If you’re on Snapchat, you’ve seen what’s up. They’ve updated the app. Many users aren’t too happy about it, but one thing is for sure: Advertisers love it.
There’s a reason why Google offered 30 billion USD to purchase Snapchat. With over 187 million daily users, it’s an advertiser’s ideal place to promote. Before the recent change, you found your Snapchat Stories by swiping left on the camera screen. As you’d catch up on your friends’ latest Snaps, you’d meet a new sponsored post between the stories. By swiping right from the home screen, you used to find only Snaps sent directly to you and your groups.
Now, swiping right will take you to both Stories and Snaps ordered by how often you snap and chat with each other. The advertising stays the same, however. Every few Stories and Snaps you see, a promoted post will show up. From the camera, a swipe left now shows a mix of sponsored Snaps and trending on what they call the “Discovery page.” Here, users will find professional posts from companies like The New York Times and Buzzfeed as well as other users with popular Stories. Amongst these Stories, relevant advertisements will show up as well. So, why is this so great for you? Whether users are interested in public or private posts, ads will reach them.
How to start?
As the Snapchat app has developed, so have their promotion options. As of now, there are multiple ways to promote your product or service through Snapchat. Just like Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat allows advertisers to focus on their target audiences so that their ads meet the right potential customers in the right locations. Recently, the ads have been even more effective after Snapchat added the option for the user to swipe up to send the user to a webpage or app installation without leaving the app.
If promoting videos, articles, or apps doesn’t suit your needs, Snapchat also has the option to connect filters and lenses. Filters are available to users at a specific location and event. These can be great to boost brand loyalty when Snapchat users post Stories or Snaps using your filter during their stay at your shop, for example. It’s important to keep these fun and informal for your target audiences. Lenses are similar to filters but can be activated at any location for 24 hours. Both lenses and filters are great for more organic advertising through word of mouth, or in this case, “Snaps of Snapchat.”
Interactive Ads
With filters, lenses, and seamlessly integrated promoted Stories, interactive ads are so totally “in” and brand loyalty just keeps getting easier to promote. The Stories are simple to consume for users while keeping them in the Snapchat app itself, which is great for everyone. Event lenses and filters let users share with their friends and follows what they’re doing, boosting awareness of the event. As these posts collect in the location of the event, Snapchat users will see the hotspot on the app’s SnapMap. You’ll find the SnapMap by pinching the camera screen, which shows where your friends are if they’ve opted in. The more Snaps coming out of one location, the larger the hotspot and more attention the event can gain for a limited time.
Why Snapchat, though?
As mentioned before, Snapchat has a ton of daily users. Being a rawer social media, Snapchat has continued to be an extremely popular platform for young people to share photos and videos with their friends. Since their posted media is deleted after viewing and there are fewer “old people”, the younger generation prefers to stay connected with Snapchat. With 60% of Snapchat users being under 25, this app is perfect for anyone looking to advertise to millennials.
There’s a lot you can do to promote your products and services with Snapchat and it can sometimes get a bit overwhelming. If you’re feeling lost but want to grow your brand with the youth, send us at Racer a message and we can help!
This post was originally published as a Racer blogpost.