Get The Scoop on Marketing on Snapchat: An Introduction for Every Marketer
Although you may be familiar with traditional marketing tools and techniques, digital platforms - other than Facebook - may not be on your radar.
Snapchat has proved itself a worthy contender for your advertising dollars, and here we take a look at why the platform is important, how you can get started, and our best tips for advertising.
Have you been wondering how you can get an edge in social media marketing?
Snapchat is the answer! Many businesses neglect social media social media advertising, leaving a substantial gap in their marketing efforts.
Snapchat is a multimedia messaging app used widely by a range of demographics, but is most commonly used by millennials. If businesses want to connect with their audiences using more authentic content, it is important to really understand how to advertise in Snapchat.
Read on for a comprehensive Snapchat marketing guide.
Why is Snapchat important for your social media marketing campaign?
Since its launch, Snapchat has steadily grown in popularity, with a total of 200 million active users all around the world and 100 million daily users.
It remains one of the top downloaded apps and even rivals Twitter in its rate of growth. One of the most used social media platforms for those aged 12-24, it is an essential platform to develop brand presence and audience engagement.
So, what makes Snapchat a great marketing tool?
It offers businesses a creative and authentic approach to social media advertising.
You can post photos and videos that look genuine and feel personable, and you can even create your own Snapchat filter for special events and giveaways.
By thinking about how to post natively on the platform, you will be able to boost your engagement. This could be through a behind-the-scenes take on your business, or offer a weekly Q&A session about your products and company.
Many clothing labels make the most of Snapchat by giving viewers a first-hand look at their new collections, photo shoots and promotions.
Competitions are a great way to engage customers, as not only do they become more involved with your brand, but it results in a substantial amount of user-generated content (UGC) you can repurpose for other marketing campaigns.
How to advertise in Snapchat
There are a number of ways to advertise on Snapchat. Snap Ads are a 10-second video ad that prompts viewers to swipe up to receive more information about the offer or product.
For event-based campaigns, sponsored lenses are a great way to involve your audience. By adding a lens, you are giving prospective and existing customers an opportunity to interact creatively with your business. This helps to build trust and a sense of playfulness, an invaluable asset to emphasise the customer experience.
Geofilters are also a fun way to get people involved with your brand. As the name suggests, geofilters are usually tied to a specific geographic location. These can be particularly useful for universities, sports stadiums and tourism hot spots.
Getting started
Snapchat offers an ad manager platform that allows businesses to create, optimise and manage campaigns without even going through Snapchat.
It offers a range of advertising tools and options for people who are ready to launch their Snapchat marketing campaign. However, if you are looking to just try out Snapchat and get a feel of it, you can very easily make your own account for your business and start snapping.
Snapchat is available for both iPhones and Androids through their respective app stores. There are currently no differences between personal Snapchat accounts and business accounts, so making a personal account will help you learn the ins and outs of the app to help you feel comfortable with creating content for Snapchat marketing.
Tips for advertising in Snapchat
Your social media advertising can go a long way if you keep a couple of useful tips in mind.
1. Know your audience
Snapchat only gives you a few seconds to deliver your message, so it’s important you’re aware of how your targeted audience expects to be communicated with.
Take a look at how your competitors frame their content, and whether the content you’re thinking of making sits natively within the platform.
2. Make your content memorable
To capture audience attention, you really only have the first two seconds to make an impression before the user taps on to a new snap. Think about what you really need to say, or how you can tempt the audience to stay watching your snap for longer.
These first steps in snapchat marketing will give you the best shot at making content and ads that resonate with your target market.
For real success in digital marketing, you need to consider the value of each platform, and whether its appropriate for your brand.
A Snapchat marketing strategy can boost not only your brand awareness, but foster a community that will be your biggest advocates. As the customer experience is more important than ever, capitalising on a seamless and sophisticated Snapchat experience.
And with Snapchat marketing currently much cheaper than competitor Instagram, there’s never been a better time to get involved.