As any businesses knows, advertising is essential for reaching new customers and driving sales. However, with the vast array of marketing channels available, it can be difficult to know where to focus your efforts.
One platform that is often overlooked is Snapchat. While it may not have the same reach as some of the other social media networks, Snapchat offers a unique opportunity to connect with potential customers.
Thanks to its behind-the-scenes approach, businesses can give users a sneak peek at what goes on behind the scenes, making them feel more connected to the brand.
In addition, Snapchat’s disappearing content means that ads have to be concise and attention-grabbing, which can actually be a benefit for businesses. When used correctly, Snapchat can be an extremely effective marketing tool.
If you're looking to reach a young, engaged audience, SnapChat is a great platform to consider for your advertising campaigns. But how do you start? Let's get down to business.
Advertising On SnapChat vs Advertising On Other Platforms
When developing digital advertising campaigns, the obvious choices (the top 3 main social networking sites: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) would first come to mind. However, most experienced marketers will have noticed by now that although advertising on those three platforms is definitely advantageous, they are missing one significant demographic: the youth.
Approximately 90+% of users on SnapChat are teenagers and young adults, which comes as no surprise, as the platform itself boasts a fresher and younger vibe with its various features, including AR (augmented reality) functions.
While anyone above 25 years old might feel a bit overwhelmed with figuring out how to use SnapChat, people between 18-24 years old (who are the top users of the app) use the platform often – making SnapChat a really convenient way for any advertiser to reach this target audience.
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How Effective Are SnapChat Ads?
Snapchat ads are a great way to reach new customers and drive sales, but they can be difficult to get right.
To make sure your Snapchat ads are effective, you need to consider the audience you’re targeting, as well as the type of content you’re creating.
In addition, it’s important to measure the success of your ad campaign by tracking the number of views, screenshots, and replies you receive.
Now, if you do it right, here's how effective Snapchat Ads can be.
The Numbers
Snapchat Ads can be a powerful tool for ecommerce brands looking to reach the younger generation of consumers. The app is used by more than 75% Millennials and Gen Z-ers, according to marketing data from 2021.
These users also tend to spend over 30 minutes per day on the platform. This means that if you are an online retailer targeting these demographics, then this platform could help increase your sales exponentially.
The Data
Snapchat Ads offers a wealth of data that you can use to reach your desired demographic. The Ads Manager for SnapChat allows you to have access to the existing information collected through the platform, which you can then use to target SnapChat users with specific interests.
You could, for example, show ads only during certain hours or when the users are most likely online so they have an opportunity not just see your content but engage with it as well.
The platform also offers customization options for SnapChat Ads based off of what they know about each user, which makes reaching out even easier than ever before.
The Content
SnapChat offers a variety of creative tools that can be used to create eye-catching ads. With this, advertisers and businesses can automatically make their SnapChat Ads more appealing, without having to put in any additional effort in editing or creating content.
The Results
Snapchat is proving to be a successful advertising platform for retail brands. The app's 60% higher impulse-purchase rate and 46 percent message boards after making purchases make it an ideal place to advertise your products. For instance, if you’re selling cosmetics, you can access SnapChat’s interactive features to allow users to try on makeup – and then be redirected quickly to your page where they could purchase it right away.
The ROI
Many advertisers have been using Snap ads to promote their products and services on social media, mainly because they have noticed that the ROI for advertising on SnapChat is well worth it. As opposed to other platforms, the ads appear between user-specific camera clips, called “snaps” – which can then be shared to be viewed by friends in the app, or saved for later viewing (whether on the same or another device).
Advertisers are able enjoy high ROI due largely to users typically viewing these SnapChat ads within 24 hours of posting them; even if they don't buy anything right away – it still counts towards earning potentials down the line.
How Do You Advertise On SnapChat
The ways that you could advertise on SnapChat vary mainly on how you would like them to appear on the platform.
Types of Snapchat Ads
Here is a quick guide to understand what each means and what it can do for your business.
