CAN'T BUILD A STRONG FOLLOWING? HERE'S WHERE YOU MISS THE MARK...

If you don't want your new Snapchat friends to be "once-and-done" visitors after they see your story, you better pay attention! I've compiled a list of 5 things that are major Snapchat "turn-offs". If you aspire to be a SnapPro with a huge audience of rabid fans that come back every day to see what you are doing, stay away from these five things:

1. Inside Jokes

When you post snaps to your story that nobody can understand but your best friend, you're not going to attract visitors. This alienates people and makes them feel like an outsider, and not a friend. If your general audience can't understand the meaning of your snap without an explanation, it's not going to make you Snap-famous. Don't do it.

2. Annoying Sounds

When your viewers open your story and screeching sounds violate their eardrums, it doesn't take a half a second to get swiped to the next story. Loud wind noise, rattling paper, shrieks, random machine noise, you name it. If it hurts your viewer's ears, they ain't coming back to endure it again.

3. Random Nonsensical Snaps

First of all, nobody wants to see a shaky, herky-jerky video of your feet or some dark hallway. If there's no purpose to the snap, who wants to be bothered with it? These days, people are so busy that they will resent you for wasting that valuable ten seconds of their life that they'll never get back. And you better believe they won't be motivated to navigate back to your story the next time you pop into the lineup.

4. Unplanned Stories

As the saying goes, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail". If you want to be the next Snapchat reality show star, you have to realize that reality TV isn't reality. It's all carefully planned. My advice for building a repeat audience? Plan out what you're going to do a day ahead of time. They call it "My Story", not "Mindless Jabbering". Take the hint. Plan it out and create a story, and give your viewers a reason to follow along.

5. Meaningless Pictures

Every now and then, I come across snap stories that include pictures of random objects that have no message or meaning. Wanna bore your audience to tears and brand yourself as a Snapchat Dud? Post pictures of your shoe, your front door, or the dog sitting on the floor. That will guarantee you a spot on the "who-not-to-watch" hall of fame list. If you're going to post a picture, give it meaning. And make it a meaningful part of your story or theme.

So there you have it. If you see yourself doing some of the things I've mentioned, make yourself a solid plan to improve. Take notes, and write down your plan of action. Stay tuned because I'll have another set of 5 things to avoid that keep you from growing your viewership.

Now that you know what not to do, check out my other posts for ideas on how you can produce and direct an entertaining Snapchat story line like a Hollywood mogul! Now get out there and create some awesome content, and start growing your following!

Carlton Flowers
The SnapPro

HOW TO GET PEOPLE COMING BACK TO YOUR STORY EVERY DAY

If you want to be a SnapPro Snapchat Celebrity, you've got to learn how to get people coming back every day to view your snap story. Your desire is to have a crowd of rabid fans that eat up everything you post.

If you're an average casual Snapchatter, your friends probably view your snaps once in a while. But what’s the trick to getting people to come back day after day? How do you get your audience to view every single snap you post to your story on a daily basis?

The answer is, you have create "sticky" content. That's the kind of stuff that makes people stick with you for good. In other words, the more entertaining, informative, or valuable your snaps are, the more sticky your viewership will be.

There are several things that factor in to building sticky viewers, but one rule reigns supreme…

You have to create a structured, regular schedule for posting to your snap story, and you can't deviate from it. You've got to be committed!

I use a grid that lays out the entire week for all of my social network posting. I fill in the grid where I want to post content from the different social platforms, and I check them off when I get them done. That way, I can clearly see if I’m staying consistent, and if I'm slacking off for a period, it's rather obvious.

If you post to your Snapchat story every morning at 8am and stick to a common theme or message, people are going to start to look for it. They will quickly create a habit of having you as a part of their daily routine. That's what you want. Your goal is to create a desire for your viewers to integrate your snap story into their daily lives.

If you do this right, your viewers won’t feel right if they don’t start their daily routine by watching your story. And when you get really good at this, they'll complain when you don't keep your commitment and provide their content.

And that's just the beginning. Don't stop there. Build an entire daily routine. if there’s something that you do every week that is a part of your normal routine that is interesting, include it in your story. People will come to expect it. Your entire routine will actually become a reality show that people get hooked to, just like a TV show.

A lot of my followers know what I do on Friday mornings at 5:45am because I always include my basketball group on my snap story. They also know that I visit manufacturing plants and show how things are made. They've even become accustomed to my comedic antics in the grocery store, and they know everything about my business enterprises.

I've converted viewership to business deals, because people are aware of the products and services that I provide with my businesses. So it has already to monetary value on my end. And it's all free advertising.

In fact, it's a regular occurrence for my wife to come home and tell me that people stop her in the grocery store or at Walmart to tell her that they know who she is, because they regularly see her in my snap stories.

Get a regular schedule mapped out on paper. Decide what your recurring themes are, and then make the commitment to stick to your plan and you will start building sticky viewers before you know it! I guarantee it.

Now get out there and get it done, future Snapchat celebrity!

Carlton Flowers
SnapPro Celeb Supreme