Jill Kurtz, Owner, Kurtz Digital StrategyWith the recent IPO, Snap and it’s Snapchat platform are making a lot of news. Wondering how to use Snapchat for your business? Here are some thoughts.Snapchat is a viable social media marketing tool for businesses. Consider these statistics:

• 65% of Snapchat users upload their own photos daily.
• On any given day, Snapchat reaches 41% of all 18 to 34 year-olds in the United States.
• Snapchat has 10 billion daily video views hourly

First, join the community.Download the app to your smartphone or tablet and set up your business profile. If possible, match your Snapchat name to your other social media handles. Use the same imagery and branding message that you use elsewhere online. Consistency helps your impact across all the channels you use.Share your handle.A nuance of Snapchat is that you must know someone’s exact handle in order to follow them – there’s no on-platform search functionality. This means you need to do everything you can to help people find you. List your account ID everywhere.Post what your audience wants.As with all social channels, you need to understand what your target audience is looking for and share content that meets those expectations and needs. Some ideas:Behind the scenes content

• Pictures that are fun and engaging
• Videos
• Exclusive content, including information and offers

[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]