A Definitive Guide to Snapchat Advertising
Snapchat has carved its place in the livelihood of teenagers which resides in their mobile phones. Its majority of users are 13 to 34 year olds. The crowd on Snapchat is extremely engaged, with over 60% of users creating content daily and nearly 100 million daily active users watching over 4 billion videos on the platform. Snaps expire and disappear after its set time to exist, which contributes to the instant gratification and byte-sized entertainment habits of the millennial.
This would send businesses with this specific target audience clamoring for ad space on Snapchat. But, advertising on Snapchat isn’t for everyone. Here are key factors to take into consideration before launching a Snapchat campaign.
What Your Ad Will Look Like
Snapchat’s 3V advertising model is “Vertical Video Views.” This means that your ad will fill up the entire screen on a mobile device, vertically.
Discover Channels consist of interactive and engaging media content produced by 15 (currently) media channels such as ESPN, VICE, Cosmopolitan and Buzzfeed. Ads appear in between articles and videos professionally produced and curated. Though brands can purchase ad units in this feature, recent research has shown that traffic and ad revenue has not lived up to expectations.
Live Story is a curated collection of videos and photos from Snapchat users in the specific area or event. Stories live for 24 hours, which makes timeliness a factor. This feature is the most relevant to the digital marketer, as it is highly localized and targeted. Content is produced solely by Snapchat users in the geo-fenced location or event and ads appear in between videos and photos submitted by the target audience.
Branded Geofilters (location)
Geofilters are special overlays (or stickers) for Snaps that can only be accessed incertain locations. From nationally televised events to college campuses, users can use relevant geofilters to add a personalized touch to their Snap. For example, a Snapchatter travelling from La Jolla to Coachella can use the geofilters for San Diego, La Jolla, Coachella and every city in between.
Usually, mobile ads are made to be viewed in landscape position, but portrait (or vertical) ads means cutting out one third of video space. While this would drive any Creative Director crazy, Snapchat claims that 3V ads can perform up to nine times better than letterboxed mobile ads.
More than 1 million messages are sent with them applied daily. The stickers provide an inclusive environment, as users more of often than not will use stickers to engage with their peers. Not to mention the catchet in using them since they are only available in its certain geo-fenced location.
Advertisers can submit designs for a geofilter, with McDonalds being one of the first few companies to have geofilter advertising privileges.
Your Best Content
Now that you know how advertising on Snapchat might look like, what type of content should you create? Here are some ideas.
- Behind the scenes (great for events and premieres)
- Giveaway contests or vouchers
- Promoting an upcoming event by building suspension
- Your best unedited video content (blend in with the rest of the curated content!)
- Personalized creatives that users can screenshot and use personally
Pros
- Big name brands looking to reach a younger audience
- Highly localized and targeted
- If a brand influencer uses your geofilter, what else do you need to achieve on Snapchat?
- There is a certain gratification and cachet in using a new geofilter, it will be used if it’s local, timely (Snaps disappear in 24 hours) and interactive. Check out this Instagram page that curates geofilters https://instagram.com/snapchatgeofilters/
- User generated content! What more could you ask for?
Cons
- Snapchat is mobile only
- Cutting your video to fit the 3V model might cost a lot – to many creative directors, you’re only using one third of video space
- Getting straight to the point – you only have 10 seconds or less to get your message across!
- Tap to skip – Users don’t even have to watch any part of your ad, a simple tap is all it takes.
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