Snapchat: A Case Study
By Emily Truax, Social Media Manager, Boston Univeristy
With 77% of college students using Snapchat on a daily basis, it became clear in late 2014 that it was a platform we here at BU should be using to engage with our primary audience — our students!
Our channel officially launched in January of 2015, on the day of the first of many blizzards in Boston and a school cancellation day. We asked Terriers on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter to follow us on Snapchat and share with us how they were spending the #Blizzardof2015 (little did we know that Boston had much more in store for us).
Our launch was met with enthusiasm and high levels of engagement. In the first 24 hours we had hundreds of followers. Timing seems to have been on our side as many students were stranded indoors with not much else to do. We followed this up with a Scavenger hunt around campus later in the week. Those following our account were given clues leading them to a final destination where the lovely Dean Elmore awaited with 2 Beanpot tickets for the lucky winner (little did we know it would be delayed due to another blizzard — sensing a theme yet?)
There were dozens of students rushing to the finish line but, alas — there could be only one. As of this writing, Boston University (bostonu on Snapchat) has over 3,000 followers (and growing!)
What Makes Snapchat so Unique?
1. High levels of engagement
Unlike Twitter, Facebook or Instagram where your post may get lost in a cluttered feed, most Snapchat users view all stories of those accounts they follow. For example, our account — on average — has an 80% open rate of our stories (far greater than our reach on any other platform).
2. It’s personalized
Sure, Twitter has DM’s and now Facebook is even letting Pages message people directly but there’s something gratifying about opening a snap from a brand or institution sent directly to you. Perhaps it’s the nature of the platform in that most brands aren’t engaging directly with their followers, but we attempt to return most snaps we receive.
3. It’s fun
Okay, so, the nature of social media is that it’s supposed to be fun, right? Snapchat takes it to the next level. You may be laughing at a hilarious drawing your artist friend made on a selfie or saying “awwwww” when your sister sends a snap of your childhood pet. Either way, it’s visual, interactive and downright addicting.
How Are We Using Snapchat in the Higher Ed Space?
Events
Snapchat is ideal for giving followers a “behind-the-scenes” look at events going on around campus. In the past six months we’ve used Snapchat to cover everything from Open House Days on campus to Commencement to shooting live video from the Terrier hockey bench & locker room during the NCAA National Championship game (talk about behind-the-scenes, amiright?)
News
Snapchat is also a great way to effectively reach students in times of breaking news (See: 5 snow days in total this past winter). While Twitter has always been our go-to for breaking this news, complemented by news stories on BU Today, Facebook posts & a campus-wide email, Snapchat has been a fun and interactive way to inform our community of campus closures, construction work, important events & deadlines.
Celebrations
See: #BU2015 Commencement. However, our first real foray into this celebratory spirit was on March 22 — BU’s official Admissions Decision Day. Working with our friends from @ApplyToBU we sent out congratulatory videos, artwork & photos to admitted Terriers — dozens of whom sent us back photos and videos in return sharing their enthusiasm and excitement.
Personally, it was my favorite use of Snapchat thus far!
Q&A’s
One thing we were unprepared for upon the launch of our channel was just how many followers would snap us questions they expected answers to. Seeing some potential for a personalized, interactive Q&A session, we sat down with an Admissions Rep in early April to answer questions from admitted students attempting to make their decision by College Signing Day on May 1.
We set aside one hour for this Q&A (which we publicized across our social channels) hoping we would have enough participants to fill the time. In reality, we spent several hours answering over 100 questions — each responded to with a personalized video (10 seconds or less!) from our admissions representative. This is definitely something we’ll replicate this fall before the application deadline and once more in the spring.
Catching Up
Last, but not least, Snapchat is a great way to get a feel for the pulse of your community. Last week, we asked followers how they were spending their summers — vacationing, interning, or even taking classes on campus?
The result? An awesome graphic we could then share across our platforms (h/t content marketing pros)
A few helpful tips for those new to Snapchat:
Invest in a white board: It will save you from sending selfies with text overlaid in response to student questions.
Engage, engage, engage: If someone takes the time to send you a snap (and it’s relevant & appropriate), respond!
Save all of your Snapchat stories to your camera roll: It’s a great way to revisit events. Some folks (shoutout University of Michigan) are even uploading their stories to YouTube.
Enlist the help of students: Let’s be real — we can’t be everywhere we wish we could. Is there an event on campus that would be great on Snapchat but it’s at 10 pm on a Friday? Use a trusted student intern to help capture the moment! Just give them your brand and channel guidelines first.
Last, but not least — feel free to get in touch on Twitter (@emilytruax) to share your Snapchat insights!