Through Sponsored Geofilters
As you may already know, Snapchat is a hot spot for young people who want to post photos and videos that will disappear in 24 hours. If you're an advertiser, it can be tough getting your message across with all the other popular content.
That’s where geofilters come into play — they let advertisers reach out directly towards users within certain geolocations. Snapchat Geofilters are special filters that can be used only in specific locations.
For example, you could create a Geofilter for your store, office, or event venue. When people use the Snapchat app in that location, they’ll be able to see and use your Geofilter.
Approximately a billion SnapChat users use the geofilter per day, which means you get better chances at getting your ads to the right viewers.
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With On-Demand Geofilters
Like Sponsored Geofilters, the On-Demand Geofilters work based on a specific geolocation. However, it is made to be available only for short periods, which means it works well with time-limited promotions that you would like to run for your ad campaign.
While it costs around $5-$45 for businesses to target a small portion of their neighborhood or city block, it is free to use for public institutions like schools and cities.
Say you are promoting an event at your retail store, and you want people within the area to know about it. You can run a SnapChat ad and apply the on-demand geofilters, so that when people within your area look at the map (bottom left of the screen for the end-users), your Snap Ads will be shown when they click on the map view.
Through Sponsored Lenses
With Lenses, users on SnapChat get to modify their selfies and other images in fun ways (which is probably another reason why it is so popular among the youth).
What are AR Lenses?
AR Lenses are special filters that use augmented reality to create fun and interactive experiences.
For example, they might make themselves look like animated characters or some form of AI creature. The users of this social media site play around with this feature every day — one-third do so at least once a week.
Lenses can be a great way to make your content more eye-catching and engaging.
A good example on how to use it for promotional content is by creating specific Lenses (similar to “filters” on TikTok and other platforms) that contain your own branding and imagery. Even major brands like McDonald’s has used this feature, primarily because of how well it works with this specific demographic.
You can also go for the Shoppable AR Lenses.
What are Shoppable AR Lenses?
Shoppable AR Lenses are a new type of lens that allow people to buy products directly from within the Snapchat app.
When people use a Shoppable AR Lens, they’ll see a list of products that they can buy.
They can then tap on a product card to see more details, including the price and a description of the product.
If they’re interested in buying the product, they can tap on the “Buy Now” button to purchase it.
Shoppable AR Lenses are a great way to promote your products and drive sales.
When people see your products in action, they’re more likely to buy them.
In addition, the ability to buy products directly from within the Snapchat app makes it easy and convenient for people to purchase your products.
On Top Snap
As a Snapchat user, you may have seen these ads before. They show one piece of content at the top your feed — they can be images or videos which don't allow hyperlinks in them, but it doesn’t stop anyone from having specific URLs show up as copy on their ad visuals.
These are great for promo items like sales events because there's no limit how long an individual video will last — so everyone gets enough time to see what you're selling without feeling overwhelmed by other content.
In Long Form
Snapchat video ads are usually very short (around 6 seconds long), making them an ideal way for advertisers to make a quick impression. The are displayed in vertical orientation on Snapchat's platform (like all Snaps).
Brands use these advertising tools by driving users towards their website landing page where they might watch longer form content, install apps, or simply browse through the site.
For Web View
Snapchat's Web View ads allow you to promote your brand without having an expensive and distracting campaign running on the app. These particular types of advertising come with some extra features, such as allowing users to swipe up for going directly to a website or landing page--which is a feature that is not available on Top Snap ads.
For Deep Link
Similar to Web View Ads, the Deep Link Ads also allow users to swipe up on it when the user sees it on the screen. However, compared to the former, it shows a specific URL (the “Deep Link”) which the user can then opt to click on. Instead of an instant redirect to a website, it can go to Google Play Store or the iOS App Store, depending on the device they’re viewing it on.
For App Install
With an App Install app, you can direct users to the relevant page at your download store without having them click through any additional links. Unlike Deep Links, it just specifically asks the user to install the app through its CTA button, and goes straight to where they could download the app.
