Snapchat Memories Will Mean Better Influencer Marketing

Snapchat has grown to 150 million daily users on the strength of its FOMO-driven soul but a new feature may alter the DNA of the platform forever.

The aptly-named “Memories” lets Snapchat users repost and save Snaps and Stories they create on the app. This is a massive change for the Ghost, which was founded on the idea of content that expires after a while. This has given Snapchat content a raw sensibility and provided users with a sense of freedom that the internet would not remember everything they posted.

Snapchatters may lose some of that feel with Memories, which breaks so many platform rules that it seems a different app now. Snaps can now be reposted with a notation that it is from the past, saved into a private list and they can even import content from other sources to post. While reposting is branded as ‘flashbacks,’ it draws on similar functionality on Facebook that brings back content previously posted.

Not everyone will get the new feature immediately and the company understands that this development is a big one. ”We’ll be rolling out Memories selectively over the next month or so—it’s a big change for our service so we want to make sure everything is running smoothly,” the company’s blog warns.

How Will Memories Help Snapchat Grow Influencer Marketing

Snapchat has done a lot in recent days to help advertisers find their way on the platform. Memories is a pivotal add to its feature set to drive more influencer marketing on the app.

Now that Snapchat creators can import of content from other sources, it is easier to repurpose content created elsewhere. While this may mean Snapchat loses some of its immediacy, this feature allows users to create more professional work that can more effectively hit product messages. The ability to repost existing work back into Stories will also provide a longer shelf life for influencer content.

The biggest change may be that this feature broadens the age range of audiences for the app. This will open the door for both deeper adoption and more targeted marketing efforts. While Snapchat’s view numbers are massive, the platform still commands a much smaller overall audience than Facebook, Instagram and WeChat. Much has been made about how Snapchat’s recent user growth has come from older consumers that are used to more traditional social media platforms. Memories may make it easier for those users to find their way in an app that has largely baffled Generation X and even some Millennials. With higher growth and deeper adoption comes the opportunity for Snapchat to allow for specific targeting in their advertising tools as well. With influencer marketing showing even broader appeal, that means even more users that can be targeted for influencer campaigns.