Why Snapchat Belongs in Your Professional Development Toolkit

Actively managing your professional development is key to career success. While tried-and-true tools like networking and skills training remain essential, social media platforms like Snapchat can enhance your efforts in unexpected ways. Read on to find out why Snapchat deserves a spot in your professional development toolkit.

Leveraging Snapchat for Your Personal Development

At its core, professional development is about crafting and executing a strategic personal development plan to set and achieve your career goals. This typically involves a mix of networking, mentorship, skills training, learning and showcasing your abilities. Using a personal development plan template as a starting point can save time while ensuring you cover all aspects of a successful development plan.

Snapchat offers innovative options to augment a traditional professional development plan. The platform’s fun, casual nature makes it easy to organically build relationships, demonstrate skills visually, get comfortable on camera and expand your professional community. You can use Snapchat’s creative tools to develop shareable content that highlights your expertise and gives followers authentic glimpses into your work life. The key is having a strategy to maximise Snapchat within your broader professional growth agenda.

Strategic Ways to Use Snapchat for Your Career

While Snapchat presents useful opportunities, you need a strategic approach to incorporate it into your professional development plan. Here are some best practices for maximising Snapchat for your career:

• Create Shareable Content – Prioritise creating Snaps and Stories that provide value to your followers and are worth sharing. This could include insider views of your industry, career tips, business spotlights or Thoughts of the Day. Entertaining or funny content also tends to get shared. For maximum visibility, share during peak Snapchat usage between 5-6 PM on weekdays.
• Use Creative Tools – Take advantage of Snapchat creative tools like filters, stickers, drawing capabilities and more to produce engaging, professional-looking content. High-quality visuals show you put time into your posts.
• Show Behind-the-Scenes – Give your followers an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at your job, industry or business. This provides a valuable glimpse into your world while building your professional persona. Just be sure to get permission first!
• Expand Your Network – Grow your Snapchat network strategically by engaging with people you’d like to build relationships with – comment on their content, answer Snapchat questions, etc. Use features like Snapchat Maps to connect around events.
• Refine Your Skills – Practice presenting on camera, creating compelling visual stories and engaging an audience. Review your Snaps to see what techniques work best. Snapchat is a great low-pressure way to develop these valuable skills.
• Track Performance – Use Snapchat’s built-in analytics under “Ad Performance” to see impressions, opens and other data to gauge what types of content resonate most with your audience.

Build Your Professional Brand

Snapchat offers unique opportunities to showcase your skills and achievements in creative ways. Share career milestones, use geofilters at industry events to boost visibility, and highlight thought leaders to reflect your interests. Create engaging content with tools like filters and Spotlight to increase reach while ensuring your branding, such as logos or colours, is consistent across posts. By leveraging these features, Snapchat becomes a powerful platform to establish and enhance your professional reputation.

Make Meaningful Connections

The casual nature of Snapchat facilitates networking and relationship-building:

• React to others’ Stories to spark natural conversations.
• Use polls or Frage-stickers to engage followers.
• Follow colleagues, clients, industry leaders to broaden connections.
• Join group chats or add people to your Snap Map to collaborate.
• Share advice and exchange ideas via Snaps.
• Send congratulatory Snaps on promotions, new jobs, etc.

By regularly interacting in a low-pressure way, you can establish meaningful relationships that support your career aims.

Discovering Industry Insights

Snapchat isn’t just a platform for sharing—it’s also a tool for staying informed about trends and innovations in your field. By following industry leaders, relevant businesses, and key organisations, you can gain insider knowledge that keeps you ahead of the curve. Monitor their Stories for updates on market shifts, cutting-edge developments, and upcoming events. This passive learning method adds value to your professional toolkit, helping you remain adaptable and well-prepared for future challenges.

Showcasing Creativity

Professional development often involves demonstrating creativity and problem-solving abilities, and Snapchat is an excellent outlet for showcasing these skills. You can use tools like augmented reality filters, custom stickers, and engaging visuals to share unique perspectives on industry topics or projects. For example, a designer might create Snaps illustrating their workflow, while a marketer could visually break down successful campaigns. Thoughtful use of Snapchat’s creative features can highlight your ingenuity and make your expertise stand out to potential collaborators or employers.

Snapchat’s unconventional approach to content creation and networking makes it a valuable addition to your professional development toolkit. By leveraging its features to build meaningful connections, stay informed, and showcase your creativity, you can enhance traditional career-building methods and stand out in a crowded field.