Chelsea Peitz is brave.
She started using Snapchat in May 2016 when it was barely on most real estate marketers’ radar, and within 18 months she became a Snapchat influencer in the real estate community.
Chelsea Peitz
And then when Instagram started copying Snapchat’s most attractive features and Snapchat’s future started looking bleak, Peitz wrote a book all about Snapchat called Talking in Pictures, How Snapchat Changed Camera’s, Communication, and Communities.
It’s a gem. Talking in Pictures is a thoughtful book that provides fascinating insight into how Snapchat has transformed communication and building relationships.
As a Snapchatter who has experienced many of the benefits Peitz discussed, I hadn’t appreciated the brilliance of the platform until I read the book. She explains the unrelenting focus on the user experience and how there is an “anticipatory savvy that creates disruption and fosters customer loyalty.”
“Talking in Pictures”
Snapchat mirrors real life relationships and communication in ways other platforms have not. Peitz explains how. For example, Snapchat users talk to their phone at arms length and look into the lens. Viewers feel as though they were standing a few feet away talking to them.
“Snaps” are unscripted, unpolished, unprofessional, and not corporate. It feels honest and trustworthy. Peitz opines, “Snapchat is the ultimate trust accelerator because it’s more difficult to pretend to be someone else on camera for an extended period of time.”
Snapchat stories disappear after 24 hours and this creates the urgency to view the story. “Ephemeral content tuned out to be exactly what consumers didn’t know they wanted.”
Peitz created a daily marketing show on Snapchat and quickly discovered that when she Snapped the personal side of her life, engagement increased.
While this is a revelation in social media, it reflects how strong relationships have always been built in business. Service providers who build rapport with clients always win over those who do not.
Talking in Pictures is an instruction manual to anyone who wants to learn how to use Snapchat to build their personal brand. But it’s not just for newbies. As someone who has Snapped for 18 months, I’m going to incorporate many of Peitz’s suggestions into my 2018 Marketing Plan.
In addition to an instruction manual, Talking in Pictures explains the psychology and disruptive forces that launched Snapchat to its IPO $22.2 billion valuation.
Regardless of Snapchat’s financial future, all the insights and lessons Peitz provides are essential to anyone marketing today.
Rich Hopen is a real estate agent with Redfin. He’d love to connect with you on Snapchat or Twitter: @rhopen.
