Snapchat Geofilters: The Coming Storm
Snapchat Geofilters are about to become a whole lot more sophisticated and the opportunities to engage with countless audiences at the right time and place are endless. Here's why you should be getting excited, and how to take advantage of the coming storm.
Snapchat Geofilters are a huge deal. So why aren’t all marketers using them?
Snapchat Geofilters aren't exactly brand new, but they're about to become a whole lot more sophisticated for marketers.
This year will see bulk location uploads and in-depth targeting and analytics become available, meaning huge opportunities for reaching audiences.
Needless to say, now's the time to get your head around Snapchat Geofilters and their immense potential.
Here’s why you should be getting excited:
They have incredible reach potential
They can cost a tiny amount
They give brands the chance to truly engage with a hard-to-reach audience
They aren’t complicated to set up
In this short post, I’ll run you through:
- What Snapchat Geofilters are
- Why all marketers should know about them (even B2B)
- How to design them
- How to set them up
- How to measure them
If you’re ready to get stuck in, let’s go.
What are Snapchat Geofilters?
Snapchat Geofilters are an image that Snapchat users can overlay onto a picture taken in a specific geographical location.
As a brand, you can designate an area that you’d like to target at a specific time and date, and offer a filter for Snapchat users in that location.
twitter.com/benfount/status/834057560273608704
For example, let’s say you’re the marketing director of a university and your target audience is prospective university students.
You can set up a Snapchat Geofilter with your university’s logo in the corner and a mortarboard that users can position on top of their head.
It’s a bit of fun, but also a great brand awareness opportunity.
Schedule this to appear over every university campus during their open days and you have a presence at all of your competitors’ events. Take this one stage further and target all schools in the country on A-Level results day, and you’ve got a highly relevant and vast potential reach.
This is the power of Geofilters.
Geofilters offer a cost-effective way to engage with the swathes of 17-24 year olds who are just starting to become lifelong consumers in their own right.
Courtesy of Omnicore
Why all Marketers should know about Snapchat Geofilters
It’s not just the young folk who are using Snapchat. The biggest increase in uptake has been from the over 18s, signalling a maturing userbase.
The opportunities for B2B marketers are huge, too.
For another example, let’s say youre the CMO of a small tech startup with a fresh influx of investment money.
You can set a Geofilter over other tech business headquarters with your company name and a ‘Wish You Were Here’ text overlay. A great way to get on the radar of potential, valuable employees.
Using bespoke Geofilters at industry events is another way B2B businesses can set themselves apart.
It’s a great opportunity to give a large audience a flavour of your brand in a fun and engaging way. Not to mention the huge potential reach you get when people use the filter and send it to their friends.
How to design Snapchat Geofilters
When making a Geofilter, you’ll need to use Photoshop or a similar app. If you’re not proficient with design tools then consider getting some expert help , or use the online builder supplied.
You can choose to use a template or to create your own, but remember, Snapchat Geofilters must meet these requirements:
- Be 1080px wide by 1920px tall
- Have a transparent background
- Be under 300KB in file size
- Not contain any photo material
- Be saved as a .PNG file
The key rule, before anything else, when thinking about your design is to completely detach yourself from your own mind.
Step into your audience’s head:
- Why are they using Snapchat at the time and location you’re targeting?
- What are they wanting from their filter? Is it to brag to their friends that they’re at a certain place or event?
- How can your filter add something to their moment, enough that they’ll want to share it with friends?
This is important, because most people won’t feel inclined to send a snap plastered with only corporate branding to anybody.
Your goal is to create something which genuinely adds to your audience’s day, while subtly making them aware of your brand. Consider asking for others’ opinions on your design, especially if they sit within your target demographic.
Generally, Snapchat users are using the app because they want to be entertained and to let others know what they’re doing. Bear this in mind when coming up with your Geofilter designs.
How to set up Snapchat Geofilters
Once you’ve nailed your design(s), it’s time to schedule your Geofilters for right the time and place.
It’s an easy four-step process:
1. Upload and resize your filter if necessary
2. Set the time and date for your filter to activate
3. Draw over the area you want you filter to appear
4. Give your Geofilter a sponsor name, and enter a payment method
For UK users, it’s worth noting that the date format is still in the American MM/DD style, so don’t get caught out.
How to measure the success of your Geofilter
Once you’ve set your Geofilter up and have let it run its course, you’ll be able to log in to your account to see how it performed. The results can take up to 24 hours to appear, so hold tight.
It’s worth mentioning that so far, Snapchat Geofilter analytics are still fairly limited, however you’re able to see the following numbers:
The number of swipes shows you how many people saw your filter but swiped past it, while the number of uses shows how many people used it on their snap.
The views figure shows how many people in total saw your filter, and should be much higher. This is because people will often send their snap to multiple friends or will add it to their story.
Although reasonably basic, you can easily work out the CPM to measure against your other brand awareness efforts on different platforms.
Hopefully you can see the advantages Snapchat Geofilters have over other platforms, and the opportunities for all types of businesses.
There are still so many people unaware of the magic of Geofilters that now’s the time to own the platform ahead of your competition. It’s a cost-effective and fun way to really engage with your audience, so I highly recommend taking advantage of it.
If you want help making a killer campaign, feel free to get in touch with me