This past month I’ve had a ton of conversations around Snapchat; what it is, why 20’s something love it, why it’s great for certain brands and it really got me thinking about the platform overall.

I walked my 29 year old friend through how to use Snapchat yesterday over brunch. She saw the changes to Instagram and was curious as to where the “stories” came from and how to use them. I walked her through the ins and outs of Instagram stories but basically it was a tutorial on Snapchat so I had to her open Snapchat and run through how to’s for posting and sending content.

Snapchat is the no filter platform for a behind the scenes look at individuals lives. Most users on Snapchat are posting content about anything that comes to there mind and anything that comes in their path. They are posting what they are doing, what they are eating, their opinions, their parties and there rants. Everything is far game for Snapchat content. Users on Snapchat have an uninhibited sense of self expression. They want to talk about and show off every part of their lives. It’s literally content that #nofilter always! They aren’t nervous about that content being seen by anyone that they follow/are followed by.

That’s where brands can learn a few things. Most brands want to maintain a certain image or remain neutral on most topics. Something that they could do to enhance brand awareness would be to do a “behind the scenes” view of your brand. This is something that I always advocate for. Showing your followers what it’s like in your office, what it’s like in your stores, what it’s like in the life of a co-workers is always a good idea. The users on Snapchat want honesty. They want authenticity. They are looking for raw, unrehearsed version of everything including your brand/business. Show your followers the truth. This platform was made for no inhibitions. Use that to your brands advantage and play along. Show all the sides of your brand/business as well as employees. Creating a channel that is genuine and honest is the best way for your brand/business to start on Snapchat.