Know Everything About Snapchat Marketing

Snapchat Marketing Strategy: We wonder whether you’ve ever thought of using Snapchat as a marketing platform. Amidst the ever-growing list of social media marketing platforms, we reckon Snapchat grabs one of the top spots.

What is Snapchat Marketing?

This is despite the interface is towards the laggy side and requires a lot of improvements. Still, we have been able to use Snapchat to drive some amazing results for our clients.

Why Businesses Today Should Be on Snapchat?

We curated strategies around Snapchat for some of our prestigious clients and tried to educate them with the fact that Snapchat now, is among the most influential platforms out there for marketers.

Though overwhelming, it might sound for businesses, but it has become inevitable to opt for platforms where you tap more audiences.

Even before we start this article, let’s talk about stats that make this platform so irresistible.

• Snapchat has approximately 191 million daily active users
• Snapchat houses more than 10 billion daily video views.
• 18% of social media users also use Snapchat.
• Snapchat has quite a young demographic. Nearly 78% of users fall in the 18-24-year-old bracket which is considerably higher when compares to Instagram which comes in at 71%
• 76% of Snapchat users are online shoppers.
• 30 Minutes: That’s the average duration a user spend on the platform, which is staggering.

Who’s on Snapchat?

With any marketing strategy, the basic step is to identify & understand the demographics of your product/services. With that being said, if you think Millenials are included in your demographic, then you cannot look away from Snapchat.

Allow us to put some more facts in front of you so that you can be across what are you dealing with.

• Snapchat’s audience is young and vibrant. Nearly 71% of its users are under the age of 25.
• More than 60% of 13-34-year-old in the US with smartphones use Snapchat
• The population is currently made up of 70% women and 30% men.

Snapchat currently sees engagement from a lot of younger audiences. Thought the ratio for older audiences is still small when compared. We still don’t recommend missing out on Snapchat unless your target audiences are strictly 55+ age group.

Should I Really Use Snapchat?

Yes & No..! You might wonder what kind of answer is this. But in reality, if you think that most of your audience is made up of older people and people under 34 don’t have any or less effect on your business, then definitely Snapchat should not be your focused marketing platform.

But if the other side of the statement above is true, then you should not miss out on something like Snapchat with never-ending possibilities to drive business and develop a brand.

That being said, it never hurts to try; the demographics could always change and expand, and you might be surprised how your content fits in with the new audience, or how engaged your audience is on the platform.

That being said, it’s always exciting to try new demographics and see how each section of the audience respond to your brand. Who knows you might discover something which was not expected. Try to gauge where this can fit in your overall marketing strategy.

Does Snapchat Deserve my Time?

In the end, everyone wants to address the big elephant in the room that is: Is Snapchat deserves it? Snapchat has not quite kept up with the rapid growth of other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, which have all adapted and evolved a little more.

The creation and popularity of Instagram Stories and then Facebook Stories didn’t help Snapchat any, either, basically copying their best features and maybe even improving them a little bit.

When compared to other marketing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, surely Snapchat is definitely on the slower side and has not been able to keep up the pace.

In fact, with the launch of Instagram and Facebook stories, these platforms have up the ante by basically copying the best feature it has and improving it further according to us.

Despite Snapchat’s staggering number, it’s interesting to know that Snapchat shrunk by 3 million users according to a report. This is not just it; we believe Snapchat is also a very dynamic platform linked heavily to superstars and celebrities apart from its users. In another report, Kylie Jenner’s single tweet dropped the company’s value 1.5 billion instantly.

Despite everything, when we see the actual numbers there, we see a lot of fans are quite loyal to the platform and have not given up on it. Also, the current numbers which Snapchat can garner it’s not worth looking over. With such a massive amount of engaged users, it’s certain that if it falls in your potential marketing strategy, it’s worth giving a try.

Now we’ve given you insights on both good and bad aspects of Snapchat, let’s talk about getting our hands dirty.

Snapchat Marketing: The 101

Since we’ve already talked a lot about who and why should you be on Snapchat. Let’s answer the most expected question: How to market on Snapchat

Since we’ve already released a guide going over the basics, this tutorial is going to focus on the more advanced features of Snapchat marketing, including features available to use, developing a marketing strategy, connecting with your audience and QR codes, and tracking the results of your marketing efforts.

Even before you begin advertising, you’ll first need a Snapchat account! We’ll give you precisely what Snapchat says to get you started with its platform

To set up your account online, please follow the steps below.

