Snapchat’s creator Evan Spiegel stated a few years back: “Our values are hard to copy,” refusing to use Facebook’s strategies to grow users. While Zuckerberg managed to gather approximately 1 billion stories daily across social media platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook, Snapchat strived on with its 186 million daily users!However, Snapchat's latest strategy is more about: “if you can't beat them, join us” as it tries to work with other platforms that are too scared of getting squashed by Facebook. Snap chat gives them the infrastructure they need, and they give Snapchat the necessary reach and entrenchment!
So what is Snapchat planning?
Snapchat is hoping that other apps will embed the best part of Snapchat rather than opting for their copies. There’s no point in creating the wheel of stories from scratch along with Bitmojis when there's already a better one they can use!It's easier and more beneficial for other platforms to use Snapchat's features. And Snapchat can benefit from other platforms too. Facebook might want a piece of the pie if Snapchat doesn’t eat it!
Snapchat and other apps working together
“Camera Company” is one example of a platform that took back its lost control at the Snapchat Partners Summit in Los Angeles. It has evolved into a camera platform thanks to Snap Kit. Story Kit will now be implanting snap chat stories into other apps too this year.It can help create a carousel of Stories or create a traditional lace-like pattern. Tinder lets you use Snapchat stories besides your actual photos, to attract your love interests! The main camera remains, however, remains inside Snapchat with new options for the other apps.Native apps are right where Snapchat wants them as it takes over. Also, Snapchat might be on to something as its privacy policies are way ahead of those of Facebook which has been in the spotlight for its data breaches recently!Snapchat is going to save the tiny minion apps the trouble of starting from scratch and creating more competitors for itself. Snapchat hopes to boost its engagement by partnering with them. Each app makes it essential as the users use cameras and it reminds you why you need to visit Snapchat again and not any other app.It’s better for Snapchat to shower its Story Kit partnership teams with several resources to prevent Facebook from stealing the idea for them. Another thing Snapchat could benefit from would be the use of ads in stories! This way they split the cash with the host and everyone is happy!
Making way through ads
Snapchat with its Ad kit may be planning on doing the same. Snapchat’s Audience Network is hoping to launch Snap’s video ads in full-screen mode, but the revenue remains undisclosed till now. With this plan, there's no need for an ad sales force or creating auctions and delivery systems. All the parties need to do is drop an SDK to enable the app to drop in ads for both users and non-users.By providing more reusability and reach to its users, the ad unit helps ease the scales related challenges Snapchat is having. The advertisers may not be willing to pay to a platform that had just 186 million users. Of course, the number dropped in the second and third quarter of 2018 but stabilized in the last one. Also, Snapchat achieves a higher reach by Ad kit and Story kit alone.Even though it’s quite in demand, an added size could help Snapchat out immensely, and what's most important is that it's aiming towards the age group that’s been massively neglected by Facebook.
Snapchat’s Bitmojis are taking the lead
Facebook messenger stickers may have been hard to get approved internally, but they’ve been pretty popular with kids and have improved immensely. Meanwhile, Snapchat is Bitmojing its way into the youth's mind. The FitBit smart watch and Snap’s multiplayer game platforms can also have your personalized Bitmoji avatar.Snapchat seems to be winning at the Bitmoji game as Facebook’s avatars haven’t been released yet even after a year in development, and Apple’s memojis aren't allowed out of Facetime or iMessage. This differentiated product could be the wedge into Facebook’s partnerships!
Time to increase the pace
If Snapchat hopes to get ahead of Facebook, it has to acquire a large number of social networks. Netflix, VSCO, GoFundMe, and Anchor can share stickers, and the articles of the Washington Post can be shared back to Snapchat. Top labs Zynga and ZeptoLab are creating multiplayer Snap games for the platform too.Also, Giphy and Photomath are on Snapchat's mission with its new Scan augmented reality utility platform along with Shazam and Amazon to allow additional interactivity. Moreover, Snapchat is also growing its Lens studio platform creating new templates and profiles to enable developers to add 4000,000 special effects.Co-founder Bobby Murphy annexed this development by saying that the right Lens in the right moment can inspire a whole new world of creativity. Whether its partnerships or toys, the basis remains Snapchat's camera!With Snapchat's new strategy, other languages rolling in and its latest Android app, Snapchat is bound to grow in terms of its user engagement if not the number of users. And hopefully, reach the desired profitability by the year 2020.In a pre-event press, one of the Snapchat leaders pointed out that Snapchat doesn’t care what Facebook claims its philosophy is until it fixes the harm caused to about 2 billion users. Most importantly, assuming from what the men behind the app had to say, more apps could be utilizing Snapchat in the future! Let's wait and watch!
