6 Reasons Snapchat Will Own 2016

2016 is shaping up to be a big year for Snapchat, which has already seen massive user growth across a broad swath of demographics, meaning now is a good time for artists to start taking advantage of some of Snapchat's underutilized features.

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Guest post by Jesse Kirshbaum of the Nue Agency

As 2016 continues to roll, it’s becoming pretty clear that it’s going to be a huge year for Snapchat. Even though I’ve been a user for a few years, I’ve been starting to have a lot of fun on the platform as my community grows and engages more and more. I’m noticing a few things I want to share:

1. Snapchat is poised to win this year as it appears to be gearing toward a 2016 IPO. At a 10 billion + valuation in 4 short year’s that’s beyond big business. It took Facebook 8 year’s to IPO just to put that into perspective.
2. Snapchat’s engagement is also way up. To give some context back in April 40 million people tuned into the Coachella story. That’s way more than the live stream or any other platform and Snapchat is seeing an averaging of seven billion mobile views per day.
3. The audience is aging up. Meaning, it’s where millennials have been communicating regularly, but now it’s clearly gaining more traction in other demo’s. “Over the last year in the U.S., Snapchat added 25-to-34-year-old users (103%) and older-than-35 users (84%) faster than 18-to-24-year-old users (56%), according to measurement firm Comscore. Snapchat’s own data now peg 12% of its nearly 50 million daily users in the U.S. as 35 to 54.” [LATimes]
4. The stories are useful, but direct messages are the best way to use the medium. It’s really not about how many followers you have, it’s all about how you communicate with your community. I personally try to respond to every direct message I get. More so than any other medium. It’s a grind but way more personal to me. So hit me up at @JesseKay3000.
5. With that said Snapcodes are completely under utilized. Just take a picture of my Snapcode on Snapchat and it will allow you to add me as a friend. I’m surprised this isn’t taking off more. Why aren’t stores putting their Snapcodes on the front doors? Why don’t artists have their Snapcodes as their profile pictures? Billboard’s should include Snapcodes along with tv commercials, print ads, all marketing, because it’s just that easy to connect with Snapchat. And pulling up my Snapcode at a party or event reminds me of my early days in this game when you beamed you’re Two Way info with your new contacts. That was an era. And it’s just that easy again with Snapchat to connect.
6. If you want to learn how to put music in your story, check out this video tip. PS. Get your tickets to Social Media Week NY now! Disclaimer — I’m on the advisory board and it’s going to be the best one yet NYC! Use the code:JesseKay25 for 25% off expires Feb 18

Anyway, I’m having a lot of fun playing the medium and I see a lot of you are too. If you are loving Snapchat and crushing it (aka gaining followers, innovating, gaining traction, breaking ground, putting out fresh content) i’d love to ‘chat with you. Hit me on the Snap or email me directly. -JesseKay3000

Jesse Kirshbaum. // @JesseKay 

For more than a decade, Jesse Kirshbaum has been in the trenches of the music business, specializing in securing talent for concerts, tours, and endorsement deals for his various clients and brand partners internationally. He founded NUE, a creative music agency recently named to the Inc. 5000 as the third fastest-growing media company in America, to sit at the center of music, brands, and technology . Jesse is also the executive producer for both the hit digital series #CRWN and The FlashFWD Awards, honoring premierstars in music tech.

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