Photos are one of the best ways to brand your business and make a connection with your audience. The internet is all about pretty visuals, with Instagram being the most obvious choice for sharing snippets of what you do. Lately I’ve been falling in love with Snapchat, too! Something about the platform is so raw, real, and fun! It can get a little hard to wrap your head around yet another social media platform, I know. But with 100 million daily Snapchat users and major designers and brands jumping on the bandwagon, it’s not something you’ll want to miss out on.

So how should you effectively utilize Snapchat for your blog and business you ask? Let’s jump right in!

1. Know the basics

In case you aren’t familiar with Snapchat, it is a photo and video sharing app that let’s you post content in increments of 10 seconds to create a visual story. Your story stays up for 24 hours, which is awesome because every day can be a completely new story and theme, depending on what you’re up to. Snapchat has three main filters you can use, so you can’t really “edit” too much of the photo, letting your followers see what’s actually going on.

There really is no limit to how much or what you can post on Snapchat, so the creative possibilities are truly endless. One day you may want to bring your followers along on a trip, another day you may choose to give them a little tour of what your work space looks like.

2. Get real with your people

Listen, I all love the beautiful photos on my Instagram feed. But let’s be real, more than once you’ve probably been curious about what some of the people you follow are truly like and what they do on a day-to-day basis outside of that perfect little square. Snapchat is the best way to pull back that curtain and let people see what’s going on behind the scenes.

Maybe you just posted the most perfect photo on Instagram, but your surroundings outside of that photo are a crazy hot mess. Show your Snapchat peeps and remind them that you’re a real person, too. This humanizes your brand and makes you more relatable. Snapchat is the best place to drop the need of constantly being perfect and just go with the flow and connect with your followers.

3. Create personal video narratives

Don’t forget that Snapchat is meant to create a video narrative. Sure, it’s easy to take a quick photo of what you’re working on or where you are, but don’t be afraid to record clips of yourself just talking about your day. Some of my favorite users to follow only record videos where they’re speaking (kind of like Periscope!) and it truly feels like I’ve spent a day with a pal, not just observed a content creator that I admire.

Some ideas? She shares personal stories of what’s going on in your life, tours of your studio or workplace, and fun clips of you just hanging out with friends during happy hour. If you do this, you might find that your followers will naturally gravitate toward you and your brand. We all like to feel connected to the people we work with and admire.

4. Provide exclusive content for your audience

Chances are, your followers on Snapchat also follow you on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and just about everywhere else on the internet. Give them a reason to continue following you on Snapchat, specifically! Provide special content for your audience that they won’t have access to anywhere else. Maybe you’re working on the launch of a new product, or you’re making something for a blog post. Give them a special sneak peek that you don’t share elsewhere. People love to feel included, and by simply showing them the process, you’re letting your audience know that you trust them and want them to be a part of what you do.

5. Use it as a way to grow your email list

If you’re a business owner, then growing your email list is probably one of the things at the tippy top of your list. If used right, Snapchat can be a great place to do this! Since you have the opportunity to do videos, then you can record some short videos of your creation project, ultimately leading up to some sort of free download or lead magnet, which they can subscribe in order to receive. Sharing videos of your process builds excitement around your freebie and gives your followers more of a reason to download it. Try creating a “bit.ly” link or shorter URL for your subscription landing page. That way, you can easily type it on top of your Snapchat image and your followers can visit it online. Woohoo!

Related: 8 Things You Can Send to Your Email List (for the Solopreneur Who Has No Idea What to Say)

6. How to engage more people on Snapchat

Since Snapchat is a slightly more intimate platform, no one can see how many followers you have besides you. I personally think this is wonderful, because it eliminates the pressure of having to work your booty off to boost those numbers, and it’s like a secret club between you and those who follow you! If you’re trying to boost the number of people who follow and watch your Snapchats, then try these ideas:

>> Entice people on Instagram

Maybe you’re on a trip, or out at a farmers market for the day. Take a beautiful photo, post it on Instagram, and let your followers know that you’re sharing even more behind-the-scenes goodness over on Snapchat. Those who want to see more will follow along! Also, anyone who does take that leap to watch the rest of your day on Snapchat is likely a very devoted follower, customer, or client. It’s always good to build stronger relationships with the people who support us most, right?

A few weeks ago I got an incredible upgrade at a hotel while on vacation. I posted a photo of the suite on Instagram and invited my followers to come check the rest out on Snapchat. Immediately, I gained 20 new followers. Bringing people in by offering to show them what they can’t see elsewhere is one of the best ways to gain more viewers and grow your Snapchat community.

Related: How to Create a More Engaged Instagram Audience

>> Have a Q&A, and get the Q’s from Twitter

Hop on Twitter and ask your followers to submit questions to you…then answer those live on Snapchat! Your followers will get a more personal and relatable answer from you if you reply in video form, and you will get the benefit of more people checking out what you’re doing on Snapchat. Boom.

Related: 6 Ways to Grow Your Blog or Business Using Twitter

>> Offer an exclusive coupon code

Maybe you’re selling a book or e-course and you want to create a little buzz around it. Snap a photo of a coupon code exclusively for your Snapchat friends! Post about the awesome code on Twitter or Facebook and invite people to join you on Snapchat in order to access it.  This not only brings in more followers, but more business as well.

Bottom line: you may not see immediate sales or conversions coming from Snapchat, but that’s simply because Snapchat is a platform where you get to build relationships. Relationships take time, but in the end, people will feel much more connected to you and your brand through this platform. Your followers will love and appreciate the little inside look into your life and business, and those connections are truly invaluable.

Are you already on Snapchat? What are some of your favorite accounts to follow? Share them down below!