When people hear “social media marketing,” their minds tend to go to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for a good reason. 

These platforms have been around for a long time, are part of the top social media channels utilized globally, and have proved to be marketing powerhouses for companies over the years.

However, in recent times, social networking channels like Pinterest and Snapchat have been recognized as offering many marketing opportunities for brands interested in placing their goods and services before their target market, building a broad and loyal customer base, and achieving business growth.

If you want to know how Pinterest does this, you should check out my article on Pinterest marketing because this post is all about the snaps!

Introduction to Snapchat and Snapchat Marketing

Snapchat was launched in 2011 and is regarded as a playful social media platform for teens and adults.

This means that if your target markets are the gen z’s (10-25) and the millennials (26-41), Snapchat marketing might be what your brand needs to scale up.

That said, creating Snapchat content for marketing your business differs from other social media channels. The platform comes with unique functions, content-type, and features you may find weird, especially if you are new to the channel.

To successfully maximize the marketing opportunities Snapchat provides, you will need a good grasp of the platform and its operation. You will also need to understand what Snapchat marketing is and why your business needs it.

I will cover all this information in this post, starting with a definition of the site itself.

What is Snapchat?

Founded by Bobby Murphy, Reggie Brown, and Evan Spiegel in 2011, Snapchat is a messaging app that allows users to send temporary messages, videos, and pictures, also called snaps, to the receiver, who may be a friend or a group page.

Notice the word temporary.

One unique feature of Snapchat is that, by default, snaps disappear once the receiver views them. Hence, users can only view snaps sent to them for a limited time before it self-destructs.

Although the platform’s initial focus was private photo sharing, Snapchat is now useful for various activities, including recording and sharing live videos, creating your Bitmoji avatar, revealing your whereabouts, and connecting with friends via the snap map.

You can also add filters to your photographs and videos and post Stories, photos, or videos that are broadcast to all of your followers and can be replayed for 24 hours. And also, use Augmented Reality (AR)-based lenses to enhance your snaps. 

Snapchat is all about catching up with friends and sharing how your day is going, or it went. Its self-destructing messages/snaps gives its users the understanding that you should cherish every moment because nothing lasts forever.

Snapchat Marketing

Snapchat marketing is simply taking a set of marketing actions introducing Snapchat with all its benefits as part of your business’s social media marketing strategy.

It involves having a good grasp of the platform and maximizing it to market your products/services to your target market.

As a platform with over 319 million daily active users and over 4 billion snaps shared daily, one cannot argue that Snapchat offers brands a large stage to showcase their work to their target market.

However, as I said earlier, Snapchat marketing is not for every business. 

Unlike other social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, Snapchat has a limited type of audience; the Gen Zs and the Millennials. 

More so, its contents are more unpolished and authentic.

Snapchatters are not looking for the polished, professional, flawless version of your brand. 

No, that version bores them out.

They want to get in on the real stuff; the behind-the-scenes, real-time video, customized messages, emojis and drawings, and funny material version of your business. 

They want the unpolished version of your company that is bursting with a character they can relate to.

This type of marketing will demand creativity and outside-the-box tactics that will place your product/service before your market in a way that looks natural but is, in truth, strategic. 

It will demand you have fun with your marketing strategies, play around, and be open to new marketing tactics that sound unprofessional or hilarious. 

For a business familiar with marketing its product on apps like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, where a single post can be shared and cross-promoted across these platforms, Snapchat marketing may seem an unfamiliar territory and a waste of time.

And this may be true for the brand whose target market does not consist of people below age 35.

However, for a brand whose target market is the younger generation, Snapchat marketing, done correctly, is an opportunity to grow its customer base and attain business growth.

Such a brand needs a good understanding of its Snapchat market, what they want, and good use of Snapchat analytics to monitor its performance on the platform.

If you fall into the latter group, you are probably wondering – what is in it for my business if I implement Snapchat marketing?

Below are the benefits of Snapchat marketing.

Why do Brands Market on Snapchat?

There is less competition

With popularity comes great competition.

Every company has Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

I mean, scroll to any company’s website contact us page, and you will most likely see a tiny Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram logo. 

As such, it can be difficult to engage consumers on these platforms in the first place, and it can be even more challenging to make your material stand out in the crowd if you are a small business or a startup yet to make a name for yourself.

However, with Snapchat, the story is different as there is less market competition on the platform, making it easy to attract your target market quickly.

To provide engaging content

Snapchat is a compelling medium for your audience because of its unique, time-sensitive content.

As a platform that is part of the 12th most used social media platforms globally, effective Snapchat campaigns will position your business in front of an audience much more prominent than users on Twitter and Pinterest.

There is room for authenticity

 As I said earlier, authenticity is one factor that draws Snapchatters – this may be because most of its users are young teens and adults who generally have a simple outlook on life.

This is why the app supports creative, carefree features and seems happy-go-lucky. 

To give an example of this realness, instead of professional images of high quality, Snapchat users want you to use bitmoji avatars and filters to modify your brand’s photos to make them more fascinating and fun.

Rather than giving them a report on past reports, Snapchatters want in on the action and want to be carried along with what is currently happening. 

The vital thing is to ensure that whatever part you are highlighting is relevant to your prospects and in line with your marketing goals.

There is room to reach more prospects.

If you have not been interacting with the younger generation as much as you would like on other platforms, Snapchat marketing may be the platform you need to reach them.

One way businesses on Snapchat can do this is by using the “Our story” feature on the platform.

