Help! How do I use Snapchat?

That was my plea to my best friend who heads up marketing for a fairly big kids clothing brand. Her reply, I have no idea! We were both totally baffled, feeling both incredibly old and totally brain dead every time we tried to use the app. Basically, if you're over the age of 25 you've probably never used Snapchat even though the app has been around since 2011 (I have vague memories of a former assistant talking to me about this app where pictures disappeared within 24 hours..). In the beginning, it was mostly used for dating and entertainment (hello, pictures/videos disappear "forever" after a certain amount of time, essentially the perfect app for sending d$@*k pics), now it's a mainstream marketing tool used by major companies (Cosmopolitan, MTV, ESPN) to reach out to their audience and with roughly 8 billion (yep, it's nuts) videos viewed daily it's kind of a big deal. Because of that and my major writing phobia, I decided I needed to get myself and my business onto Snapchat since a portion of my demographic is in the millennial age range that uses the app. After a few sad, failed attempts to use it, I hit the interwebs for the answers. Below are some of the most useful articles I found on both how to use the app and why I'd even want to. So, start reading and get yourself and your biz on Snapchat. If you're so inclined, feel free to follow me on Snapchat here. Happy snapping!

Very good tutorials to figure how the hell Snapchat works:

• http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-snapchat-2015-12
• http://www.wired.com/2016/04/how-to-use-snapchat-guide-millennials/

Some good ideas for how to use Snapchat for your business:

• https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/270663 and https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2016/04/ways-small-businesses-use-snapchat/
• https://www.shopify.com/blog/75307013-snapchat-marketing-the-key-to-discovering-and-engaging-your-most-loyal-fans

Some Snapchat facts:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrdW4iP-U40

Some people you I think use Snapchat really really well:

• Everlane - https://www.snapchat.com/add/everlane
• P.F. Candle Co. - https://www.snapchat.com/add/pfcandleco
• Gary Vaynerchuk - https://www.snapchat.com/add/garyvee

Odds + Ends

I've been reading lots and LOTS of creative business-related material lately and taking copious notes. I've found great work on topics ranging from managing social media to pitching to buyers to finding balance.  Here's a selection of what I've dicovered in my tour around the interwebs.

Are you thinking of wholesaling your products? Here are some things to think about when you're preparing to pitch to buyers.

The holidays are right around the corner, fellow creative businesspeople (EEK!). Read this to ready your online shop for holiday sales.

Thank goodness- here are some resources for organizing and tracking ongoing creative projects.

How do you cope with being an entrepreneur while also managing a chronic illness? Two women tell their stories about navigating this path.

Here's something I've been spending a lot of time thinking about lately- how do I advance my business while also making a difference in the world? The Social Media With Heart series on Iterate Social features those who have succeeded in blending the two.

Do you know the Being Boss podcast? I just learned of this one and am currently binge listening. Kathleen Shannon and Emily Thompson dish on all aspects of handling creative entrepreneurship LIKE A BOSS.

There have been mixed reactions to the Vogue article on Instagram rules. What do you think?

Odds + Ends

Here is a short list of lovely finds for your reading pleasure.

I found this article (in three parts) about the changing landscape of the maker movement fascinating and thought provoking.  (By Regina Connell over at Handful of Salt)

Find out what your name would be if you were born in any other year.  If I were born this year, my name would be Eleanor.  If I were born in 1980?  Nina.  In 1940?  Billie.  (By Chris Wilson over at Time Magazine)

This post (another three-parter!) had some great tips on how to make the most of Instagram for creative brands (By Caitlin Bacher over at Dear Handmade Life.)

I've just started reading The Fortune Cookie Principle and I am hooked.  It's an insightful book about building a brand that people will actually care about. (By Bernadette Jiwa)

Straightforward, thorough and fun article about how to put together a press kit for your creative brand (and why you need one in the first place). (By Lela Barker over at Lucky Break Consulting)

Fran Liebowitz tells us all how to dress better in one of the best interviews I've read.  (By Kathleen Hale over at Elle Magazine)