• Go to accounts.snapchat.com/accounts/signup.
• Enter your name and a username. Please Note: You cannot change your username after you’ve created it. Additionally, only your name and the invited email address will be displayed to you or other members of your Business. Your username will not appear.
• Make a secure password that will be easy to remember.
• Enter a valid email address.
• You can then verify your account to secure it by downloading Snapchat on your phone.
• Now you can use your username and password to access Ads Manager. Then you can begin advertising on Snapchat!

Snapchat Features

Snapchat offers several different features, types of posts, and setting that can be used. From image editing options to settings you can choose on your profile, including additional features that can help you interact with your audience. All of these impact heavily on Snapchat campaign’s success.

Types of Content You Can Share on Snapchat Include:

Images: Open your camera, click an image, edit it in the Snapchat app or upload it from your library and share instantly with whomever you want. You’ll always find Snaps in portrait format

Videos: Videos can be shared on Snapchat, so long as they’re kept under ten seconds long

Snaps: Snaps are images or videos that are sent privately and only to specific users. After users view them for the allowed amount of time, they “expire” and disappear. Snaps are found on the left-hand side of the main screen.

Stories: Stories are images or videos that are shared with your followers (or everyone, if your private setting allows for it). They’re suitable for mass distribution of content. Locate them on the right-hand side of the main screen.

Editing options for posts (both Snaps and Stories for images and videos) include:

Drawing tools: You can draw on your image, in any color, and any place.

Text Add-ins: You can type out a text to add to your image. You can choose any color for the font, and place the banner text wherever you choose.

Emojis: Because the world can never have enough emojis, you can add emojis to your image, dragging them to any position that you so, please.

Enhancement Features

• Having your profile public: Ensure your profile is public instead of private. Snapchat keeps your profile private by default. In case it’s private, change it to the public by clicking on the ghost in the top left corner of the main screen. Navigate to the gear icon in the top right corner and ensure that “view my story” is visible to “Everyone”.
• Change view time: Adjust the view time of your content. It’s best when users are able to see your content for a longer duration. By default, they can see it for ten seconds, increasing the view time of your content gives a better chance to users to see your content. Longer views drive higher engagement on the content.
• Snapchat Chat: With an upgraded messaging system, Snapchat now allows brands to chat with users privately. This can help your business to interact with select individuals and increase your brand loyalty.

Features of the Chat System Include

Stickers: You can use stickers in your private chat window. They are entertaining and engaging at the same time.

Video notes: Video notes are a loop of video that runs in a loop whenever someone sees them. They can be sent in a private chat and like usual snaps or stories these notes do not expire.

Audio notes: Take video out of your message and what you’re left with is only your sound which can be sent in the form of Audio notes.

 Send Multiple Images: Gives you the option to send multiple photos at once.

Video and audio calls: Snapchat allows you to make audio and video calls from the app. It’s one exciting way to connect with people while running a brand promotion or webinar sorts of thing.

Snapchat Marketing Strategy

Snapchat truly operates in its own dimensions and provides a unique but strange experience to marketers. It doesn’t really follow the marketing ways of other marketing platforms instead offers something of its own.

It’s really very hard to gather Social proof in Snapchat marketing as interactions take place between two parties and are not public. The real objective is to drive meaningful engagement from the targeted audience instead of creating a hype out there.

Given the scenario, it’s really not possible to have a common social media marketing strategy for Snapchat. As diverse as the platform is, it’s essential to have such a distinct approach to accomplish goals here.

Offering Coupon Codes

This is one of the most successful marketing strategies out there. Tried and tested by multiple brands; this offers great benefits in overall marketing assessment. The most significant factor in providing coupon codes it that they can be tracked easily and can be used to gauge overall marketing efforts!

Drive Footfalls

Another successful strategy is to drive footfalls to your store or events. Snapchat really has a great response to events or store walk-ins. Users usually love when they have a brand offering them something nearby and can be leveraged at a vast scale in local marketing.

A local Australian government ran a small Snapchat campaign to drive footfalls for a job fair they were hosting, and it proved to be more successful than their Facebook and Instagram campaign combined.

Connect with influencers

Influencer outreach is one of the most successful strategies not only on Snapchat but any social media marketing platform. This allows you to connect with an influencer and use their established following and loyalty to its best potential.

There are tons of examples out there where brand connects with Snapchat influencers to create engagements on their handle or brand. Many brands like SWEETARTS, MOUNTAIN DEW, have successfully implemented Snapchat takeover strategies with influencers.

