Darrell Stern CEO of Stern Inbound Marketing appears regularly on the Experience Pros Radio Show with Eric Reamer and Angel Tuccy.
This month, Darrell discusses Snapchat, Snaphappen and the rise of this amazing new Social Media Marketing Platform.
Male Speaker: Now, back to Angel and Eric, the Experienced Pros.
Eric Reamer: Welcome back to the Experienced Pros radio show with Angel and Eric. It’s very nice to have you along with us. Positive business talk and we’re going to introduce our good friend, Darrell Stern.
Angel Tuccy: Well, Darrell Stern comes in every month to help us with our inbound marketing and all the latest trends in online marketing, and keeping us abreast of what’s going on. Today, he’s going to educate us on the world of SnapChat.
Eric: We’re going Stern snapping.
Angel: We are going Stern snapping.
Darrell Stern: We are.
Eric: Say that three times faster.
Darrell: There you go.
Angel: I can’t. I can’t do it. Check out Darrell online at SternDMB.com. Darrell, SnapChatting huh?
Darrell: Well, this little social media communications app is now bigger than Twitter, and it’s only five years old. It’s –
Eric: SnapChat’s bigger than Twitter?
Darrell: Yeah. It’s over 150 million users. They expect 270 million by 2017.
Eric: Wow.
Angel: So when Twitter came around, Facebook came around. We got these massive numbers. We’re like, “Wow, wow, wow.” Every time something new comes along, it just blows those numbers away. Why is this one so popular?
Darrell: Well, it is the difference. First off, it’s only an app. It’s not online. There is no website for SnapChat at all. You don’t post [crosstalk][01:18] on the website. Just –
Eric: Really?
Darrell: Yeah. It’s all online. It’s a very emotionally engaging platform because you’re making little 10-second videos.
Eric: Is this where jilted lovers say, “I don’t like you anymore,” and then 10 seconds later, it goes away?
Darrell: Possibly yes, but I’m talking about the more serious business side end of it. Okay. So Facebook started the wall, right, [crosstalk][01:44] which is what –
Angel: Yes.
Darrell: That was the thing that moved it over. Then it also –
Eric: Sure.
Darrell: …started relationship status. So you could see who was available or not, and that’s what really was it. So SnapChat, at first, it was just this chatting app with these little video messages that disappear after a day. Then they added stories where you make a 10-second video, then you make another one, then you make another one. When you go and view them all, they make a story. They make one long movie. Are you understanding? Then you can add text to it and stickers and all kinds of emojis and all kinds of things like that.
So there are people that are travel bloggers, that are taking you on a tour of the world, like Dan Conard, who is the global giraffe. He’s from Denver originally. He’s a military veteran. He’s over in Singapore and Thailand. He shows you the parts of the world that we would never see. There’s other people starting social movements like GiniCanBreathe who’s doing a whole thing about “I trust you and we should all trust each other”, and starting a social movement.
Eric: I’ve seen that.
Darrell: You’ve seen that, right? Exactly.
Eric: Absolutely.
Darrell: Then there’s “I’m Nick Robertson” who’s a comedian who is funny, who does Bad Joke Monday where everybody sends in bad jokes and they re-snap them and all that.
Eric: Okay. So I have a question. They re-snapped? There’s a phrase I’m not familiar with yet, but I’m getting there. Is anybody making money with SnapChat?
Darrell: Some are and some aren’t. One of my missions is to help some of these young entrepreneurs that are very talented. Imagine this. You’re starting your own fan base. As we know, a lot of these young people are.
Eric: Sure.
Darrell: A lot of them how to then turn around and monetize that. You have someone, “Well, you should be getting paid for this. You’re funny. You’re a comedian,” and all that. So me and some other people that are – we’re a little bit older. Remember those old things like websites and SCO, that old fashion stuff, [laughter] are reaching out to help these guys with that because – imagine this. Here’s the difference. So on YouTube and all the other platforms, there’s not so much full engagement of watching an entire video. People skip it, people move over it and all that. If I can guarantee to you 100,000, 200,00, a quarter of a million, or even 40,000, people watching an entire segment about your product where then, of course, here’s the hidden part of it, you’ve got to do your inbound marketing. You’ve got to provide a link or a promo code or a something that then gives people a reason to then go on the web –
Eric: To take the next step.
Darrell: Right, take the next step. So a lot of people will go, “Hey, here’s the link. Screenshot this next step.” You can screenshot [crosstalk][04:10] on your phone.
Angel: I know. I’m watching the screen –
Darrell: You screenshot the picture of what it is, and then you go on. You can go on the web and do whatever it is. So that’s one way, is to hire an influencer, okay, to get your brand out there. Hire somebody who’s already big and huge on this. Okay.
Eric: Like Darrell Stern.
Darrell: Well, I’m getting there. I’m nowhere near where these other guys are, [laughter] but I’m getting there. All right. Okay. There’s a bunch of other things. Now, you remember [phonetic][04:33] Poke Stops, how you’re talking about different locations?
Eric: Sure.
Darrell: Well, you can do what’s called a geo filter which is when you make a Snap recording, you can slide across and do effects, such as make it go faster, make it go slower, show what time it is, show the battery power left on your cellphone, stuff like that. They also have geo filters and as you travel around Denver, there’s one for the Denver Tech Center, there’s Lakewood, there’s Aurora. They’re pings, transparent images, right, that go over your video or your picture.
Eric: All right.
Darrell: So let’s say you have a local business like nylunds –
Eric: Nylunds Collision Center.
Darrell: They could do in that surrounding area a picture that says “in an accident” or “doing this while driving”. You remember what you were doing with [crosstalk][05:16] the Pokemon thing, right?
Eric: Yeah, sure.
