Years ago in order to get someones attention you had to do something that was so far out there that newspaper reporters and magazine writers wanted to write an article about you.
Then along came television and the market shifted. Here you had the ability to reach even more people. However, to make it onto the TV screen you either had to be on a show, movie, or in the news. This didn’t give much opportunity to the normal every day person to get others attention.
Then the market shifted again and YouTube was introduced. This was one of the first chances for the everyday person to really show there life and not have to “climb to the top” in order for people to notice them. If you jumped in at the beginning of this platform you had a pretty good shot at gaining online influence.
Recently the market shifted yet again, with the dawn of Snapchat. By now I’m sure you have used the video messaging app so I’m not going to go into details about how to use it. But here’s why Snapchat is going to be super important for entrepreneurs building a brand today, and in the future.
1. Market attention is shifting.
When was the last time that you actually sat down and watched a full TV show without looking at your phone? And don’t lie to me because you totally know you have your phone pretty much attached to you all the time, especially if you’re Gen Y.
2. It’s the new medium for storytelling.
Let’s take DJ Khalid, an American record producer, radio personality, DJ and record label executive, for example. In the past if he wanted to share his life with his audience he would have to sign a contract with a TV network like MTV. Then they would have to sit down record everything, cut the things that didn’t look cool, and air the show months after it happened. Now DJ Khalid can pick up his phone and Snapchat his entire life and show it to anyone in the world that cares to see it.
3. It’s real.
There isn’t any editing or uploading of videos (other than some filters and text). It’s all done from your mobile phone. It puts everyone on the same playing field and gives everyone the same opportunity to showcase their life.
4. Marketers haven’t ruined it yet.
Marketers haven’t ruined Snapchat—yet. Why? Because the market is just about to blow up on it. Unfortunately, if you don’t jump on now you won’t get as much attention, because marketers will start running them away.
5. It’s personal and you have their undivided attention.
This is possibly the most important feature of Snapchat. For up to 10 seconds you can have a viewers full attention. They are focusing on you and nothing else. You can build a personal relationship and grasp their full attention.
Tell me where else, right now, where people don’t give a crap about anything else, but want to give you their full attention? This makes Snapchat very valuable to people looking to build an audience and a brand!
You need to be one this platform this year, and be going hard on it! Period.
This article has been edited and condensed.
Michael Tandarich is the CEO of the TandarichGroup, a creatively driven brand agency. Connect with @MikeTandarich on Twitter.
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