In April, Snapchat surpassed Twitter as the top social platform, amassing more than 150 million users in just 4 years. Last week, the platform was in the news again with its introduction of Memories, a feature allowing users to archive their 10-second-max moments.   It’s evolving concepts like Memories that have allowed Snapchat to maintain momentum, and brand marketers have taken note. Here are the top ways brands are using the platform, how it may be used in the future, and what we can learn from it:

Brand Adoption in Snapchat 101:

Brand Accounts

Simply viewing your friends’ snap stories is so 2014. The modern snapchat friend list is sprinkled with celebrities and favorite brands, offering exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of events and products that haven’t been released to the general public. It’s personal, it’s addictive and it’s effective. From General Electric to Warby Parker, see how these brands are winning the snapchat game.  

Snap Ads

Snapchat first introduced Discovery Channels – daily curated feeds from a range of publishers such as Cosmopolitan and the Wall Street Journal – in August 2015. Video ads then began to appear within this content and, more recently, videos have run between viewing stories within your friend list. Now, snap-shopping is even a thing. Here’s how Lancome and Target are helping snappers shop with a couple swipes.  

On-Demand Geofilters

Snap filters are one of the app’s most popular features, and branded filters make a compelling case for making consumers instant brand advocates. The Ghostbusters movie made a splash with a sponsored interactive filter last week, but for as little as $5, consumers and businesses can design and feature their own on-demand geofilter. If you didn’t have a geofilter, did your event even happen?

What’s Next for Snapchat?

 Multi-faceted, One-Stop Shop

While its’ claim to fame may be the disappearing video, the app’s continual evolution suggests it is aiming to be the all-in-one platform. Social interaction through pictures, videos and messages, curated and live news and event feeds, shopping, advertisements, and peer-to-peer payments are all accounted for – expect the platform to continue to stay ahead of its user’s wants and needs. Brand challenge: Stay up on the changes and find a natural, seamless way for your brand to join the fun.  

Live and Archive

Snapchat was built on it’s live-update qualities, but with the introduction of Memories last week, the app is looking to gain loyalty through the nostalgia of snaps past as well as the live feed. Are Facebook albums the new VCR? Brand challenge: Take advantage of the curated archive that will let you recycle content. Here are some ideas for brands that could take advantage of this new feature.  

Games/Interactions

With the advent of overnight-success Pokémon GO, a game accessing players’ cameras to show an augmented reality of their surrounding area, it seems inevitable that the app will use this technology to expand its game offerings and engagement possibility with users. Brand challenge: Augmented reality is kind to local businesses. Keep an eye on this trend and not if, but when it begins to hit the app. See how one business in Salt Lake City tapped into this phenomenon.  

The Takeaway

It’s continuously evolving, it’s engaging and it has the amazing power of connecting people with what’s going on in their neighborhood or halfway across the globe within a couple swipes. Whether it’s a simple brand account or a full-blown video ad campaign, there are enough options and a big enough audience that brands cannot afford to ignore the app.   Snap on, snap often.