10-Second Looks at Marketing Through Snapchat Spectacles

Snapchat spectacles were introduced last year as a means to take very short videos to post to Snapchat. Reactions to the glasses were pretty strong; the spectacles were in demand, but not easy to come by. But what about now? Are these devices something that businesses should pursue, or are they a technological oddity? To find out how important these wearable cameras will be in the future, we asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council:

“Do you see Snapchat Spectacles being a game-changer for small business marketing? If so, how?”

Marketing Through Snapchat Spectacles

Here’s what they had to say:

1. Spectacles Can Keep Customers Entertained and Informed

“Snap’s Spectacles allow small businesses to easily give their consumers an inside look at day-to-day operations, special events or behind the scenes. Every business can find at least one very unique angle to leverage to draw attention. Small- and medium-sized businesses can use Spectacles as a way to keep their current customer base entertained and informed, as well as attract a new audience. The key is creativity.” ~ Jonathan Long, Sexy Smile Kit

2. The Devices Are Fun for a While, but Not Game Changing

“Spectacles are not a must-have for small business marketing. For businesses with a younger audience demographic, Spectacles are a fun addition to social campaigns that make a business seem more innovative and accessible. However, the regular Snapchat app works just as well for most marketing purposes.” ~ Adelyn Zhou, TOPBOTS

3. Not Until Snapchat Figures Out Their Advertising Platform

“To this point, Snapchat does not seem too concerned with appealing to small businesses when it comes to advertising. Spectacles may provide a slightly easier way for businesses to film, although there are plenty of cool devices you can already use such as 360 cameras. It will not be a game changer unless they change the way you can advertise the content that you create.” ~ Scott Kacmarski, Reps Direct

4. Spectacles Give Followers a First-Person Look

“Snapchat Spectacles allow followers to truly immerse themselves in the users’ perspective. No matter how big or small your business is, whether you’re making deliveries or showing followers a day at the office, with Spectacles you’re making the ordinary look much more extraordinary with a first-person point of view. For 0, you can’t beat that!” ~ Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS

5. They Might Work for Some Niches

“I don’t see Snapchat Spectacles having a huge impact on small business marketing. It’s a cool device, but I don’t think it does anything for video marketing that a GoPro or any other small camera can’t do — there is no shortage of convenient cameras of much higher quality. But I’m not Snapchat’s target demographic, so I’m prepared to be surprised here.” ~ Vik Patel, Future Hosting

6. This Too Will Phase Out

“Much like Google Glasses, it was a “cool trend” but never really hit mainstream. Snapchat has a great following, but most people aren’t going to want to wear the glasses or bring another outside component into their lives. As for business use, this will also be decided on by how well Spectacles are adopted by the general public.” ~ Zac Johnson, Blogger

7. Wearables Are Something to Watch

“Snapchat Spectacles won’t be game-changing unless you’re invested in Snapchat as a marketing platform, but they are an important indicator of a trend small businesses should pay attention to. Wearables, coupled with augmented reality, are going to have a huge impact in the coming years, creating marketing and business opportunities that are worth exploring now.” ~ Justin Blanchard, ServerMania Inc.

8. Snapchat Platform Works Better for Big Businesses

“Unfortunately, Snapchat Spectacles won’t make an impact for small businesses. Already, Snapchat has proven to be a platform that works best for big business, while small businesses thrive using Instagram stories. The addition of Snapchat Spectacles to the photo sharing marketplace is definitely an interesting step forward, but we feel its impact will be seen more in personal use than for business.” ~ Kevin Yamazaki, Sidebench

9. This System Will Lead to Innovation

“I don’t think it will change business, but I do think it will impact how competitors innovate. Instagram has already moved in on Snapchat territory, and messaging apps are now a dime a dozen. We’re going to see companies learn from the mistakes Snapchat makes and come up with better ideas.” ~ Ismael Wrixen, FE International

10. Snapchat Spectacles Are Convenient, but They’re Not Special

“As they currently exist, Snapchat Spectacles are simply making it more convenient to produce content for Snapchat. While the excitement might attract more people to the platform, the Spectacles do not add any additional value. How much of an impact they have on individual businesses will really depend on who your market is and whether or not they already use Snapchat. Overall, not a game changer.” ~ Kyle Goguen, Pawstruck

Snapchat Button Photo via Shutterstock

This article, "10-Second Looks at Marketing Through Snapchat Spectacles" was first published on Small Business Trends