With over 100 million active daily users, it’s no surprise that Snapchat is quickly becoming one of the top social media sharing sites in the world. In fact, over 150 million people now use Snapchat to watch 10 billion videos every single day.
For those unfamiliar with the app, here’s what you need to know: a person/business on Snapchat can send photos and videos—called Snaps—to their friends and followers. These snaps are viewable for a duration of 1-10 seconds after which they disappear. The filters, effects, messaging, and other playful functions have made this app wildly successful with people of all ages.
While this may seem ideal for teens and adults to stay connected with friends, what can this mean for your business?
Snapchat has recently added new features for its business users. Several different paid marketing options are now being offered to meet the specific goals of your business.
Snap Ads build awareness by catching the attention of your ideal audience. A Snap Ad is a 10-second, full screen video ad that appears between Stories. According to Snapchat, the swipe-up rate for Snap Ads is five times higher than the average click-through rate on comparable social media platforms.
Geofilters promote user engagement by allowing users to communicate the “where and when” of a Snap in a unique way. Geofilters are special, decorative photo overlay options. On-Demand Geofilters start at $5, and depend on the size of the location and the time period chosen. Sponsored Geofilters can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but are ideal for those with a larger budget seeking to reach users all over the country.
Sponsored Lenses drive an increase in future purchasing intent among users. As Snapchat explains on their website, “Sponsored Lenses offer a completely new take on brand activation, offering not just an impression, but play time. When finished playing, it’s easy to send Lenses to a friend or post one to your Story.” On average, Snapchatters play with a Sponsored Lens for 20 seconds.
As effective and time saving as these options are, if you’re not quite ready to put your advertising budget toward Snapchat, there are still many other great ways to use Snapchat for business—for free.
Offering incentives to followers by sharing coupons on Snapchat is a great way to attract followers. Because snaps are temporary, users will actively follow your business on Snapchat and act quickly if they want the coupon or deal you are offering.
Taking followers behind the scenes of your business with daily snaps is exceptional for connecting with followers. It helps humanize you (or your brand) and allows users to connect with you and your business on a more personal level by building brand trust, and it gives them a great reason to interact with you and your company.
Using snaps to tell a great story is exceptional for generating awareness. Snapchat Stories are compilations of images and short videos that last for 24 hours. Users want to share the best stories with their friends regardless of origin, so businesses of all sizes have an equal opportunity to build their following with an effective, creative storyline.
With its new features, Snapchat for business is only going to get more popular. Choosing to promote your business on Snapchat will not only generate positive results, but provides business owners with a variety of effective options; many of which are sure to help save time, effort, and money—3 things every business owner could surely use more of.
About Stingray Advisory Group LLC: Stingray Advisory Group LLC is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. By creating dynamic customized solutions for business growth, we empower businesses and entrepreneurs with the tools to further their development. We assist with strategic planning, marketing, business registration, website development and more. Follow us today on Facebook, LinkedIN, Google+ and Twitter for more helpful tips!
Contact Managing Member, Leandra Williams, through email at Leandra@stingrayadvisorygroup.com
