In a previous blog, we talked about creating a hashtag (this thing #) for your event. These are great for websites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, but not for everything. Snapchat is another popular app for communicating with friends, only through pictures. For those unfamiliar with the app, I will give a brief explanation of how it works. Users simply take a photo or video in the app. They can then edit that with some text, stickers, filters or colors. Once the user has their perfect “snapsterpiece,” they can send it to friends or post it to their story. Snaps that are sent to friends disappear once viewed. Story snaps disappear after 24 hours. So, you can probably see the appeal, you can send as many ugly selfies as you want without having to worry about people keeping them forever.

You are probably wondering why I am telling you all this. Well, as I said, Snapchat is extremely popular, which means you need to be taking advantage of it. People really like taking pictures to commemorate an event. Since they may be using the app already, you need to get your event involved in those snaps. You can do so by adding a geofilter. This is a filter that people in a certain geographical area can add to their snaps. Generally they consist of some sort of picture, design, or text. Templates can be downloaded at snapchat.com.

Designs can be made in Photoshop. Just make sure it is saved as a png file and that it has a transparent background, because the user’s picture will be the background. Other than that, the sky is the limit. For those with an event name, you may want to include that so viewers can see where the snaps came from.

Unlike the hashtag, this is not a free thing. The price depends on area and length of time. Don’t worry, though, it’s not going to break the bank.

Technology is a powerful gift. Especially when hosting events with young people, it is a lot easier to embrace it, rather than try to prevent it. There’s no reason it has to be a distraction. Let it help boost your event.  Guests are already taking pictures, might as well use them to promote the event.