How to Make Use of Snapchat Marketing?
I remember being at Penn State in 2012 and everyone was downloading this new app called Snapchat. It was a fun way to send someone a picture and have it erased within a few seconds. I’m sure this was used in very unique ways, I can only imagine what was being documented around campus with it. That itself is one reason why so many people were drawn to and downloading it in droves. But what has really impressed me with this platform is the way that it continuously evolves and yet stays unique.
Eight years later and I’m still sending snaps of my dog and cats to my wife, and the other 203+ million daily active users on the platform are doing the same thing. Snapchat’s users spend over 30 minutes a day on the platform sending snaps to their friends, playing with augmented reality, and getting news and entertainment on snap’s Discover page. So since this platform has gained such a huge popularity, it’s a no-brainer that advertisers can use it to reach a new audience.
What makes Snapchat unique compared to other social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram, is its reach to Millennials and Gen Z. Snapchat reaches 90% of 13 – 24 years old in the United States. That is more than Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger combined. It also reaches 50% of 25 – 34-year-olds in the United States. Overall that means you can use this platform to reach 75% of 13 – 34-year-olds. Seriously, talk about advertising power.
What Can You Do With Snap Ads?
Like other social media channels, Snapchat ads can be useful for encouraging engagement and supporting the sales funnel. For encouraging engagement really what I’m referring to is driving app installs, driving traffic to your site, and gaining video views. Obviously engagement is more of a branding initiative, but it can still be extremely useful to your brand. You don’t want your brand forgotten about. Staying top of mind by having your target audience engage with your ads is a win because you’ll be able to remarket to that audience. Which is where the supporting the sales funnel comes into play.
You’ll be able to set up a Snapchat ads pixel on your site, and it operates just like all the other digital marketing pixels. When someone goes to your site and accepts the cookies, the Snapchat ad will cookie them so your ads can follow around your target audience. This is especially useful because Snapchat has dynamic retargeting for products, as well as catalog ads.
So if you are an e-commerce store, this is another spot to showcase your products. Your products literally show up like a regular snap and the user as the ability to swipe up and browse your store. Millennials and Gen Z have $1 trillion in buying power, so if that is your audience, start using the ad platform.
What Type of Targeting Options Are on Snapchat?
We’ve touched on remarketing, but there are also a lot of other options to target your audience. Including email lists, lookalikes, custom audiences, interests and behaviors, demographics, and location. I’ve seen the efficiency of email lists and lookalikes of those lists on Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin, so having yet another platform with this ability is fantastic. Email lists and lookalikes on other social channels are some of the best performing ads. That’s because generally they’ve already interacted with your brand and know you. So by remaining consistently in the user’s mind, by showing your ad while they’re on Snap, you’re able to grow your brand.
How Do Snap Ads Differ From Other Social Platforms?
In the beginning I mentioned that Snapchat is a unique platform, and that is 100% the case. Snapchat is mobile-only, so you build your ads only for mobile consumption. Meaning you’re creating videos vertically, videos are 6 seconds or less, if you want people to take action they have to swipe up, you have to consider what sound your ad plays, etc. It reminds me more of a TV ad since you have a full-screen canvas to be creative with, whereas on other platforms people are scrolling through a reading-based newsfeed so they’re in a different mindset. The ads are also very native looking, they aren’t as intrusive looking. While scrolling through my friend’s snap stories looking at what beach they went to or restaurant they were at, I’ve actually stared at a couple of ads for a few seconds before I realized they were ads.
Who Would Benefit From Using Snapchat Ads?
When Snapchat introduced an ads certification program this summer, I knew my team needed it. After taking the snap masterclass, the entire Paid Media team at LSEO is now Snapchat Ad Manager Certified. While thinking of businesses that this could actually be useful for, I came to the conclusion on three things.
First, it is useful for any app owner who wants to advertise their app. App downloads are super simple, you show a quick teaser of the app then the user swipes up to download. I’m sure you’ve seen hundreds of apps being advertised there.
The second group is e-commerce. Because of the ability to dynamically retarget your products, meaning the specific products follow the user around, it’s a must. The catalog ad is another great feature for e-commerce businesses. The catalog ad lets you showcase a couple of products for the user to browse through. Both ad styles convert well.
The third group is literally any business that wants to target Millennials and Gen Z. There is so much opportunity to reach that audience compared to other social media platforms. Go where the people are. 13 – 34-year-olds are on Snapchat. They’re sending snaps to their friends, playing with augmented reality using face filters, and they’re viewing news stories. There are a lot of opportunities to showcase your brand within any one of those options.
If you’re interested in testing out Snapchat, hit up LSEO and we’ll walk you through if it’s right for your business. When you make you a new account, you’ll get $75 in free ad spend after you spend $50.