For a Snapchat Takeover, a brand allows the selected influencer to “take over” the brand’s Snapchat for a given period of time.

With the right influencer on board, Snapchat Takeovers can be effective at building a brand’s social following on Snapchat as the influencer(s) will direct his or her established social media following to join, follow, watch, and engage in the brand’s Snapchat channel for the Takeover.

Build Anticipation

Anticipation building or hype generation is one tactic that works on most of the occasions for the brand. In this, brands create expectations around a specific objective they want to achieve and drive eager engagements.

The NBA used Snapchat to create excitement and awareness around the league’s Most Valuable Player award, NBA leveraged the Snapchat Stories feature and posted live updates of the event.

Snapchat Q&A: The main objective of this strategy is to drive sales by creating meaningful relationships with existing followers. Though difficult, having a two-layer strategy (first creating awareness about Q&A and then hosting it) can really help in taking some valuable questions/feedbacks to address them and convert them into sales.

Building an Audience on Snapchat

Like any other platform, you have to search and connect with your audience. Just because they are there on the platform doesn’t mean that they will connect with you. Snapchat is evidently not a platform which supports massive amplification.

Since nothing is public and interactions are being done between two parties only, it really doesn’t come out where other places your audience is interacting.

Hence, it becomes crucial to be interactive, give your audience some value, and encourage them to connect with you. There is no other Snapchat magical hack there to do it.

It’s astonishing how effective different Snapchat growth strategies can be. For instance, you can offer prizes or any other form of incentive when someone follows you. Share your Snapchat profile all around the place on every social media platform to drive the engagement that you’re looking for!

It can be coupled with your brand’s emails as well, not only emails; you can start promoting them in on your website, giving out QR codes, and every possible way you can. It’s astounding how that works.

There is no surprise in knowing how important it is to connect with your audience not only Snapchat but on all possible platforms available. This makes your brand reachable and known in the market and ensures that your organic reach and engagements are increased exponentially.

Snapchat QR Code or Snapcode

QR codes are machine-readable codes that can be read by the cameras on smartphones, similar to the scanning of a barcode. Snapchat has smartly made great use of QR codes, which users can now use to quickly follow specific users or brands that they want.

Snapchat built its snapcode feature by acquiring Scan.me, a startup that developed QR code scanning and creation, in the fall of 2014.

People who are not aware of snapcodes, the random black dots on your snapchat icon is your Snapcode. A snapcode works as Snapchat follow button. You can simply use the app, scan your friend’s code or vice versa and tada! They automatically get added to your Snapchat friend’s list.

To Find Your Snapcode

• Open Snapchat
• Select the ghost icon in the top middle of the screen with random black dots
  
• You should see your snapcode
• Snapchat recommends adding a logo within Ghost and warns against making any changes with the frame, ghost, or its color.

Snapchat lets people customize their Snapcode with a selfie GIF and download a vector version for printing on posters, apparel and more. It also began allowing people to open a publisher’s Snapchat Discover content and unlock filters and lenses by scanning a Snapcode.

Track Results On Snapchat

With the introduction of Snap Pixel, Snapchat has taken leaps and bounds when it comes to tracking metrics for Snapchat advertising. Snapchat houses its own delivery and spends metrics which enables users to track based on different ad type viz:

• Snap Ad Metrics
• Story Ad Metrics
• On-Demand Filter Metrics
• Audience Filter Metrics
• Lens Metrics

We have provided a glossary for every Ad metric, thanks to Snapchat putting this for us so that we can add some value for our readers:

Let’s begin breaking them down

Delivery Metrics

Total Impressions: Shows you total ad impressions of the ads served.

*Video Views: The total number of impressions view a video grabbed. This is coupled with the criteria that a user must have at least 2 seconds of consecutive watch time or should take an action with the snap such as Swipe up

Quartiles

*25% Quartile: The number of Snaps watched to 25% of the duration

*50% Quartile: The number of Snaps watched to 50% of the duration

*75% Quartile: The number of Snaps watched to 75% of the duration

Completions: Snaps completed 97% watch time duration

Avg Screen Time: The average number of seconds spent watching your Ad across all paid impressions

Screen time starts recording as soon as the media is fully rendered on the device, and the autoplay video starts.

