Julius Influencer Spotlight: Snapchat Creator @MarieMBurton
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Marie is a self-described ‘Snapchat Ninja’ who loves to share her adventures with her followers. Residing in Paris, Marie gives an inside look at her explorations thoughout the city. She was recognized as a finalist for The Ghosties Best Snapchat Storyteller award in 2016.
1. What makes Snapchat special in your mind or what originally drew you to the platform?
I started using Snapchat when I was living abroad in Dublin. My family and friends were in France and Snapchat happened to be a great way to share my everyday life with them. I would send them videos and funny Snapchat art that I would draw between my classes at Trinity College. I was in my fourth year of cinema studies and I was really getting into new technologies and storytelling. Snapchat gave me the opportunity to try new forms of storytelling, without the pressure of having to create long lasting content.
I stayed on Snapchat for different reasons, the main one being the authenticity of the relationship between the audience and the creators. I’m also a strong believer in the fact that limitations enhance creativity.
2. What are some ways that brands can effectively work with Snapchat creators for campaigns?
I would say that finding the right content creator to deliver your message is the first and main step. Secondly, you must acknowledge the fact that you don’t create content on Snapchat as you would on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media platforms. If you decide to hire a content creator for your Snapchat strategy, you better be ready for him or her to blow your mind and create content in a way you wouldn’t have thought about. You’re not working with a video technician, but a content creator, with his or her own style, audience, and talent.
3. What ways have you leveraged other social platforms to grow your Snapchat following?
There really are two types of followers on Snapchat: the ones that see my content on Instagram or in articles and those who organically come across my account. I do feel like the part of my following that watches every single piece of content organically found me.
Funny enough, stickers on ATMs, bus stops, and all those strange places where I got to stick my Snapcode brought me more followers who are actually engaging with my content. That’s the best part of Snapchat. I’d rather have 200 people watching my stories and interacting with me in my adventures, advising me to turn left in this abandoned house or reminding me to change the batteries of my headlamp rather than 5k people with a 1% engagement rate.
Collaborations with other Snapchatters also are one of the best ways to grow your following. Plus it pushes you to create better content as the audience you’re reaching is not used to what you have to offer on Snapchat and needs to me amazed in order to stay engaged.
4. What are some things that Snapchat can do to better establish relationships with influencers or creators?
Shonduras recently released an open letter to Snapchat that says a lot about what we, content creators, would love to see in the future. We want to be able to reach more people and share our stories to a wider audience to push our creativity further. There is really little Snapchat is doing at the moment to feature great content and answer faster to technical difficulties.
5. How do you currently connect with the brands that you work with? Is there anything that Snapchat can do in your mind to help creators monetize their expertise?
Most of the people reach out through Instagram and Twitter for collaborations. When it comes to brands, Twitter and emails are usually the main systems of communication. Some companies who are curious about Snapchat are reaching out through LinkedIn, mainly because they wonder what a “Snapchat Ninja” is. (Right hooks, everywhere).
I’m not sure Snapchat itself can do anything else than empower its creators to show that fast drawing or natural storytelling really are hardly acquired skills. That would already be quite amazing. Maybe work more with events?
I just attended Snaphappen a few month ago in London where I was part of the finalists for the Best Storyteller award, and it was one of the most empowering events I’ve had the chance to attend. Creators and marketers connected at a level where the event really gave creators the opportunity to leverage their expertise and show how valuable their skills are.
6. Who are 2–3 of your personal favorite influencers or creators that admire and look to for inspiration?
Hands down, Harris Markovitz (@markowitzh on Snapchat). I’m amazed by his creativity and the way he never settles for great content, but keeps pushing further. I also try to not miss any of @emgarber’s and @salliasnap’s content — they were some of the first people I added on the app and who made me start working harder on my Snapchat.
Funny enough, even if I love watching other influencer’s content on Snapchat, I find my inspiration in Casey Neistat’s vlogs, Arte documentaries on modern explorers, and discussions I have with my audience. When it comes to Urban exploration stories on Snapchat, it’s easy to forget people who are watching have no idea how or why I ended up spending my Sunday in an 1930 abandoned orphanage. Documentaries are are a great source of narrative processes for immersive content.
Immersive content is definitely what I’m aiming for right now. Attending events on Virtual Reality and new forms of storytelling really give me new keys to explore the possibilities of Snapchat.
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