With over 250 million daily active users, Snapchat has become a marketing must for small business owners. But navigating Snapchat‘s unique features and culture can be confusing.
As a small business owner myself, I was initially mystified by the star symbols popping up on my account. What did they mean? Were they important? How could I use them to better connect with customers?
After plenty of research and hands-on experience, I‘m here to provide a detailed guide to Snapchat stars – and how small businesses can leverage them in their marketing strategy.
Snapchat Star Emojis Explained
Snapchat uses different star emojis next to friends‘ names to convey special meanings. Here‘s what each one signals:
Yellow Star ️
The yellow star indicates your "#1 Best Friend" or the person you snap with the most over 2 weeks. According to Snapchat, users send and receive over 5 billion snaps a day – and the yellow star reveals your most frequent connections.
For small businesses, becoming someone‘s best friend can significantly boost your visibility in their feed. Make an effort to consistently engage top customers or brand advocates if you want to earn that coveted yellow star.
Gold Star️
The gold star means a friend has replayed your snap in the past 24 hours. Snapchat allows one free replay per snap, so gold stars indicate snaps that resonate strongly with the recipient.
According to a 2021 study, 68% of Snapchat users replay brand content that they find interesting or compelling. As a small business, focus on creating fun, innovative snaps that followers will want to replay. This increases engagement and helps content go viral organically.
Baby Star️
Baby stars appear next to new Snapchat users for their first year on the platform. Welcome these newcomers by showing them the Snapchat ropes – this can earn you a loyal follower.
Pro tip: Search for baby stars in your area to find and engage local customers who are just getting started on Snapchat. Building local connections can be highly valuable for small businesses aiming to boost brand awareness in their community.
Red Star️
A red star means a friend has replayed your snap multiple times in 24 hours. So while gold stars signify a single replay, red stars indicate snaps so good, people had to watch them again.
If your content earns red stars, you‘ve created a viral hit. Study those snaps and try to recreate that success with similar content. Repurpose popular snaps as Stories ads to gain maximum exposure.
Other Snapchat Star Symbols
Beyond the emoji stars, there are a few other important star symbols on Snapchat.
Verified Account Star ✅️
Snapchat manually verifies celebrity, influencer, and public figure accounts with a gold verification badge. Verification establishes credibility and legitimacy.
As a small business, you likely don‘t need an official verified account. Focus instead on earning reputation and community trust organically. Fair warning: Snapchat does not sell verification, so beware of any third parties offering to broker official status.
Snap Stars️
Snapchat designates top content creators as Snap Stars. These users can access special features like creating public Stories visible across Snapchat.
Becoming a Snap Star takes time, but provides a major signal boost, especially for small businesses aiming to grow their audience. Consistently create fun, engaging content, and Snapchat will eventually take notice and reward your efforts.
Leveraging Stars to Grow Your Business on Snapchat
While the nuances of stars on Snapchat can be confusing initially, these symbols offer valuable insights into your connections and content performance.
As a small business owner, focus on earning replays and best friend status from loyal customers. Create viral Snaps that resonate in your community. Pursue organic growth by delivering value, not vanity metrics.
Snapchat‘s star system both reflects and reinforces real relationships. Marketers can‘t fake the intimate engagements that stars represent. For best results, approach Snapchat not like a mega-broadcaster, but like a local business owner building personal community connections.
The takeaway? Stars help identify your true supporters – so nurture those relationships. With time and commitment, your most meaningful interactions will soon be illuminated.
