In a world that is so heavily driven by social media, many real estate agents are starting to wonder how the popular Snapchat app can benefit their business. With only 10 seconds’ length to showcase photos and videos for viewers, it might seem like Snapchat isn’t a platform for real estate agents, but, in fact, there are many ways the app can add value to a real estate-focused profile.

This interactive social media app lets you communicate with your audience through image, video, and text. Snapchat is unlike other social media channels—there are no distractions such as comments or interface design; it’s just you, your content, and your viewer. And, since content disappears, viewers must absorb it right away. Here’s how you can incorporate it into your business:

Build Your Personal Brand

Snapchat allows you to connect with your clients on a different level. It gives your viewers a glimpse at the “behind-the-scenes” snapshot of the industry, and as such, can be the perfect way to build brand awareness. It allows your viewers to get to know you, and in turn, they’ll feel a more personal connection with you. Here’s how you can build your personal brand with Snapchat:

• Show your clients what the life of a real estate agent is like, with captivating photos and videos showcasing your “day-in-the-life” activities
• Blend your photos and videos together into informative and entertaining Stories to keep users coming back to view them
• Be sure to use real, authentic content, even using images with happy clients—with their permission; this will lead to customer trust, relatability, and hopefully, relationships that lead to sales and/or referrals

Promote Yourself in Real Time:

Snapchat has the ability to do more than simply build brand awareness. It’s the perfect outlet for marketing real-time events and opportunities. On Snapchat, when you post public content, such as an image or video of an open house, and encourage your viewers to come and see that property in real time, they’ll know that the post is current, which is valuable in terms of initiating immediate action. Here’s how you can use Snapchat to market yourself:

• Promote events, opportunities, open houses, etc., through public Snapchat Stories, so all followers and viewers know the events are current as they view and can directly message you for details if needed
• Promote events, opportunities, open houses, etc., through designed “Geofilters,” which begin with costs of $5, and can be shown to any users of Snapchat looking to enhance their own Snaps (within a geographic area and time limit of your choosing)

Measure Engagement

Measuring engagement on Snapchat is significantly different than on other platforms. After all, there are no metrics that can be downloaded and analyzed, but that doesn’t mean that engagement can’t be measured. It’s just done differently on Snapchat than on other platforms; for example, when you create Stories, you do have the ability to see exactly which followers viewed your story (and which images specifically they viewed), as well as who took a screenshot of your fleeting images. You can also measure and track your follower numbers.

Here are a couple ideas to try on your channel to measure Snapchat-specific engagement:

• Ask your viewers to screenshot their favorite photos of properties shown and see how many actually participate; as a bonus, note which properties and content your viewers want to see/pursue
• Check how many people view each post, and determine if there’s a specific type of preferred content
• Check your “new friends” list frequently and become familiar with the names that appear; if you don’t follow them back, the most recent names will only disappear if they unfollow, which can be a great way to see your retention rate

Snapchat is officially revolutionizing the way real estate agents manage, operate, and interact with their clients. In a world where business and personal lives are quickly becoming blended, this is a fun app to help brand yourself, your services, and business all at once and in real time. Additionally, it’s important to note that Snapchat’s use grew as much in one year as Twitter did in four, and users continue to grow, especially in the 25-year-old and up age range—so this is a marketing trend you definitely want to snap into if you have the resources to manage it.