A Guide to Snapchat Advertising
What is Snapchat?
Snapchat is a mobile communications app that has come a long way since starting as a “self-destructing” picture messaging app. “Self-destructing,” meaning photos and videos sent to friends, were sent and available for no more than ten seconds. Today this feature is still available, but the app has expanded with new chat features, news sharing, content creation, and several other ways to communicate with friends, family, and businesses!
Several features are available for businesses to utilize for advertising to Snapchat’s growing audience. The addition of the story feature, a place where friends share custom photos/videos for 24 hours, now allows for advertisements to be inserted in between viewing, taking over the entire screen for maximum attention. The expansion of filters into a whole library and marketplace has made it easier than ever to create custom Alternate Reality (AR) and 2D filters that can be added to any Snap based on your targeting needs. Public profiles allow businesses to develop their organic presence on the app, which many use for exclusive and behind-the-scenes content to fit in with Snapchat’s overall original and exclusive content. Check out this guide to learn more about the capabilities and benefits of Snapchat’s advertising platform.
Benefits
Snapchat’s unique audience has more buying power than you’d expect and, when compared to other social networks, has impressive opportunities for engagement.
Audience Reach
For brands struggling to reach a younger audience, Snapchat is the answer! It was recently reported that 75% of millennials and Gen-Z are reached on Snapchat. While many view ads on other social networks, Snap ads are always full screen (excluding filters), so they receive almost two times the visual attention than other social media ads.
Buying Power
Some think that due to Snapchat’s younger audience, there may be a small amount of buying power to respond to ads with a purchase. However, it was determined in 2021 that Snapchatters hold $1.9 Trillion of spending power in North America.
Unique Engagement
When using the Snapchat app, users are uniquely engaged compared to other social media apps, with 60% of Snap ads being played with audio on, compared to 85% watched on Facebook without audio. These users spend over 30 minutes on the app daily and are best reached by creating meaningful engagement with these users. It’s essential to communicate in a non-intrusive manner that feels organic to the platform. Lastly, full-screen ads offer the potential for little to no distraction during viewing time.
Targeting Features
Snapchat has powerful targeting features using its own and Third-Party Data to target audiences based on demographic information, locations, behaviors, and interests, both online and offline.
Locations
Target your desired audience by their location with the option to add a radius around an exact address, a place category (i.e., U.S Grocery Stores, Parks, Colleges), a town, a state, or a zipcode. These can be selected on a map for visual purposes, added as multiple locations separately, or uploaded in bulk.
Demographics
Target your desired audience by demographics such as age, gender, or language. Other “Advanced Demographics” options include education level, income, marital status, and parental status.
Preset Audiences
Target by preset audiences built and packaged using Snapchat and Third-Party Data, categorized by lifestyles (activities, habits, etc.), where they shop (Grocery shoppers, Automotive shoppers, etc.), their TV/movie views (Networks, Award shows, etc.), and where they are explicitly visiting (Honda dealerships, etc.).
Devices
Target Snapchatters by their specific device makes and/or models, their operating system (Apple iOS, Android, etc.), or their mobile carrier (AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.)
Ad Format Options
There are several options to format your Snapchat ad or sponsored content. These options are designed for businesses big or small and can be tailored to your business goals and objectives.
Single Image Body
These ads are created as a full-screen single video or image, offering creative freedom to deliver your message. All you need to do is create a single still image or video and add an attachment that enables Snapchatters to swipe up and follow through with your link.
Collection Ads
These ads are designed for e-commerce by featuring a collection of products that Snapchatters can tap for more details. Collection ads feature four tappable tiles showcasing your top products, providing a seamless way to browse and buy.
Story Ads
These ads appear in Snapchat’s “Discover” section as a branded tile along with other content. When Snapchatters click the tile, they can view a series of 3 to 20 brand-created single image or video ads.
AR Lense Experiences
These ads include sponsored augmented reality experiences, so Snapchatters can create memorable, interactive moments to send to friends. Using the Snapchat Lens Web Builder, these can be made custom or using free objects and animations
Filter Ads
These ads take part in Snapchatters’ conversations as they visit neighborhoods, parks, restaurants, shops, and during holidays. After Snapchatters, take a Snap and swipe left or right to view these brand-created single image artistic overlays.
Commercial Ads
These ads are non-skippable videos that can be up to 3 minutes long and appear within Snapchatter’s curated content. There are two options for these ads: non-skippable Standard Commercials at 3 to 6 seconds long or Extended Play Commercials at 3 to 180 seconds long, with only the first 6 seconds being non-skippable.
Are you interested in developing a Snapchat Advertising strategy? Strategis is a full-service marketing agency developing strategies proven to increase the (ROI) through a wide range of methods. Contact us today!