Through Collection Ads
Snapchat has introduced a new ad type that allows advertisers to show off products in their “collection”. These collection ads showcase products in video form, with the bonus of a ribbon view at the bottom of the ad that users can scroll through to check out the listings within your product catalogue.
It's fun because SnapChatters can quickly shop within the same collection ads view without having any pesky banners or interruptions from other sites that want their attention while browsing on mobile devices.
As Story Ads
The Snapchat Discover Feed is a great way to tap into this social media site’s huge customer base. The Story Ads will appear with its dedicated branded tile within the SnapChat Discover Feed, which makes it great for launching new products.
The Story Ads feature lets you post “Stories” (collections of 3 to 20 pictures), which they can then engage with by swiping up on the Story itself.
How To Create SnapChat Ads
If you’ve ever used the Facebook Ads Manager before, then you would already have a general idea of how to create SnapChat Ads. The layout/user interface might not be the same, but essentially, the functions and output are very similar.
If you haven’t, then here is a quick guide for you to learn how to advertise on snapchat.
1. Go to the SnapChat Ads Manager
Create your account on the SnapChat Ads Manager to be able to access the functions on its advertising platform. Visit Ads.Snapchat.com or you can also visit Business.Snapchat.com for a more comprehensive advertising analytics.
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2. Set your Snapchat Ad budget
While some snapchat ads are technically just $5 to run, it is recommended to set a minimum budget of $20 per day on SnapChat, as this is how you would get more out of your Snap Ads.
3. Click on “Create Ads”
The Create Ads button can be found on the upper left-hand corner of the screen, which will then lead you to a prompt to choose between “Instant Create” or Advanced Create”.
The Instant Create walks you through creating a single ad quickly, whereas the Advanced Create gives you more control over your ad in terms of specific settings that you would like to apply. The Advanced Create option will also allow you to create and run multiple ads within your campaign.
4. Select Your Objective
If you are new to marketing, the first thing you need to always keep in mind is your marketing funnel: especially for Snapchat advertising.
The marketing funnel can be broken down into the 4 main phases that customers go through before making a purchase: (1) Awareness, (2) Consideration, (3) Conversion. This means that your Objectives should also be aligned with where you are in your marketing funnel.
For more information on this topic, read through our Guide on Marketing Funnels.
As such, the SnapChat Ads Manager will ask you to choose among the following:
(1) Awareness
Simply, if your main goal is for people to know that your business exists (in short, for brand awareness and familiarity), then this is the objective you can start with.
(2) Consideration
Consideration is the objective to choose if your business/brand name already has some exposure, but you want to get people to learn more about what you can offer.
Under this category, you can specifically choose any of the following:
- App Installs
- Drive Traffic To Website
- Drive Traffic To App
- Engagement
- Video Views
- Lead Generation
(3) Conversions
This is the point in the marketing funnel where your customers take action and that action converts into something tangible for your business (i.e., sales).
- App Conversions
- Website Conversions
- Catalog Sales
5. Name Your Ad And Set The Status
When naming your advertisements, keep it simple and use key phrases that would make sense for you — especially so that you could remember what the objectives (and/or settings) are within that ad. This will make managing ads easier, especially if you have a lot of campaigns.
As for the Status, it is set to Active by default — but you could of course change it later on.
6. Choose Whether You Want To Do A Split Test Or Not
Like a science experiment, the Split Test (or some call it A/B testing) is just having at least two different ads that run at the same time: one is your control ad, and the others are the experimental ad.
7. Start and End Dates
You decide a start and an end date for your SnapChat Ads under this section, which you could also set to “indefinite” if you so prefer.
This is especially necessary if you have a long-running campaign that you would like to execute, and or you want your ads to be released only within specific periods. This allows you to time your promotions well and improve its success rate.
8. Daily Spend Cap
This is the maximum amount you want to spend on the SnapChat Ads for any given day.
The Daily Spend Cap just enables you to keep to your budget and avoid spending over your daily limit.
9. Lifetime Spend Cap
The Lifetime Spend Cap is the maximum budget you want to use for the duration of your campaign. This is particularly important if you have set the End Date of your campaign to “indefinite”, as this will prevent you from going over budget.
