcicero. Turn on mobile notifications for him to stay up to date that’s what I do. lol - A lot of the main blogs such as
@smexaminer,@socialmedia2day,@adweek,@mashable and@socialtimes always post great stuff. - WHAT SHE SAID >>>
@OperAmericano (one of the top Snapchat influencers in the industry)
From the community:
- “Follow
@benfigo on Twitter and enjoy his Snapchat stories & wisdom. Other than that – just try it!” @mjankovich - “This is the BIBLE –> http://bit.ly/GuideToSnapchat ” @vincenzolandino
- “SC can be learned from people you admire. Here’s a good site to find them: http://www.snapchat.codes” @raygcreative
- “The way to learn is to use it: check out other snaps; discover stories. There’s no strict guideline–totally free-form!” @riabcruz
- “Check out
@SMExaminer for some great snapchat tips!” @ListingDepot
See all the great answers to question 5 here!
What companies or individuals are nailing and crushing it on Snapchat?
From Chris:
- My favourite Snapchat accounts to follow are brandenharvey, salliasnap, Shonduras, figoamericano, wtfrankie, diplo, emgarber
- They’re consistent, interesting, fun, and understand how to get the most of the platform. Huge influences for me!
- Brands that are really crushing it on Snapchat IMO are natgeo, redbull, cocacola, mashable, shortyawards, webad (ripndip)
- I really enjoy what these brands are doing. They take risks + they’re true to the platform & always bring me back for more.
- Definitely keep an eye on
@Delmondo, all of the creators/brands that they work with are doing AMAZING things! Love them!
From the community:
- “Ones I follow and love:
@HuffingtonPost,@CBSNews, and@Misshattan (she’s in Dubai!). Always good content!” @sabcruzb - “I don’t follow companies but my favorite is Hannahbgood, she’s a blogger and she curates her day so effortlessly.” @QueenReesa
- “
@Starbucks wins at snaps. Their Snap stories feel like snaps from friends and not from a giant corporation” @riabcruz - “
@mashable,@funnyordie,@VSPINK,@NyxCosmetics. They know their audience and how to interact with them.” @cindymedran0 - “
@Cosmopolitan is for sure killing it on@Snapchat!” @itsagreenthingg
See all the great answers to question 6 here!
Here’s a fun one! Save a photo/video from Snapchat and share it with us!
From Chris:
- JUST FOR FUN
- You can find me on Snapchat here, just snap or screenshot to add me.
From the community:
- “How about I share an entire story? http://vervid.com/tv/ZwyaNAw” @benfigo
- “From 40th Anniversary of Bohemian Rhapsody day
#bufferchat (I wasn’t driving)” @ohiosocialmom - “It’s my bday and a
#bufferchat – how awesome is that!” @djksar
See all the great answers to question 7 here!
Thank you so much to everyone who joined in on this great chat!
Catch #bufferchat each Wednesday at 9 am Pacific/12 pm Eastern.
Do you have any comments or answers to these questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!
Image sources: UnSplash