Snapchat has always been a bit difficult for smaller businesses to utilize on a regular basis due to its limited organic reach, 24-hour limit of content on the platform, and difficulty to directly connect with users.
At least one of those problems, connecting directly with users, has crumbled a little with the introduction of user-created links for Snapchat posts.
Instagram will begin rolling out an update that will add some very Snapchat-like features in coming weeks.
Of course, Instagram isn’t saying publicly that they are copying one of Snapchat’s best features, but they are. And, hey, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. Social media platforms have always borrowed ideas from each other in an effort to stay relevant.
Snapchat. You’ve heard about it. You probably thought, at least for a little bit, that it was only for sending racy pictures.
But, now all of your employees are using it. Your mom is using it. Your 10-year-old daughter is using it (under adult supervision.)
So, what the heck is Snapchat and why are so many people using it and how can it help you, the small business owner?
Social media trends are important because the easier it is for users to get involved, the easier it is for businesses to get them involved.
For example, if you’re in the retail space and your main demographic is women aged 35 to 55 years of age, Pinterest is going to be a good spot for you to share some of your product links. Why? Because women aged 35 to 55 years of age seem to enjoy Pinterest.
The Lehigh Valley is home to anywhere between 700,000 and 850,000 depending on your interpretation of where the valley begins and ends. Trust us, that’s not an argument you actually care to take up on social media. So, let’s just agree that it’s more than 700,000 and less than 900,000.
Regardless, it’s a lot of people. The Lehigh Valley is the largest growing area in the state and one of the largest on the East Coast. We’re totally popular and cool and it’s time to start acting like it.
This article isn’t about sentiments, but it’s time to start getting over the whole “The Lehigh Valley is boring” and “There aren’t any jobs” and “We need to go to NYC or Philly to find true innovation” examples.
Simply put, and with examples you can easily find yourself, the Lehigh Valley is an area that has every right to be on the cutting edge of social media innovation. So, that being said, here are a few ways you can expect social media in the area to change as we go through 2016 and beyond.
Snapchat is quickly becoming one of the most popular social media apps and networks due in part to its “decaying media” feature. For the newbie snappers, pictures you send to your friends or post online only stay there for 24 hours (or right after your friends have viewed them) and then they are gone forever (unless you decide to save them on your own.)
Learn a bit about emerging social media platforms, including Periscope, Snapchat, and Instagram video.
