SnapchatCollege of Human and Health

Sciences

What is Snapchat?Snapchat is a fun messaging application for sharing moments. You can take a photo or a video, add a caption or doodle, and send it to a friend or add it to your story (available for 24 hours) to share with some or all of your friends.

Friends can view snaps for up to 10 seconds, and then it disappears.

Snapchat Stats • Fastest growing messaging app • Over 100 million daily active users

and 400 million snaps per day• Target market – 13-24 year olds –

the people we want to engage with are using it!

• A vital part of global marketing strategies

• Utilised by 77% of students daily

Why use it?• It’s immediate, personal and reaches

students where we can find them most – on their phones

• It inspires creativity and innovation, it’s fun and engaging

• Snaps can be sent to multiple people but they’re still a direct form of communication

• Many UK universities haven’t yet harnessed Snapchat as a social media channel for students – first mover advantages!

Using Snapchat to engage with current and prospective students

• Create a video narrative of Swansea University events to engage and excite audiences; Snapchat stories only last 24 hours and can string together a series of images and videos that audiences can view. Fantastic to give current and prospective student’s access to live events like open days and graduation.

 • Competitions – Snapchat is perfect for hosting

competitions with current students and could provide an excellent platform for fresher's events such as scavenger hunts.

Using Snapchat to engage with current and prospective students• Behind the scenes content – create a

personality that students will engage with using fun and engaging behind the scenes exclusive content about what goes on at the college, new facilities, new team members, events, etc.

What we did…We launched Snapchat for the Swansea University Open Day on 31st October. We took a series of photos and videos to capture events that took place throughout the day and added the narrative to a 24 hour story which current and prospective students could view.

We filmed demonstrations in our practice suites, undertook short tours of the ambulances we had on the day for paramedic science and tried to capture the buzz around the day.

Student ambassadors were briefed beforehand and we encouraged them to be part of the story through short videos and photos.

Results• 52 followers and growing! • 39 story views • Positive feedback from

students

Future Plans • Campaigns to increase the number of current and

prospective students using Snapchat • Increase our use of Snapchat to showcase events • Snapchat specific events for current students • Handing over Snapchat to a student ambassador for

the day to develop their own stories about campus life • A graduation story with video footage, photos and a 24

interviews with graduates • Possible use as a new communication channel for our

current students – updating students on college news

Crystal Evans Digital Marketing OfficerSwansea University Twitter - @CrystalBEvans