Advertising on Snapchat might be the opportunity to boost your brand and acquire new customers. Every day, the platform Snapchats about 3 billion snaps from its 186 million users. Currently, it is one of the fastest-moving social media platforms for small and medium businesses to advertise their products or services.

However, Snapchat ads are quite different from the ads you will usually see on other social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. This post will discuss how to advertise on Snapchat and some of the things you should avoid effectively.

What are Snapchat Ads?

Snapchat advertisements are vertical, full-screen videos that appear for about 10 seconds in the middle of watching a friend’s story. Users have the option to engage with your ad by swiping up.

When a user swipes up when an ad is being played, they can be redirected to a website, have them watch a longer video, read an article, or install an app if you’re the advertiser. The closest analogy is an Instagram story ad.

The great thing about Snapchat Ads is that it’s an untapped market. There are 229 million users who use the platform daily, according to its developers. In comparison, Instagram has comparatively more daily users at 500 million, with Snapchat’s smaller user base.

Because you’re competing with other brands for the consumer’s attention, advertising on established channels is frequently more expensive.

Things to Consider When Starting with Snapchat Ads

• Snapchat has a niche audience. About 84% of Snapchat users are 35 years old and below. Moreover, 70% of Snapchat users are women. If your customers’ demographics are in line with their audience, then it can be a game-changer for your business.

• Minimum budget requirements. You must spend a minimum of $20 per day on Snapchat. Other advertising networks have less stringent minimums, but I bring this up since a minimum ad spend can feel restricting depending on your budget.

Advertising Options on Snapchat

Augmented reality is at the center of user interaction in Snapchat and should be the primary focus of your ad campaign. There are numerous ways in how brands can advertise on this platform. Below are just a few examples:

1. Deep Link

You can think of it as a variation of Web View ads. When a user swipes up on your ad, they are provided a link to a specific web-based content location.

2. Top Snap Only

These advertisements provide a single piece of material at the top of the user’s feed. You can use static images, GIFs, or videos that can be played.

3. App Install Ad

These are similar to Deep Link apps, except they don’t provide any extra URLs or content connections. When a user clicks on an App Install program, they are taken directly to the proper download store’s relevant page, where they can download the app you’re promoting.

4. Web View

This one shares similarities to Top Snap Only ads but with additional features. Snapchatters can swipe up on the ad, leading them to a URL related to the ad.

5. Long-Form Video

While Snapchat is meant for fast interaction, adding in the long-form video also works for some brands. Some of the typical examples include snippets, film trailers, or just an excellent promotional video.

Moreover, Snapchat also has geofilters and sponsored lenses that brands can take advantage of. However, these features are geared towards large brands and location-based entities.

How to create a Snapchat Ad

Snapchat ads manager is very similar to its Facebook ads counterpart. If you have no experience in using either before, then this post is perfect for you.

1. Go to www.ads.snapchat.com and create an account. When your account is ready, head over to the upper left-hand corner of your dashboard and tap develop ads. You have the option of using the instant creation mode or the sophisticated creation technique.

You can quickly create a single ad with Instant Create. Meanwhile, you have more control with Advanced Create. For this tutorial, we will go with the Advanced Creation route.

2. Decide the objective of your Snapchat campaign and what action do you want from Snapchatters who see your ad. Below are some of the goals that you can choose from:

• New clients will be more aware of your brand or product thanks to Awareness Ads.
• More people will download your program if you decide on App Installs.
• You can use the Traffic Objective to direct traffic to any website you choose, such as a product or landing page.
• The Engagement Objective is an excellent option to attract more people to interact with your ad.
• Your Video Ads will be significantly promoted by using the Video Views campaign.
• Finally, Website Conversions can keep track of essential interactions on your site, such as catalog sales and purchases.

3. After choosing an objective, name your campaign. Pick an appropriate name, such as the parameters or the goal of the campaign.

4. You can also do a split test to see which campaign and strategy are most effective. You can set two variables and compare them later to find out which one garnered more success.

5. Then, choose the date when the ad campaign will roll out, its duration, and its end date. Consequently, decide on your budget. You can select a daily spending cap to ensure it is within the money you are willing to spend.

Tips on Creating a Snapchat Ad

If you go back to the objection options that Snapchat lets you use, you will notice that they fall within the three phases of the marketing funnel. They are awareness, consideration, and conversions.

The awareness phase is where a customer just found out about your product or service. On the other hand, the consideration phase is when they are learning more about your offerings and are contemplating whether to make a purchase or not. Finally, the conversion phase is where they follow your call to action or make a purchase.

Remember that the objective of your Snapchat ads is to move customers into the next phase until they reach the conversion phase. If Snapchat is a new platform for you, start by nurturing your clients at the awareness level, then retargeting those who interact with your awareness ad and serving them a consideration ad.

Below are some helpful tips:

• To drive an audience through your funnel, make sure you’re remarketing efficiently. Using retargeting advertising to move an audience through a funnel will result in a higher conversion rate than simply running a single ad.

• While tempting to use the same ad campaign on other social media platforms, please don’t do it. Your potential customers on this platform are quite different as they are primarily female and Gen Z.

• Be consistent with your content. If you have a limited budget, try expanding the span of the campaign while reducing your daily ad spending

• More importantly, avoid making your ads overly salesy. Be creative and add in an element of fun. Remember, Snapchat is a platform for friends to communicate. While you are just running an ad, it pays if you can be part of the user’s experience and not just be a salesman.

Ready to Get Snapping?

Snapchat is one of the best social media platforms to advertise, especially if you want to appeal to a younger customer base. Its advertising platform is excellent, with tons of transparent data and analytics for your A/B testing. If you are a direct-to-consumer business, then it’s definitely worth the try.

Looking to grow your business? Read ”5 Social Media Growth Strategies for Your Business” to learn more.