Attachment Metrics

Swipe Ups:  The number of times your Ad was swiped upon or the CTA was tapped to view the attachment below

Please Note: Attachments can only be viewed when Snapchatters opt to swipe up on or tap the CTA

Swipe Up Rate: The average number of swipes per impression shows as a percentage

eCPSU (effective cost per swipe up): The average cost per each swipe up

Avg Attachment Screen Time: The average number of seconds spent watching your attachment across all swipe ups

App Install Metrics

Installs: The number of times your app was installed

Install Rate: The average number of installs per swipe, shown as a percentage

ECPI (effective cost per install): The average cost per each app install

Long-Form Metrics

25% Attachment Quartile: The number of swipe ups watched to 25% of attachment duration

50% Attachment Quartile: The number of swipe ups watched to 50% of attachment duration

75% Attachment Quartile: The number of swipe ups watched to 75% of attachment duration

Attachment Completions: The number of swipe ups watched to 97% of attachment duration

Attachment Video Views: The number of times your ad’s Long Form Video attachment was viewed for at least ten consecutive seconds or reached 97% of the Long Form Video duration

* Metrics not available for Photo Ads

Conversion Metrics (Web and App)

ROAS (Return on Ad spend): The total dollars driven in your app or website from your campaigns, relative to your media spend

Purchases Value: The total value of purchases made in your app or website

Purchases: The total number of purchases made in your app or website

Saves: The total number of saves made in your app or website

Add Billing: The total number of times a user added their billing info in your app or website

Add to Carts: The total number of times a user added an item to their cart in your app or website in your App or website

Page Views: The total number of times a user viewed your page in your app or website

Searches: The total number of times a user completed a search in your app or website

Sign-Ups: The total number of times a user signed up in your app or website

View Content: The total number of times a user viewed content in your app or website

Start Checkout: The total number of times a user started a checkout in your app or website

App Opens: The total number of times a user has opened your app

Level Completes: The total number of times a user has completed a level

Story Ad Metrics

Total Impressions: The total number of times a Snapchatter saw your Brand as either the Story Tile or the individual Snap

Paid Impressions: The total number of times a Snapchatter saw the Story Tile on the stories page. Counted when the tile is 50% on screen for at least 1 second

Total ecPM: Effective cost per thousand total impressions, which includes paid and Story impressions

Total Reach: The total number of Snapchatters who viewed your Brand as either the Story Tile or the individual Snaps

Paid Reach: The total number of Snapchatters who viewed your Brand as the Story Tile

Story Opens: The total amount of times Snapchatters tapped on the tile

Story Open Rate: The rate at which Snapchatters tapped on the tile

Swipe Ups: The total number of times a Snapchatter has swiped up on attachments within your Story Ad (aggregated across all attachments)

Swipe Up Rate: The rate at which Snapchatters swiped up on swipeable top Snaps to reveal the attachment below (averaged across all attachments)

*Story Ad Position Impressions: The total number of times a Story Ad Position was served to a Snapchatter

Avg Attachment Screen Time: The average number of seconds spent viewing your attachment across all impressions (averaged across all attachments)

*Story Ad Position Paid Reach: The number of unique Snapchatters who were served a Story Ad Position

Completed Story View Percentage: The percentage of Snapchatters who viewed through to the last individual Snap after entering the Story Ad

*Story Ad Position Frequency: The average number of times a Story Ad Position was served to a unique Snapchatter

*Story Ad Avg Position Screen Time: The average number of seconds spent watching a Story Ad Position across all paid impressions

*Metrics only available at the Ad level

On-Demand Filter Metric

Paid Impressions: The total number of times your ad was served to a Snapchatter. This is tracked when the ad fully renders on a device for the first time during a Snapchatter’s viewing session.

Earned Impressions: The number of times your ad was viewed after being shared by a Snapchatter via Chat or Stories.

Total Impressions: The sum of paid impressions and earned impressions (paid impressions + earned impressions).

Shares: The number of times your ad was shared via Chat or Stories.

Share rate: The rate at which your ad was shared via Chat or Stories (shares/impressions).

Camera time: The average time your ad was seen in the camera as an overlay option (seconds).

Paid reach: The number of unique paid impressions.

Please Note: These particular metrics are only available for business account holders at this time. Metrics do not update instantaneously and may lag 24 hours.

Audience Filter Metric

Shares: The number of times your ad was shared via Chat or Stories.

Saves: The number of times your ad was saved to Memories.

Earned Impressions: The number of times your ad was viewed after being shared by a Snapchatter via Chat or Stories.

Earned Reach: The number of unique Earned Impressions.

Total Reach: The number of unique Snapchatters who viewed your ad, either by receiving a Paid or Earned Impression.

