Advertising
What excites you most about the work you are doing this week? What challenges did you encounter this week?
Advertising is key to the success of any startup. Wyncode was already active on Instragram, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and GitHub (a coding website) but it lacked a Snapchat account. I asked permission to create one for the company. What resulted has made the last few days incredibly interesting.
For those who don’t know, Snapchat is a hugely popular app among 15-30 year olds. It allows you to share pictures and videos with others for a duration of a few seconds before they disappear forever. Before beginning the Wyncode snapchat I did some research on how the app might be best used for business. A Forbes article from August 2014 proved especially useful for looking at snapchat-for-marketing.
Advertisers overall have been slow to catch on to the Snapchat phenomenon and Snapchat slow to cash in on its huge potential. What this creates is an opportunity for companies like Wyncode to really write the book on how the app can be used to generate buzz and revenue.
As I have snapped the last few days there are a few things I have found that really seem to work in terms of generating interest and projecting the mission and brand of Wyncode.
Keep it fun. Snapchat is fun to use socially because it is so informal. Unlike with Instagram, your photos don’t have to be perfectly crafted shots of you and your friends. They can just be a selfie of you making a silly face. While snapping for a business does mean it needs to be a little more serious, you still need to retain a fun vibe.
Have plenty of silly pictures! Show people laughing and goofing off, hanging out, and generally looking like they like being there. (We had a puppy in the building today which made for a great shot.)
Show off the space. At Wyncode we are housed in an awesome, modern, super startup-oriented building which has free coffee and energy drinks, free trendy bikes to use, and lots of cool art. I try to highlight this in pictures to show people how connected Wyncode is with great things going on in Miami.
Advertise events. People are more likely to attend things if they are personally invited. What we have done is have some of our team leaders speak for just 5-7 seconds on-camera, personally inviting all our snapchat followers to an event.
To wrap this up, what excites me about what I worked on this week was the potential for innovation. I was able to present an idea, have it accepted, and then have it working within a few minutes. I think this shows a lot not just about the versatility and working style of the Wyncode team, but also the general approach startups have toward getting things done.
And as for challenges this past week, I would say they revolved around making sure I was in the perfect spot anytime something interesting and snap-worthy happened.