Snapchat and TikTok: Social Media Marketing Trends for Gen Z and Millennials

As marketers staying abreast with the latest social media marketing trends to stay ahead in the competition is a given. However, the dynamic nature of social media makes it challenging to keep up with the latest trends. With Snapchat and TikTok taking over the social lives of the youth, here are a few tips to help you market differently before you miss the bus.

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Social media presents numerous opportunities for marketers to reach out to their target audience. But, it’s ever-evolving, ephemeral nature also poses significant challenges. Therefore, it is important to stay a step ahead and identify upcoming social media marketing trends and champion them before they pass.

Let’s first understand why Snapchat and TikTok deserve your attention apart from other popular social media marketing platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Learn More: The 5 Social Media Platforms Shaping 2019

Why Should Marketers Take Notice of Snapchat and TikTok?

Snapchat is one platform that ‘feels different’. You can exchange diverse content such as videos or images (snaps), stories, stickers, audio and video notes with specific people. Since the interaction is restricted to your followers, you can expect a high degree of engagement with your target audience. Snapchat has a younger audience with 71 percent of users under the age of 34.

With video content emerging as the favorite form of content on the internet, TikTok, a short form video platform (previously known as Musical.ly) has fast gained popularity among young users (66 % of users are under 30). TikTok is an engaging platform where everyone can create (or edit) and binge-watch videos. So, you can whip up an enticing piece of short-form content without using any specialized tools and much of your time. The unpolished, raw videos appear more authentic and hence more appealing to the younger audience.

If your audience falls in the above-mentioned demographics, Snapchat and TikTok should become a part of your marketing strategy. If Gen Z and Millennials are your target audience, you have to run innovative campaigns on these platforms to build your user base and following.

Now, let’s find out how you can market with Snapchat and TikTok.

Learn More: Snapchat Announces Chat 2.0 with Multiple New Features for Social Communication

The Latest Social Media Marketing Trends with Snapchat and TikTok

Here are four ways to delight your audience with authentic content and innovative campaigns.

1. Influencer Marketing to Create a Buzz
 

When you rope in influencers, your audience connects to them immediately, helping you create a buzz among a demographic that would have otherwise been difficult to reach through traditional media.

Partnering with influencers and letting them “take over” your account for a day, is a great way to be discovered by new users (followers of your partner influencer) and also keeps your current audience engaged.

Influencer marketing campaigns on TikTok are still fairly new, so you have tremendous potential there. It is inexpensive and uncluttered compared to influencer marketing on other social media platforms with less noise and competition to build up the influencer community.

Both Snapchat and TikTok offer fun and informal means to share content, which makes it more authentic and drives spontaneous expression. This is exactly what you need to capture the elusive attention of the present generation of users.

2. User-Generated Content to Drive Engagement
 

Probably, the most effective way to attract your target audience is to ask them to generate content for you. User-Generated Content (UGC) motivates your audience to use your products, learn more about your brand, and interact with you, therefore resulting in high engagement.

With Snapchat, you can get users to share their snaps, images, or videos while using your products. You can also integrate content with branded Snapchat Geo-Filters to capture audience interest and wider audiences. For instance, you can ask your followers to submit a community geo-filter for your product launch or you can buy an on-demand geo-filter to promote the grand opening of your business in an area and inspire your customers to share their in-store experiences on Snapchat using these branded geo-filters.

Video challenges on TikTok are a great way to let the audience show their creative side and tap into their love for videos. Get an influencer to kick-off the challenge and then encourage users to share their videos. Giving out special offers, freebies or discounts to winners will further spike engagement levels.

3. Snapchat Stories to Build Anticipation
 

Snapchat stories are a great way to offer your audience a glimpse into what you do, your products and services. For example, you can post stories about behind the scenes or a regular day in your office, have a spontaneous interview, educate or inform your followers about how to use your products and so on.

Snapchat stories live for 24 hours so it is a great way to release teasers or sneak peeks into an upcoming launch. The trick is to divulge little details with each story and build up excitement.

4. Viral TikTok Videos - A New Opportunity
 

Known for short, funny videos, viral videos are the highlight of TikTok. It, therefore, holds tremendous potential to drive low-cost viral campaigns.

You can create interesting, genuine and spontaneous videos to blend into the platform. Also, dabble with creative, light-hearted content to promote your brand. If you’re a brand that has always been prim and proper, it’s time to take on a slightly different, playful identity to reach your target on their most preferred platform.

Learn More: The Gloves Are Off: How Snapchat And Amazon Won the First Round

Wrapping Up

There you have it! Snapchat and Tiktok are fairly new but are taking the internet by storm. Marketers need to jump on this trend to stay relevant, especially if your target audience comprises of Millennials and Gen Z.

Although Snapchat and Tiktok haven’t been around long, they have surpassed the likes of Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and are ranking on 3 and 4 respectively on the AppStore, reported TechCrunch.

While advertising options with Snapchat are many (and exorbitant), TikTok isn’t monetized yet. But to market differently, it’s necessary to get onto Snapchat and TikTok. The first step would be to partner with influencers in your niche and tread carefully with creative and compelling content to fully leverage these platforms.

Have some thoughts or questions about marketing on Snapchat or TikTok? Catch us on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.