Darrell: “Come and see nylons,” but the phone number – so as someone takes a snap and they’re going, “Oh, what new filters are out?” They would then see the nylons and then they can –
Eric: Re-post.
Darrell: …post their thing and it goes out again to all those people there.
Angel: All right. Well, there’s I’m sure tons of questions around SnapChat. I’m watching Darrell do this. I’m watching him bring in the influencers and connect with them all over the world and watching how businesses are jumping on-board. So if you have any questions at all about Snapchat, how to use it, how to make sure that you’re using it for business. Darrell, what’s the best way for people to connect with you?
Darrell: I’ve got a SnapChat blog out at snapchatsocialmedia.marketing and we’re sponsoring Snaphappen which is the big SnapChat Ghostie Awards party over in London where I’ll be in the end of September.
Angel: Snaphappen?
Darrell: Yes. This is not affiliated with SnapChat, but it’s a bunch of big SnapChat influencers that are throwing a party for ourselves and giving awards [crosstalk][06:14] to ourselves.
Eric: You’re going to be out there in London?
Darrell: Yes, I am.
Eric: All right. So Darrell, just before we went live, did you Snap-Tweet us? Did you –
Angel: It’s not a Snap-Tweet.
Eric: Wait, what –
Darrell: No, it’s not a Snap-Tweet. Yes. I sent out a Snap and Simon Barry, who’s a disruptive entrepreneur who helps startups over in London, just gave you guys a shoutout to watch the YouTube.
Eric: Simon did that?
Darrell: Right now, yes. Simon –
Eric: Well, I –
Angel: Thank you, Simon.
Eric: I’m going to pick pin –
Angel: I’m going to Snap you.
Eric: I’m going to pinch at –
Darrell: He’s watching right now over in London.
Eric: I’m going to pin-chat him or –
Darrell: You’re going to Pinterest his Snap-Tweet [crosstalk][06:44] through his Facebook.
Eric: Pin-chat, yeah.
Darrell: That’s how you do it.
Angel: All right.
[laughter]
Angel: I’m kind of trying to keep up with this. All is incredible. I think whenever you’re working with somebody – I liked how you said disruptive marketer. All right. We’re trying to disrupt the market place. We’re trying to grab the attention of prospects, right, the community, people we want to talk to. Everything that we do, if we do everything the same that everybody else is doing, then we’re going to be viewed the same.
Eric: That’s right.
Angel: As everybody else.
Darrell: Differentiate yourself.
Angel: So we have to get out there. Do we have to be trending? We have to follow – just follow where the eyeballs are, right?
Darrell: Exactly. So just as I do Stern-storming for your digital marketing, we’re now adding Stern-storming for your SnapChat, for the stories that [crosstalk][07:27] you should tell to the –
Eric: So can we call it Stern-Snapping?
Darrell: We can call it Stern-Snapping. Exactly.
Eric: I like that.
Darrell: I got to buy that right now for –
Eric: Well, we’ve came up with Stern-storming. So I figured we’d just add to Stern –
Angel: We put –
Darrell: Exactly.
Angel: We put your marketing on –
Darrell: Even go Stern-storming, Stern-Snapping.
Eric: Stern-roids.
Angel: We’d put on Stern-roids, and because it’s so fabulous –
Eric: We’re good for making names.
Angel: …we’re just – well, and now with the SnapChat and Snaphappen, so folks can follow the events of Snaphappen live on SnapChat, yes, maybe?
Darrell: Yes. They’re going to be doing that broadcasting all over the place, yes.
Angel: Okay.
Darrell: Then also, on my blog, we’ll be live over there from London and all of that.
Angel: You have now a new website for all the influencers of SnapChat, yes?
Darrell: Yes. It’s called snapchatsocialmedia.marketing [crosstalk][08:10] instead of .com.
Eric: All right. Is that Simon dude – is he –
Darrell: Simon is featured on there.
Eric: He’s on it? Where is he from?
Darrell: He’s from London, England.
Eric: Simon, if you like my post –
Darrell: There you go.
Eric: I’m sorry for the English accent. It’s horrible. If you’d just drop me a note –
Angel: Did you really just try to [crosstalk][08:26] pull off an English accent to a true English man?
Eric: Just drop me a note and you know what? I’ll start SnapChat today if you’d just give me a little thumbs-up or something over there at –
Angel: He just tried to pull off an English accent.
Eric: Come on.
Darrell: I’ll connect with you guys on Facebook. We’re all building a community together.
Eric: Be nice to me. It’s not like he’s never tried an American accent.
Darrell: The other part of this is as you do your Snaps, right, people can hit the chat button and respond right to these little 10-second videos.
Eric: Wow.
Darrell: So it’s instantaneous. As we say, marketing is the art of starting meaningful conversation.
Eric: In 10-second increments?
Darrell: In little 10-second increments. [crosstalk][08:598] Yes, exactly.
Angel: You got to be good.
Darrell: Exactly. So it’s an amazing platform to be yourself. It’s building self-confidence in a lot of millennials that are building their own platform. I saw a young magician yesterday who has 40,000 followers on SnapChat and does his magic. It’s awesome. Amazing.
Angel: It is awesome.
Eric: Oh, a young magician.
Angel: Darrell is doing his magic, of course, everything when it comes to online marketing, responsive web design, inbound marketing, content marketing, and social media marketing. You can read the reviews of his work from his very, very happy customers on his website and follow him as he travels to Snaphappen later on this month. Best website to set up our Stern-storming meeting with you.
Darrell: You can go right to sternstorming.com or call 303-353-4354.
Eric: Darrell, thanks for coming in, man.
Darrell: Thank you very much.
Eric: We appreciate it very much. Simon, I’m sorry I slaughtered the accent. [chuckle] Forgive me. We’ll be back with more positive business talk right after these messages.