Snapchat. Don’t forget about this platform when developing your marketing strategy | Social media in business #5

When crafting your company’s marketing strategy, you probably consider both organic and paid activities on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and YouTube. However, there are many more portals to consider, and one of them is Snapchat, which has been operating for almost 13 years now. Learn who Snapchat’s audience is and how to use the medium to promote your business, enhance audience engagement, and raise awareness effectively.

What is Snapchat?

Snapchat is an application used for sending photos and videos, which recipients can only view for a limited time. Most messages are automatically deleted after they’ve been seen or expired. The medium was released in September 2011 by Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy. Since its launch, the app has implemented 101 updates, which indicates its continuous development.

Users are drawn to the Snapchat app primarily for chatting with close friends, sharing photos and videos, and experimenting with various filters. Jack Brody, the Vice President of Product at Snap Inc. (the tech company behind Snapchat), asserts that what distinguishes Snapchat from other platforms is its emphasis on friend-to-friend communication rather than content consumption.

On average, users spend about 30 minutes per day using the app, which translates into about 5 billion snaps (photos and videos) being sent daily.

Snapchat features

After launching the app, the camera feature opens up. Users can take a photo or record a video, apply filters, and then send the snap to chosen friends or post it on their Story. The bottom menu allows users to navigate to other tabs:

• Messaging — here you will find a list of friends with whom you can start a chat (individual or group) or view their Story,
• Snap Map — it shows the location of friends as well as a collection of snaps shared by other users, categorized by location, which can be inspiring, for example, for travelers who want to discover new places,
• Snapchat Stories — here you can watch the Stories of friends, followed people, creators who have publicly shared Stories, and popular Stories,
• Snapchat Spotlight — this feature resembles TikTok’s feed, allowing users to publicly add and watch short, vertical films.

Users can also create a personal collection of their snaps and Stories using the Memories feature. With it, they can quickly search and find their old content and republish it.

The app has also introduced the My AI feature—a chatbot that responds to users’ questions. It is powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology but has additional enhancements and safeguards created by Snapchat. For instance, users can ask the chatbot for recommendations of places worth visiting based on their current location. Additionally, it helps in personalizing various aspects, such as displaying ads tailored to the preferences of individual users.

Who uses Snapchat? Statistics

According to statistics, in the third quarter of 2023, Snapchat had 406 million daily active users. This translates to over 750 million monthly active users. As a result, the app ranks ninth among the most popular social media platforms globally, surpassing services like X (Twitter) and Pinterest. It is estimated that within the next two to three years, the app will reach over 1 billion people.

The percentage breakdown of age groups among Snapchat users in the United States is as follows:

• 48% – people aged 15-25 years,
• 30% – people aged 26-35 years,
• 18% – people aged 36-45 years,
• 11% – people aged 46-55 years,
• 5% – people aged over 56 years.

According to Evan Spiegel, the app reaches over 75% of individuals aged 13-34 in more than 20 countries (source). Women account for 51% of Snapchat users, while men make up 49%. The highest number of users comes from India, followed by users from the United States, Pakistan, France, and the United Kingdom.

How to create a business account in Snapchat?

1. If you want to create a business account, you first need to create a regular account.
2. Next, log in to the Ads Manager using the login credentials for your Snapchat account.
3. Provide the name of your business and its address.
4. Select the country and currency. Note that business registration is only available in these countries (Poland is on the list).
5. After confirmation, proceed to set up your advertising account, create your first campaign, and enter your payment method.

Through the Ads Manager, users can create and manage advertisements on Snapchat and log in to Snap Focus, an online educational portal where information on creating and optimizing campaigns is available.

How to use Snapchat for business?

In addition to sending messages, photos, or videos, Snapchat also offers interactive features that businesses can use to reach and engage their audiences.

