Coming fresh off the 4th of July long weekend, I went wild with a Snapchat takeover for @WomenInTech. Huge shoutout to Sarena Bahad and the awesome community she is building.
In 6 minutes of talk time and videos, my story reached 617+ women. I had 18 emails (referrals and leads) in my inboxes across Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and email by EOD.
The business strategy behind a Snapchat takeover is brilliant. Sarena finds influential female leaders to share their life with fellow thought leaders, and anyone generally interested in our community. @WomenInTech is a platform for cohesive learning and support. The audience is growing organically and rapidly, with every takeover tapping new follower networks.
My Snapchat takeover started at 8:04AM. I gave a 10 second Betts Recruiting elevator pitch as I dried my hair. It ended at 7:49PM when I crashed on my couch to wrap up emails. Throughout the day, I made sure to cover what my company did, as well as interview tips to keep the content relevant and on brand.
For anyone interested in creating a Snapchat content strategy, or doing a takeover on someone else’s, here are my eight takeaways for making an engaging story:
1. Tell your network ahead of time
Promote your takeover (at least) 24-48 hours ahead of time. Use your LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts to engage your closest allies (friends, colleagues, family members) as the initial followers. If they find your content valuable, they’ll become your best ambassadors and help you access new networks.
2. Tell people how to reach you afterwards… more than once
Share your social handles and emails in written text (use the big, fun font!). You’d be surprised how many people will reach out. Snapchat networking is typing your contact information multiple times and letting people screenshot it.
3. Storyteller from start to finish
Many users look at Snapchat everyday (multiple times, let’s be real). “Everyone they know” is sharing visually engaging stories – both business-related and personal life. Be sure to include some non-serious elements, like how humid your New York City commute is, or a picture of the great office kitchen snacks.
4. Measure It
One way to see if your audience likes your content: The number of unique views per snap (you’ll also see every single person who viewed it). Dive into each picture and video to grab these metrics so you can test, analyze, and test again.
5. Be mindful of guest appearances (they tend to be awkward)
Snapchat stories can be VERY up close and personal, so you can assume not everyone is a natural on camera. If you want to feature a guest, be sure to vet them before going live. Some qualities I’ve seen work best are speaking clearly, energetically, and with a wide pitch range.
6. Open up
People are watching YOU, and staring you in the eye. Be authentic and build genuine relationships with your audience.
7. Cater to your audience
Betts recruits for more than just startups and tech companies. We recruit for businesses big and small – in B2B, B2C, and more – even a conflict free jewelry and leadership consulting services that are changing the world. My interview tips were applicable to any industry, but my closing call-to-action was specific to Betts’ niche in tech sales and marketing.
8. Use a storyboard if you don’t have creative bones
Try switching from still image to video to an image with text. Use fun filters to spice it up. Keep your content varied in length. Don’t leave still images for too long of time…You get the idea.
Want to see these tips in action? Click here to add Betts Recruiting on Snapchat! We’re sharing exclusive job opportunities and interview tips just for our Snapchat followers. See you there!
This post was originally published on LinkedIn.