I am sure by now you have seen enough selfies with dog ears, or girls with pretty flower tiaras all over your social media. We get it, those filters seem very intriguing. Snapchat is probably one of the favourite picture messaging app for most teenagers and millennials. This app has been in the game since 2012. But 2015-16 has been legendary cause of all these filters that snapchat introduced. The downloads have been revolutionary. Millennials love it.
So what makes snapchat so great? Why is it so popular?
Snapchat is a messaging app where you can share messages, photos and videos for a 10-second time period.
Post the time frame, these messages vanish away. It’s quick and easy. The quick time frame messaging bit made snapchat really popular amongst university kids.
Snapchat is now valued at 25 Billion USD, and boasts a user base of 150 million people. Back in 2013 Facebook offered 3 Billion USD to buy Snapchat, but they denied that hefty offer back then.
Users find snapchat addictive because of the “10-second” sharing limit of the message. After the 10-second window, these messages disappear. Then there is Snapchat Story, where you can feature your story for all your followers to see. The time limit is 10 seconds as well. Apart from that, Snapchat has introduced various fun responsive filters. These filters are also event and location based. These filters are loved by most users. So much that they have changed the way selfies work.
Snapchat team has acquired over 9 companies till now to ensure the user experience and take the messaging to the next level.Snapchat features have gained a massive popularity that most apps are trying to adopt their features. These Guardian articles point out how FB has been trying to adopt the same - FB Copies Snapchat Features for the 15th Time. Recently Instagram also introduces the popular feature of stories as well. Instagram New Features Make it Look More Like Snapchat
Popularity of Snapchat amongst millennials is so high that there are tons of posts on internet decoding it for “old people”. This Medium Post has laid out the basic rules of how non-millennials can accept Snapchat. This post sums up the feelings of millennials clearly- Old people are coming for Snapchat. Head for the Hills
So another messaging App? Why do I need it?
Well yes, it is a messaging app. But it's changing the way the world communicates. The user base of Snapchat is huge. Apart from the whole ‘making-messaging-fun’ bit, we think following are two #TakeCharge pointers that you could consider:
Content Sharing & Brand Growth : Huge brands are coming on Snapchat and showcasing content. There is a massive market for advertising. Brands are investing and maintaining their accounts in order to keep users engaged. They are launching new products and getting the right kind of millennial market. There is a massive potential for your brand to grow. Be it a blog, or a product you want to sell - Snapchat will give you the right kind of market.
A great example is how Kylie Jenner used snapchat to make her lipstick brand a success on Snapchat
Jobs : Yes companies are hiring for Snapchat. Brands are looking for social media managers for Snapchat. So getting your skills right could actually land you a fun job. Here's how Goldman Sachs and Taco bell hired college-seniors using snapchat. Space 150 hired using geo filters . You can read more hiring stories here.
So spare some space on your phone, and try the app out. You never know how you could change your game.