• Snapchat Stories
In our last article, we discussed the benefits of using InstaStories. However, the pioneer of this functionality was Snapchat, which then inspired other platforms to implement the Stories feature. Regardless of the service, the advantages of this solution are similar:
• First of all, with Stories, you can show your audience a different side of your company. Popular are photos and videos showcasing the backstage of the brand, such as depicting a typical day at work or the team.
• Creators gain access to statistics, allowing you to analyze whether your content is engaging and reaching the target audience of your brand.
• Snapchat also supports the Live Stories feature. It’s a collection of snaps from people who are in a specific location or participating in a particular event. For example, all attendees of a certain trade show can share Stories that will be added to the live feed from that event. However, you need to have location services enabled on your device.
• Snapchat Lens
Snapchat became popular thanks to its augmented reality filters, known as Snapchat Lenses. Brands can use their custom-created lenses for promotional purposes. There are two types of lenses:
• Face Lenses — they recognize the user’s face and allow overlays to be applied to it. For example, a cosmetics company can create a lens that allows users to test makeup products,
• World Lenses — they allow you to overlay 3D objects onto the surrounding world using the camera. For example, a furniture company could create a filter that lets users overlay a product from their new collection into their space.

If you want to create your own lens, you can do it in several ways:

• Contact with the Snapchat team — as an advertiser, you can work directly with the AR development team, but it depends on your media spending threshold,
• Lens Web Builder — it’s a browser-based app for making augmented reality ads in the company’s ads manager,
• Lens Studio — it’s a widely available and free software that you can download to your desktop device. It comes with many templates to make working on your own Snapchat lens easier.
• >Snapchat Discover
Snapchat Discover is a section within the app where users can explore Stories from various editorial teams, influencers, or brands. Currently, Snapchat collaborates with over 50 publishing partners, and gaining access to the Discover section is only possible through this partnership. However, becoming a partner is not easy, and Snapchat doesn’t share much about how they choose partners. Nevertheless, you can collaborate with a brand that has partner status and publish your content through their Stories.

Publishing content in the Discover section comes with certain requirements. For example, Stories can’t be purely promotional and focused on driving conversions. Therefore, if you want to create traditional advertisements, Snapchat Discover may not be the best channel for your company.

• Snap Map

Do you run a brick-and-mortar business? Chances are your company is visible on Google Maps. Similarly, you can advertise your business on Snapchat Maps, sharing info like your website, location, hours, and contact details. Additionally, Snapchat Maps is integrated with food delivery apps like Uber Eats, Postmates, Grubhub, and DoorDash.

You can promote your company’s location using the ads manager by creating a campaign with the Awareness objective. If you’re wondering if it’s worth it, statistics show that more than 300 million users worldwide use this feature every month.

The benefits of using Snapchat for business

Using Snapchat can bring companies tangible benefits.

Reaching out to Generation Z and Millennials

According to the statistics cited above, brands that are active on Snapchat have the opportunity to reach 13-35 year olds, the so-called Zetas and Millennials. So if your target audience falls into this age range, consider being active on this platform.

Snapchat courses

As mentioned earlier, users can access the Snap Focus educational portal using their ads manager credentials. The portal offers a learning path called Snapchat Essentials, with six courses. Completing these courses not only provides valuable knowledge but also awards users with a badge and certificate to certify their skills.

Support in creating ads

Another helpful feature for users is Snapchat Trends, where they can view weekly trends, popular hashtags, and topics important to Snapchatters. This helps creators and advertisers find inspiration and align their content with what’s trending in the app.

Users can interact with your brand

The Snapchat app is all about engaging users with fun, interactive features to keep them interested. You can use these features to connect with your audience. For instance, creating a lens can boost your reach as your name is shown with each one. But to make your lens go viral, spend time understanding your audience’s needs and create something they’ll find intriguing, while also showcasing your product.

Summary

You already know Snapchat’s audience, features and the opportunities the app offers companies to promote their brand. Now, you need to ask yourself whether Snapchat users fit into your target audience. If they do, consider including Snapchat in your company’s marketing strategy.

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