When Snapchat released the Snap Maps update back in 2017, checking out what your friends are up too (or stalking your crush, or low-key avoiding people) was just a pinch away.
If you’re not familiar with the feature, everything you need to know about Snap Maps can be found here.
As with any feature, however, comes an additional means for you to engage with your fanbase and optimize your online presence.
Here are four ways content creators and marketers can use Snap Maps to help increase engagement, grow their audience and online presence.
Identify Trends “Real Time”
We love this feature.
If you open up Snap Maps (go on, we’ll wait), you’ll notice these small little ‘hotspots’ signaling areas that are heating up in activity.
Clicking on this reveals all subsequent Snapchat stories. See where we’re going with this?
Staying abreast with real-time trends is something most businesses and content creators alike often struggle with, forcing you to employ numerous external tools and expend a ton of money.
Snap Maps makes it a whole lot easier to find out what’s popular right now – and all from the screen of your mobile device.
Organize Meet and Greets (And Promote Them!)
As always, treat it like you would any other event, make sure you’ve made necessary preparations i.e. safety, logistics, agenda, etc prior.
Host Competitions and Challenges on Snap Maps
Let’s be real, great content is an essential building block for any page, but anyone who has been at this for over a day know what’s the quickest way towards a growing a following…..giveaways!
Snap Maps just provides another avenue to make things a little more fun and creative.
Example, have people partake in challenges or Treasure Hunt’s in particular locations (nothing illegal of course), business could turn their own venues into hotspots. Think back to Pokemon Go!
Evaluate Your Event
One of the best ways to see if your event is successful and engaging (apart from the regular eye test) on and offline is ‘social media’.
Are people posting about it, do they think it’s worthy of being on their respective feeds.
As annoying as it may be for the passerby, the stuff that goes online is great user generated content and amplifies reach and credibility far beyond the confines of the venue.
So, the next time you’re hosting an event, incentivize people to go online and check repeatedly if your location starts ‘heating up’.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo credit: Shutterstock.
