A Guide to Using Snapchat for Business

Snapchat is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world.

On average, 229 million people around the world use it daily and more than four billion snaps are created every day. The app continues to grow and build an extensive audience, and despite Generation Z and Millennials being the top app users, Snapchat is expanding into older generations through a variety of interactive elements including location-based filters, creative tools, and lenses.

Snapchat has revolutionized social media and the way companies use their services to advertise. The multimedia messaging app recently introduced Snap Focus, a learning portal dedicated to illustrating advertising strategies and how brands can better fulfill their business objectives through the app’s collection of innovative services. We took a deep dive into Snap Focus and distilled what you need to know.

Get Started on Snapchat Advertising

Snapchat provides a variety of advertising tools, allowing brands to develop objective campaigns aimed at their target audience. Depending on the goals and budget of a campaign, Snapchat can provide results increasing the return on investment. Types of advertisements include:

• Snap Ads: A single image or video that appears in stories and content.
• Dynamic Ads: Pre-existing templates that adjust according to product changes.
• Commercials: Curated content, designed to drive brand awareness.
• Story Ads: Branded tiles located in the Discover section. Users can tap on the story and watch a series of three to 20 snaps featuring brand stories.
• Collection Ads: Content and product showcase that appear in stories, which users can browse through.
• Lenses AR Experiences: Interactive moments created with augmented reality.
• Filters: Creative overlays that can be applied to photos and videos.

Advertisements in Snapchat are able to easily reach audiences based on interests, demographics, location, and custom audiences. Brands are able to optimize their promotional tactics toward specific actions that users are most likely to take, such as installing their app, watching a video, or purchasing one of their products.

Ensure an Effective Advertisement Campaign

To create successful advertisements, they must be in compliance with the campaign’s purpose. Through Snapchat, brands are able to use a workflow specific to their needs. Three rules are necessary to guarantee a proficient advertisement:

• Always design based on the objective and with the business goal in mind.
• Build for mobile consumption. Use bite-sized, single-shot scenes and be concise.
• Style as native content. Advertisements work best when they don’t feel like advertisements.

Snapchat also provides delivery insights, which can be very helpful in increasing the overall campaign efficacy. To measure and optimize campaigns, brands can focus on one tool to promote their services or products. Other strategies to increase engagement among the audience include expanding the targeted public, increasing the frequency of their advertisements, comparing distinct marketing techniques, and testing creative variations to see what may perform well with customers. Through identifying who viewed, engaged, and acted on the advertisements, brands are able to more effectively determine their audience.

Overall, Snapchat has an extensive advertisement platform that can be useful to a variety of companies regardless of industry. The application is growing across generations and is able to reach a wide variety of audiences. To learn about other digital tools that you can integrate into your organization’s communications strategy, contact us today.