By Jill Kurtz, Owner, Kurtz Digital StrategyDid you know that as of 2015, 36% of Americans age 18-24 have a Snapchat account? The number of uses continues to grow and they are getting older.This year, the White House and many brands have gotten on board. Snapchat is the #1 app for Apple phones and the number of video views is close to traffic on Facebook.It’s time that those of us who want to effectively communicate and market online consider SnapChat. It’s clearly not just for teenagers anymore!Why Use Snapchat?

• Reach target audience
• Establish yourself as an expert
• Tell your story and create visibility for your brand
• Share news
• Provide customer service
• Ideas to Get you Started

Brands have had success using the organic (free) tactics of offering promotions and contests, allowing a user to takeover the account for a period if time, and sharing behind the scenes content. Paid opportunities include setting up geofilters for specific periods of time, custom lenses, and ads.The key is to share content that is entertaining and engaging and supports the story you want to share with users. Always keep your target audience in mind.Don’t be afraid to play around. The best way to learn what works is to try several things and gage interactions and reactions. Make sure to give everything you try enough time and repetitions to get an insightful sense of what works well for you and your audience.[author]About the Author: Jill Kurtz founded Kurtz Digital Strategy to help clients see the communication potential of the newest trends and technologies. She is an expert at website strategy and redesign, social media planning, and developing exceptional content.[/author]