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The New Platform for Consulting: Snapchat

If you are in the consulting business and you are interested in getting the attention of current and prospect clients, Snapchat is your tool.

In this article I will discuss some of the great features offered by Snapchat and how they can be used by consultants. But before even getting into that, let me answer the most important question of all: Why Snapchat?

In the social media discussion, typically the conversation revolves around three main platforms: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Other platforms worth mentioning include: Youtube, Tumblr (blogging in general), Vine, Meerkat, just to name a few). Snapchat was released around 4 years ago. However, it has emerged as the new contender since the last year. All these tools are going after the most important, and scarce, element you can give them: Your Attention. In this day and age, getting 30 seconds of your attention, considering the overwhelming amount of information out there, is gold.

Snapchat initial release was limited in features and functionality. It was around this time that I tested the tool for a bit and then completely left it out of my world. It was thanks to Gary Vaynerchuk, one of the smartest people on the planet regarding social media and attention, that started talking about the evolution of Snapchat. I got really curious. I dusted off the little ghost with the yellow background and gave it a second chance. I was impressed. Snapchat evolved into a more serious tool that offers you a very clever set of features including:

1. A personal space that in fact provides a more secure and safe experience than the other social media platforms
2. Snaps or Stories are created in real time and they all expire after 24-hours
3. Full screen video messaging
4. Ability to interact one-to-one or one-to-many (as you preferred)

In its infancy, Snapchat was a platform for teenagers (ages 13–17) and was considered by many experts as the last place on earth to promote content or get noticed. However, this demographic has changed and continues changing rapidly. According to Snapchat website, the current demographic has extended from 13–17 to 13–34. Wow! that is impressive. In fact, it is showing similar patterns seen on Facebook and Instagram but at a faster rate. Currently 60% of smartphone users in the U.S. are using Snapchat. Now that is a population that you can’t have the luxury to ignore.

I have been a keen social media platform user in the past. Having said that, I’ve never had a chance to get the full benefit of being early in a social media platform. What I heard from Gary Vaynerchuk and other experts are the same patterns that I’ve heard before for Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram before their exponential growth. I was not willing to let the opportunity pass, so I just immersed myself in the tool.

In Summary, I now see the value of Snapchat and its potential. I think is time for you and me to build a presence in the platform. The timing is perfect so I (and so can you) can get into this before the marketers do, which is a nice way to say that marketer will overload the tool with content (although the marketing platform for Snapchat is very slick, it is called 3V). There are many industries that will be disrupted by this tool and I strongly believe that the consulting space, or the professional services industry as a whole, can benefit from this platform.

Here are the reasons why?

1. Provides users with feeling of a one-to-one experience. This platform can help you work with your clients up close and personal. Both of you in their own private little attention box called smartphone
2. The content is more valuable here than in any other platform for a single reason: it expires. That for me is the most important feature of all. Your audience need to pay attention to what you are saying, because if they are too early, or too late, they will miss it. I believe this gives people in consulting the ability to share their key content with little risk of IP Infrigment. It is not like a blog that will keep your post for eternity (available at their fingertips thanks to Google search). Besides you are talking only to the people that wants to listen to you only. Its not a broadcast
3. Content is time-limited. This means no more sugar coating or BS. You have to say what you need to say and you only have 15 seconds. This makes everyone focus on quality content than quantity. You can use multiple Snaps for sure, but you are still wired to share high quality content before the clock runs out
4. Snapcodes (like QR codes for Snapchat) provides the ability to connect with people taking away the struggle of usernames and other types of IDs. Give it a try, just take a picture or download the headline picture in this article and see how fast you can add me
5. It allows the audience the have a close and personal relationship with you. There are many ways that you can hire or ask someone to post content in your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (this one is a bit tougher). On Snapchat there is no chance. You have to produce real time on your smartphone and that is it. There might be some opportunities to outsource it but I believe the audience will easily find out.

Imagine the possibilities for you Consultant, Coach or Speaker to engage to your audience in a way that was not possible a few years ago. You now have the ability to produce content that can connect with people on a direct level. You are not only grabbing your audience attention. You are grabbing their full attention by giving them a 15-second, full screen message via video or an image. Think about it.

I strongly believe that consulting is at the verge of a major disruptions. Snapchat and other Internet platforms are the foundational infrastructure that will allow us (consultants) a new way to provide our services. Clients are expecting a transparent, simple and human consulting service. I believe we are getting really close to have all the elements to disrupt the industry.

To give you guys a more in-depth analysis of my prediction. I’m going to provide free technology consulting services over Snapchat. I’ll select a topic every day and Snap about it. As a bonus, you will also get Snaps and Stories from my daily routines, habits, personal and professional journeys.

Help me run this experiment. You just need to add me to your Snapchat, ask something that you would like to know about technology or related to the topic of the day. I guarantee you a personalized and content rich response.

You can use the Snapcode at the Top of the article or the one below. See you on Snapchat!