Great Social Media Idea: Snapchat Saturday

Many colleges have successfully incorporated Snapchat into their social media platforms, but I'm guessing a good majority of them have yet to dive in. Some people are worried about Snapchat's unsavory reputation (it has grown into something much more diverse and dynamic, but the fact remains that it was founded by a bunch of frat boys as a sexting app); some don't feel like they have the time; some are simply not native to Snapchat and don't really "get" it (guilty as charged!).

But there's no arguing with the data - Snapchat is among the top four most-popular social networks among teens and recent high school grads, topping even Twitter.

So at some point, higher ed Snapchat accounts are going to become more common, and it behooves those us off that haven't started one yet to learn from those that have.

Which is why I'm happy to share this Snapchat Saturday idea from Princeton.

In truth, this is a bit of a bait-and-switch... Ryan Maguire from Princeton's social media time already wrote an article about this that goes into all sorts of full details about it - you really should go read it! 

But in case you're too lazy too click that link, here's the gist of the idea:

As a way to preserve and celebrate the creativity of the Princeton community, the University’s social media team launched Snapchat Saturday, a weekly feature on the Princeton University Facebook page, in September.

While hosting a Snapchat feature on Facebook may sound confusing at first, Princeton’s social media managers see it as a way to highlight unique and authentic student-generated content while promoting the University’s relatively new presence on Snapchat to a large audience.

Love it, and love the idea of connecting Snapchat with Facebook as a way to promote and de-stigmatize your brand's presence on Snapchat.

Thanks for sending this in to me, Princeton!