Snapchat Marketing Tips: Blueprint to Get Rolling and Build an Audience

Snapchat is known for its temporary content, so many businesses avoid its marketing opportunities. This platform can be excellent for reaching new audiences, however, especially if you’re looking for a younger audience.

In addition to its younger users, Snapchat is also one of the most interactive social media platforms. It’s certainly worth including in your marketing efforts.

Take a look at some of the benefits of Snapchat marketing and learn how to get started.

Introduction to Snapchat Marketing

Snapchat has a simple premise – users share images and videos (snaps) that disappear in a short time. The platform is dynamic and constantly adding or changing features. Users also have opportunities for interaction with filters, Bitmoji avatars, and augmented reality effects.

Though it originally began with one-on-one communication, Snapchat’s popularity caused the platform to expand. In addition, the “temporary” nature of the content doesn’t mean it disappears forever – users can take a screenshot or save content to their memories, much like the stories on Facebook or Instagram.

The Power of Snapchat Marketing

If your business is intended for a younger audience, Snapchat shouldn’t be ignored. It’s one of the most popular social media platforms among millennial and Gen Z users, and according to the company’s website, these generations offer a potential $1 trillion in spending power. This is perfect for brands marketing to younger people, such as our app, Zutobi, which offers student driving guides like how to pass your permit test.

Snapchat users also engage with the features on Snapchat. Many users spend at least a half hour on Snapchat each day and contribute to content and interact with brands. So, if you want to reach them, you’re more likely to have Snapchat users opening your story and watching your ad.

Tips for Marketing on Snapchat

Keep Your Content Native

Snapchat thrives on authenticity, which is a growing trend among marketers. They don’t want to be “sold” to, so Snapchat gives you a chance to showcase your true brand expression. You don’t need perfect, polished content here. The rawer and more honest your approach, the more likely you are to gain user’s attention.

That said, there are some best practices to keep in mind when using Snapchat. Your snaps should be vertical in orientation and in full resolution. This allows you to use the filters, drawing features, and emojis for better, more engaging content. Snapchat also offers visuals that can make your campaign more natural and seamless on the platform.

Snapchat also encourages businesses to post short videos – no longer than six seconds. Avoid long-form video content on this platform. Short snaps are the best way to get your audience’s attention. It’s also good to add audio components, such as sound effects or music.

Include Your Snapcode on Other Platforms

Building an audience on Snapchat takes time, but you can leverage your other social media accounts to drive traffic. Share your Snapcode on your accounts and invite your followers to join your Snapchat account for access to exclusive or trending content.

However, if you promise exclusive content, you should deliver. Your snaps need to be unique to Snapchat and something your audience can’t find elsewhere. One way Snapchat differs from other business accounts on social media is that you must add people as a friend to access their content.

Some ideas for unique content include behind-the-scenes footage, sneak peeks, access to live events, or previews of product releases.

Snapcodes are easy to create. Simply go to “settings” and find “Snapcodes” in your account. You can add a URL and image in the Snapchat icon, then post the Snapcode on your other accounts. Your followers can scan it with their smartphones and connect.

Apply Geofilters

Geofilters are a unique filter that you can add to a snap. It relies on location information, so it’s a good choice for local marketing and targeting. For example, if you’re planning an event, using a geofilter helps you promote it to your local audience.

This feature also helps if your content is targeted to locations, like most of our content for Zutobi. For each state, Zutobi has created content that is unique to each individual state, because all states have different DMV tests. For example, our student drivers in Indiana are shown videos that directly address the state’s specific driving rules, stats and questions from the Indiana’s permit test.

You can purchase filters for your business through Snapchat’s “ads manager” and create your design in the “creator area.” You can use your own graphics or one of the app’s templates.

Take Advantage of Stories

Most snaps disappear once a user sees them, but stories last for a full 24 hours. Stories are a great option for businesses to showcase their brand with behind-the-scenes footage or previews of events and product launches.

24 hours is still a short period, however, so you can take advantage of this feature to create urgency around time-sensitive giveaways, discounts, or flash sales. Stories also inspire user-generated content, which helps your brand build social proof.

Create Paid Ads

Like other social media platforms, Snapchat offers paid ads, which are highly effective. Snapchat boasts a swipe-up rate that’s five times higher than other platforms.

The Snapchat audience likes interaction and tends to shop online, making the platform ideal for online ads. Setting up campaigns is pretty simple. You can set your daily spending limits according to your budget, pause your ads, and monitor the performance with the ads manager feature.

Snapchat also offers several campaign options, including:

• Awareness campaigns for introducing your brand or building your following
• Consideration campaigns for increasing your video views, generating leads, or driving traffic
• Conversion campaigns for increasing sales

You also have options for ad types, including:

• A single video or image
• Stories
• Interactive augmented reality lenses
• Collection ads
• Filter ads
• Commercials

At Zutob we don’t necessarily have a shop where users can buy products, how we use these paid ads is to drive users onto our site and ultimately to take our permit practice tests. So in this case, one of our more popular ads sends aspiring drivers to visit our site and take our free Massachusetts permit practice test to see how prepared they are. If they do not score very well, then they are prompted and encouraged to take our courses!

Like Facebook, Snapchat allows you to drill down your audience with filters for location, behaviors, demographics, and interests. Lookalike audiences are also available.

Get Started with Snapchat Marketing

Snapchat marketing is a powerful tool for brands with younger audiences and a virtually untapped social media marketing opportunity. Now that you know how to get started, you can leverage the tools and capabilities of Snapchat to get ahead of the pack.