Creating an engaging and effective Snapchat story
Since its launch, Snapchat has transformed from being a simple instant messaging platform to so much more. They introduced the ‘Snapchat story’ feature in 2013 – which offered a much broader opportunity for organisations to get involved and gain an idea of how engaged their followers are.
Snapchat now hosts its own media platform, where media outlets from around the globe can create digital content to target their younger audiences. Buzzfeed has estimated that 21% of the company’s traffic originates from their content on Snapchat.
Snapchat can be a daunting app to try out, as many are unsure about how to use it properly or find it difficult to see the potential, but the opportunities to create visually engaging content are vast. And with 100 million daily active users, 71% of which are below 34 years old, it can’t be ignored any longer.
One of the easiest ways for an institution to use Snapchat is by creating a Snapchat story, by which you collate together a selection of snaps to create whatever narrative you want. Snapchat stories last 24 hours and can be watched as many times within that 24 hours as your followers wish.
But how can you make your Snapchat story really great?
One of our office dogs Dusty kindly agreed to take part in our Snapchat story demonstration (prepare yourselves for cuteness and impressive doodles).
A fluffy dog sings into a microphone emoji proudly.
A tiny dog wears a crown emoji elegantly.
Mix it up
The best Snapchat stories have a strong narrative which will keep your followers watching. This makes it the perfect tool for promotion of an event such as an open day or graduation.
Keep your story engaging by using a mixture of video and still images. Try to play around with the amount of time your snaps are displayed for, as this will keep your followers interested and they will stay with your story. If all of your snaps last 10 seconds, your followers might switch off.
Run quick Q&As
Use of the video feature and the 10 second time limit can offer up great opportunities for quick and concise Q+As with students or staff members at your institution. This is useful for prospective students following you in particular, as they will gain an insight into university life and won’t need to spend too much time trying to find this information elsewhere.
A dog asleep in a dog bed with a ‘zzz’ emoji floating above her head.
An doodle of a burger surrounding a dog’s head, with the caption “one Dusty burger please”.
Go ‘behind the scenes’
Due to its personal nature as a platform, Snapchat provides an opportunity for you to show your followers what happens ‘behind the scenes’ at your institution. Use the different facilities you have to your advantage, for example do a tour of the fitness centre or the library and gain insights from members of staff who work there.
I approached Dusty for comment about life as an office dog at Pickle Jar Communications, but she was otherwise engaged:
Doodle and use emoji/stickers
Make use of the doodle feature on your snaps. If you want to draw attention to something I particular, you can draw over your snap to make sure it stands out. This is also a great chance for you to get creative. Use your corporate colours in your doodles to keep consistency with your brand. Also, where appropriate, use the emoji and stickers to add a little extra to your snap.
You can play around with the text in your snap adjusting the size and colour. Move the text around when you are creating your snap and try to use terminology that will resonate with the student audience – Snapchat is not the platform for formality.
A doodle of a tie, hat and pipe fit onto a tiny dog, with a caption “Today’s office OOTD”.
A happy person surrounded by three dogs, with the caption “#squadgoals”.
Most importantly, have fun with your Snapchat story, try something different every now and then and keep an eye on your views, as this is the only way (currently) to measure your engagement. There is also an option to download your complete story if you want to share it on other channels.
Also, if there is a cute animal at your disposal, it will always make for a great snap.
Start telling your stories over Snapchat, you won’t regret it.
For some great examples of universities using Snapchat stories, take a look at our directory of UK universities using ther platform. A few of our personal favourites are Newcastle University (newcastleuni) and US-based University of Michigan (UofMichigan).
If you would like more advice on how to use Snapchat for your institution, please get in touch.