Earned Frequency: The average number of times a Snapchatter saw your ad after sharing by a Snapchatter via Chat or Stories (Earned Impressions / Earned Reach)

Total Frequency: Total Impressions / Total Reach.

Total CPM: Effective cost per thousand Total Impressions, which includes Paid and Earned Impressions (Total Cost / Total Impressions) x 1000).

Save Rate: The rate at which your ad was saved to Memories (Saves / Paid Impressions).

Share Rate: The rate at which your ad was shared via Chat or Stories (Shares / Paid Impressions).

eCPS: Effective Cost Per Share (Spend/number of Shares).

Lens Metrics Glossary

AR Lens

Delivery

Spend: Spend based on delivery.

Paid Impressions: Total number of times Snapchatter served your ad.

Paid Reach: The number of unique paid impressions. Only available for Lifetime.

Paid Frequency: The average number of times Snapchatter served your ad. Only available for Lifetime.

Total Impressions: The sum of paid impressions and earned impressions (paid impressions + earned impressions).

Total Reach: The average number of times your ad serve to a Snapchatter, either by receiving a paid or earn an impression. Only available for Lifetime.

Total Frequency: The average number of times your ad was served to a Snapchatter, either be receiving a paid or earned an impression. Only available for Lifetime.

Camera

Playtime: The average amount of time each Snapchatter interacts with your ad in the camera.

For Lenses distributed in the camera through Reach x Frequency

Average Attachment Playtime: The average amount of time each Snapchatter interacts with your ad in the camera.

For Snap Ads with Lens Attachment only.

Only available for Lifetime.

Shares: The number of times your ad was share, via Chat or Stories.

Share Rate: The rate at which your ad was share, via Chat or Stories.

Saves: The number of times your ad save to Memories or Camera Roll.

Save Rate: The rate at which your ad save to Memories or Camera Roll.

Earned Impressions: The number of times your ad was view by a Snapchatter after being share to a Chat or Story.

Earned Reach: The number of unique earne impressions. Only available for Lifetime.

Earned Frequency: The average number of times your ad was served to a Snapchatter via an earned impression. Only available for Lifetime.

If you’re still thinking whether or not you should be opting for Snapchat, below is our final two cents on this. No matter how much you think or research about it, but Snapchat has really got some decent advantages to its side and some really great points to back it up:

Out of mediocre

In case you don’t know, Instagram Stories type content is actually Snapchat’s USP. Snapchat, unlike your other marketing platforms, is entirely different and unique in its own sense. It really doesn’t offer that more-than-you-need marketing jargon but instead gives us actually what you need to see.

Even with its platform, Snapchat really wants you to work on your marketing and make a real connection with people. It might be difficult in the beginning because the same piece of content can use on Snapchat, you might have to change the way you approach this platform keeping its uniqueness in mind.

It’s still young: Snapchat audience compare to other social media platforms is quite young and continues to develop. Which means you don’t have to put efforts into making unnecessary things; instead, you can specially design a strategy to make your Snapchat marketing tick.

Users on Snapchat want to connect with you in the silliest way possible and they are not afraid to be brand loyal if you offer them the value they are looking for.

Even competition

There is a sense of even competition on Snapchat. Brands still getting on the bandwagon on Snapchat, not every brand is dominating the platform as they do on other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

This enables every brand to get on the platform and get the results which they deserve. The sooner you start, the better it is for your brand since a lot of brands are now realizing the potential Snapchat as a marketing platform has today.

More and more brands are coming with powerful strategies to attract the audience on Snapchat, but it still remains a platform which you can totally use as an early starter.

Actual Audience

There has been a lot of buzz around social media platforms having bot traffic and sometimes as rewarding as they are, there is a flip side as well.

We won’t dwell on that argument a lot, but as we said Snapchat still being young offers a lot of actual audience or in other words, it has not been abused by other brand and marketers that much. It’s really remarkable that every time we use Snapchat, and we have nothing but praise for the platform.

Conclusion

In the end, we hope this article truly helped you to understand all the pros & cons, along with all the possibilities with Snapchat. Our point of view with Snapchat is improving consistently.

We’ve tried it with a lot of our clients and have seen some remarkable results. Obviously like every other marketing platform we have seen our share of highs and lows with Snapchat but we still at large remain positive about it.

There cannot be more authentic reason other than its demographic capabilities couple with engagement possibilities to favor this platform. It really has remained on the most dynamic platform of all and continues to take big strides.

With the current buzz around Snapchat, it should not be long before brands start thronging on this platform with more creative marketers. We look forward to your thoughts and suggestions.