Marketing is all about being in front of the right eyeballs.
You can spend hours on end preaching as loud as possible only to find that the people you are really trying to connect with are not even hearing you.
The options seem endless… Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.
These platforms are saturated with competition. Some have constructed their algorithm to suppress your posts unless you pay them. Thank you Mr. Zuckerberg.
Fortunately, there are other options.
To stay relevant and ahead of your competition you have to go where the up-and-coming prospects are, and right now they’re on Snapchat.
Digital marketing is changing, and you need to change with it. Relying on the old standards alone just won’t cut it anymore.
The fastest way to share a moment can also be the fastest way to market your business.
But…isn’t Snapchat mainly used by young people?
Yes! Young people make good consumers. Using Snapchat for marketing means the opportunity to connect with over 200 million users each day, mostly 18-24 years old who are always looking for the next interesting thing. Although it was more difficult in the past to capture this gone-in-60-seconds audience, Snapchat is now making it easier. At least for the near future, Snapchat for business is here to stay.
How to Use Snapchat for Business
Those not familiar with the clicks, swipes, and quick-paced nature of Snapchat may find the idea intimidating. However, Snapchat for business has created some simple options for reaching consumers via their platform. As of March 2019, Snapchat ads reached 75% of the US audience, which was more than Instagram.
Tell Your Story
Snapchat has evolved from instant message deletion to the option of all-day stories.
A story is a quick snippet of a Snapchat user’s life that stays posted on the platform for 24 hours. You can now tuck in your own marketing story among the millions of Snapchat user-made stories that are created each day. Snap Ads and Collection Ads make highlighting your business or a series of products quick and easy.
Get Discovered
The 13-30 crowd is big on exploring. Snapchat’s Discover feature allows users to spend hour upon hour unearthing the latest in pop culture, funny cat videos, life hacks, satisfying moments and, oh yes, your business’s 5-to-10-second sales pitch. Your latest and greatest business innovation may just find a productive home nestled between two ferrets wrestling and the latest from Lil NasX when you sponsor a Story Ads Discover tile. This prospect may sound strange and a bit confusing for the non-Snapchatter, but the platform can quickly be learned for an opportunity that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Filter In Success
Using Snapchat for marketing can spread your business far and wide when you offer users a fun and shareable Snapchat filter experience. Even older, more casual Snapchat users love a good Snapchat filter and will spread it across other social media platforms. If you’re really tech savvy, you can take the customer experience one step further by producing an AR (Augmented Reality) Lens. A computer-generated image interacts with a real-world image, creating a whole new reality for the user and a whole new opportunity for your business.
Don’t Skip the Commercials
Snapchat for business offers digital marketers 6-second, non-skippable videos to intersperse with its content. No one will be walking away during these fast-paced, easily-digestible advertising bites. Snapchat commercials are a bold way to promote your product within Snapchat’s premium content.
Targeting Is a Snap
Still not so sure? Using Snapchat for marketing is especially doable for any business when utilizing Snapchat’s targeting tools. These tools help can you target:
- Interests & Behaviors on and off Snapchat
- Demographics (age, gender, income, etc.)
- Location (by country, category, radius, etc.)
- Custom Audiences (retargeting based on past interactions)
- Lookalikes (Snapchatters similar to your existing customers)
As younger consumers grow older, Snapchat will likely grow with them. Tapping into Snapchat for business is a ground-floor advertising opportunity that could pay off for years to come. True to its nature, Snapchat makes its ad process quick and simple. It also helps you determine your advertising effectiveness with a built-in Ads Manager with real-time reporting.
To get started, check out Snapchat’s business page. If you’re still feeling apprehensive about diving into this up-and-coming digital marketing platform alone, let us help! We work with businesses like yours every day, and we have customized marketing solutions to help you get the results you’re looking for.
