Snapchat for Beginners: Ultimate Marketing Guide

Launched in 2011, Snapchat burst onto the scene to compete with social media giants like Facebook and Instagram. Although the app has faced stiff competition recently, thanks to the rise of TikTok, Snapchat remains a massive player in the space.

Following the release of Snapchat’s Q1 2022 report, the platform now has an impressive 322 million daily active users. Meanwhile, the company generates annual revenue of $1.06 billion, representing a striking 38% year-on-year increase.

With Millennials and Gen Zers making up 75% of Snapchat’s user base, this target audience loves the platform for its short-form entertainment and constant interaction. Plus, the platform’s innovative augmented reality (AR) features add a fresh dimension to social media content. 

What is Snapchat Marketing?

Snapchat offers forward-thinking brands outstanding marketing potential. With the platform’s demographics skewing towards the younger generations, capturing the attention of this target market can deliver incredible results for your business.

Supported by numerous Snapchat business features, brands can engage with their audience on Snapchat in fascinating ways, like customized lenses and filters. Meanwhile, a Snapchat marketing strategy can include influencer campaigns, user-generated content, paid ads, and more.

With so many ways to engage your target market, taking a creative approach to Snapchat’s business features helps to express your brand’s personality while promoting your products and services.

The Best Snapchat Business Features

Ready to attract your audience on Snapchat? There’s no shortage of unique features that boost brand awareness and drive traffic to your website. Below, we explain the most compelling Snapchat business features.

Snapchat Advertising

Closeup of smartphone filming influencer sitting down at desk

Snapchat makes it easy for businesses to share targeted ads. Single Image or Video Ads are the most basic format, lasting for 3-180 seconds on the Stories screen. You can add links to your website, app, long-form video content, or even an AR lens.

Collection Ads are similar, but brands can showcase several products within the same post. With up to 4 thumbnail images offering links to different URLs, this Snapchat advertising method is a great way to promote a new product line.

You can also advertise on Snapchat Discover – a curated news feed that presents content from the world’s top publishers, including ESPN, The Wall Street Journal, and hugely popular celebrities. These branded tiles are an incredible way to create engagement.

Snapchat Spotlight

female popping through wall with confetti

Spotlight is Snapchat’s answer to TikTok and Instagram Reels. With viral success key to reaching the next level, brands can submit 60-second videos to Spotlight that showcase their offering to an audience outside their immediate followers.

While businesses are discouraged from submitting snaps to Spotlight that directly promote their products and services, this avenue is wonderful for highlighting your brand’s personality. 

By capitalizing on trending topics, you can appeal to your target audience, grow your following on the platform, and hopefully convert users into long-term customers. A viral post that hits the mark will send your traffic through the roof.

Filters and Lenses

phone showing social media camera filters

Snapchat has set itself apart from other social media platforms by widely adopting AR features. Using Lens AR Experiences, you can promote your business via interactive digital effects and graphics that appear on top of the user’s image.

Similarly, you can create Filter Ads that appear as creative overlays on a Snapchat user’s image or video. With these filters becoming available in the location of your choice, you can promote your business at the perfect moment.

Considering over 250 million Snapchat users engage with the platform’s augmented reality tools every day, this is one of the best ways to interact with your target audience and highlight your brand values.

How to Create a Snapchat Marketing Strategy

If you’re looking to develop a winning Snapchat marketing strategy, a tailored approach that resonates with your brand’s specific customers is bound to generate success. Here are some quick tips to elevate your performance.

Know Your Audience 

young couple audience with 3d glasses and popcorn

Understanding your audience is perhaps the most important feature of a marketing campaign. To effectively reach your target market on Snapchat, consider their age, gender, location, and general interests to help shape your strategy’s direction. 

When putting together a Snapchat marketing strategy, use these demographics to target your ad spend at the right people. However, these same personality traits are also crucial to how you design content for the platform in the first place. 

By guiding the tone of your message, the topics you discuss, and the influencers you work with, getting to know your audience is vital. Ultimately, this helps enhance brand awareness with the people who matter most to your success.

Find the Perfect Influencer

Woman holds cake sitting in behind table full of sweets

Influencer marketing has proven hugely effective on Snapchat because the platform’s youthful user base puts great faith in these people’s opinions. Deliver your brand’s message via a celebrity or social media star to ensure it leaves a big impression.

However, don’t simply choose the influencer with the largest following. You need to identify a partner with an audience that shares similar values and interests to your brand. This ensures their audience has a good chance of finding value in your products and services.

You should also consider a Snapchat takeover. This Snapchat marketing strategy sees a like-minded influencer post directly from your account, helping to increase your following and promote your values.

Test and Measure

Surprised woman measuring with hands

Tracking your Snapchat marketing strategy’s performance is essential to achieving your goals and creating a stellar return on investment. Fortunately, the app’s dedicated Snapchat Insights section is designed for this purpose.

Here, you can see how your audience interacts with content sources and camera functions, like AR lenses and filters. You can also review your audience’s demographics, locations, and interests to help you produce content that hits the mark. 

If your current campaign isn’t delivering adequate results, dive into this analytical data to pinpoint a new direction. When searching for the perfect solution, measure several fresh content ideas to see if they generate the ideal reaction with your followers.

Discover Snapchat for Business Benefits

Snapchat has helped countless companies rise above the competition. With a tailored Snapchat marketing strategy that resonates with your specific customers, expect to boost your brand awareness and experience unmatched growth.

So, how do you get started? The social media marketing specialists at First Page have helped companies level up their campaigns on Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more. With our innovative strategies producing exceptional results, trust us to lead your next campaign.

Start a conversation with our team to discover how we’ll get to know your business and develop a Snapchat marketing strategy that impresses even the most difficult-to-reach audience. With our guidance, you’ll be outperforming the competition before you know it.