For instance, if you have not set an end date, and, say, you were having an emergency and therefore have no access to your computer (and/or you just totally forgot about the campaigns you’ve set up), the Lifetime Spend Cap will automatically turn off your ads once you’ve reached the limit.
Of course, don't forget to add your ad creative, which is the ad that will show up in your Snapchat ads. Once everything is done, you can start running your ads! Of course, the ad will go through a round of approval before it becomes active.
How To Measure The Performance Of Your SnapChat Ad
Once your SnapChat ad is created, you can use the Ads Manager tool to track its performance. The tool provides insights on things like reach, impressions, and clicks for your Snapchat advertising. You can also use it to track how your ad is performing against your objectives.
This is also where your Split Testing strategy comes in, as it is particularly useful to have a few separate sets of data from different ads. The Ads Manager allows you to compare and contrast the ads easily, and you can then decide on what to do next for your campaign.
The good thing about Snapchat advertising is you can easily see the results of your campaign, because of the very nature of the platform (having a 24-hour limit on Snaps). It is also easy to repeat past successes of your snapchat ad campaigns, as everything can be found on the website.
However, if you are planning on managing other social media ads on top of Snapchat, it would pay to use an advertising platform that can handle more than just Snapchat.
For that we suggest Brax, a comprehensive advertising platform that let's you create, manage and optimize social media ads and native advertising. Sign up for a free trial and see the power of effective ad management.
What To Do Once You Have Your SnapChat Ads
Going back to your marketing funnel, you could plan out your next steps for your marketing campaign.
For example, if you started with an Awareness Objective that specifically targets people who are just learning about your brand (or who are totally unaware of it), the next step is for you to go create ads with the Consideration Objective so that your audience would get the chance to learn more about your offerings.
Similarly, if you started your campaign with a Consideration Objective, then you can move on to the next phase of snapchat advertising where your users can take action that adds value to your business (Conversion Objective).
Simply, you would want to nurture your audience and help them go through each part of the funnel, so it is best to think of where they are in the marketing funnel every time you create your ads.
Apart from developing and managing your ads with the marketing funnel in mind, here are some other things you need to remember:
- Run at least 2 separate ads or more so you can get better data and insights
- Best to serve an audience with another ad or ad sequence, or try to mix and match strategies
- Pull the engaged audience from your previous ad by using the Ads Manager tools
- Offer perks like free shipping and discounts at the Conversion phase, which is when your audience decides to purchase
- If you have a limited budget, try to spread it out but make sure to be consistent in having your ads up
- Keep your ads natural, exciting, and fun — not too sales-y or pushy
Frequently Asked Questions on Snapchat Advertising
How much do ads cost on Snapchat?
The ad cost on Snapchat is not set in stone. Snapchat displays your ads based on your targeting, with the price depending the bids among competitors. Payment is per impression.
However, the price can vary depending on the targeting options you choose and the effectiveness of your ad campaign.
To get a better idea of how much your Snapchat ads will cost, you can contact Snapchat’s sales team.
Are Snapchat Ads Targeted?
Yes, Snapchat ads are targeted. You can target your ads to people based on their location, age, gender, interests, and more.
For example, if you’re a clothing store, you could target your ads to people who live in your city and are interested in fashion.
Or, if you’re a food truck, you could target your ads to people who are attending a local event.
Snapchat offers a number of different targeting options, so you can make sure your ads are being seen by the right people.
Final Thoughts on Using Snapchat Ads
As you can see, Snapchat offers a number of unique features that you can use to create engaging content.
When creating your Snapchat ads, make sure to consider the audience you’re targeting and think about how you can use these features to create interesting and attention-grabbing content.
If you do it right, Snapchat ads can be a great way to reach new customers and drive sales.
It might not be as popular with digital advertisers as other social media sites, but SnapChat offers a range of possibilities and a specific demographic that the big 3 cannot. Considering how big SnapChat’s user base is, now is the best time to take this opportunity and use this under-saturated platform to your advantage.