This function involves compiling several snaps about a location, an event, or a subject sent by various Snapchatters around the world and displaying them as a Story for the rest of the community to enjoy.

It is a collection of snaps played in the chronological order they were collected.

It’s a series of pictures that play in the order they were taken.

With the Our Story feature, businesses can drive brand awareness while contributing to a community event with a strategically placed and timed image or short video.

Connect on a closer level with the market

Most Snapchat users have a small friends list compared with their friends’ list on other social media platforms.

Because being a young audience, they are more likely to interact with close friends and pals on the Snapchat platform than with parents and extended relatives. 

In that vein, chances are they will become more real when communicating with their peers on Snapchat. 

They will upload snaps they would not post on other social media platforms because their buddy list is more curated and since the Snaps would vanish anyways.

Being part of such an “inner circle” will benefit a brand seeking to attract and grow its Snapchat market base as prospects will feel connected to that business on a personal level. 

Additionally, Snapchat informal atmosphere will also aid businesses in winding down and chilling out as they would with friends, gaining the trust of their markets in the process.

It is free

Who does not love free stuff? 

Opening a Snapchat account, personal or business account, is free.

This may not surprise you, but it is still a valuable benefit because not all marketing tools are free.

Snapchat Marketing 2022 Stats Every Marketer should Consider

If, with all the above reasons why brands should use Snapchat marketing, you still doubt that Snapchat is for you, consider the following 2022 Snapchat marketing data by Statista, a 13 years leader in providing reliable market data.

– There are currently 339 million active daily Snapchat users. This is an increase from 319 million in the last quarter of 2021.
– There are currently 557 million active monthly Snapchat users.
– 39% (132, 200,00) of Snapchat users are still those between the ages of 18 – 24.
– The platform has more users than Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Twitter, ranked globally as the 12th social media platform.
– India and US have the most significant number of Snapchatters; the numbers are 144.35 and 107.95 million users, respectively, making these countries ripe for the plucking of companies seeking to market their businesses to persons living in those areas.

Implementing Snapchat Marketing in your Social Media Marketing Strategy

As you decide that Snapchat marketing is just what your business needs to attract customers and thrive, there are essential steps to take as you implement Snapchat marketing. 

They include:

1. Opening an account

If you are new to Snapchat, your first step to employing Snapchat marketing should be opening an account.

You can open a Snapchat business account, a free marketing tool that allows brands to run ads and create posts linked to a company, not an individual, thus fostering. 

To open a business account on Snapchat, you must first set up a personal account.

To do this, simply:

– Download the app to your device, open it and tap the sign-up link.
– Proceed to fill out the necessary information and finally confirm your account. 
– Once your account has been created, navigate to Snapchat ad manager or type ad.snapchat.com in your web browser.
– Fill in the required info: your name, business name, business location, etc.
– Click Finish once you are done.

2. Knowing how the platform works

You cannot effectively use something you do not understand. That is why upon opening an account, your next step should be to figure out how the platform works. 

This will entail knowing terminologies and icons used by Snapchatters.

Here are key Snapchat terminologies to note:

Snap – temporary photos, messages, and videos sent to one or more of your friends on Snapchat. Snaps can also be sent on a group page. According to Snapchat’s policy, it will not keep any photos or videos. Hence, once a recipient views the Snap, the site deletes the content after.

Snapchatter – a user of the platform.

Stories – snaps you share with all your friends. Stories are available for 24 hours before they are deleted. However, Snapchat offers users the chance to save their stories by downloading them.

Filter – special effects you can add to your snaps

Snapcode – similar to QR codes. Snapcodes enables friends to add you without manually looking for your Snapchat handle. 

Score – number of snaps a friend has sent and also received.

Snapstreak – an emoji indicating you and a friend have been snapping consecutively.

Snap Map – a Snapchat map that shows your location or that of your friends.

Lenses – another Snapchat feature that primarily spices up your face when taking selfies or recording video with special effects, AR, etc.

3D lenses – this Snapchat function alters your environment, not your face.

Memories – a feature that allows you to save snaps you do not want to disappear.

Bitmoji – your customizable Snapchat avatar.

3. Craft your Snapchat marketing strategy

Your Snapchat marketing strategy will outline the objectives you want to achieve with the platform, your target audience, and other factors vital to attaining your marketing goals. 

Hence, laying it out is necessary as it will guide you in selecting the appropriate tactics and actions to move your business in the right direction. 

In light of this, here are factors to consider when laying out your Snapchat marketing strategy.

Identify your target market
A mental image of your ideal client can help you understand their characteristics, way of life, wants, and how to display your work so they can completely understand its value.

Set smart goals
Setting goals allows you to evaluate your market, your company’s current position, and where it wants to go, which is essential for your Snapchat marketing strategy. It provides a specific objective, aids in maintaining focus, and tracks your company’s ongoing development and expansion.

Content planning
Snapchat is ideal for different types of content enhanced with various filters. Therefore, your marketing strategy should include a breakdown of the multiple snaps, filters, and functions your brand will utilize in its Snapchat marketing.

Run Snapchat ads
Unlike the typical direct ad experience, Snapchat commercials let you connect with Snapchatters by creating exciting and shareable content. 

The platform offers various types of ads, targeting options, and objective ads, making it suitable for all marketers. 

Whether the e-commerce store owner, the avid businessman or the startup company, all can find ads that suit their marketing needs and budget on the Snapchat site.

Conclusion

Snapchat marketing is not for every business.

If your target market does not revolve around the younger generation, you might want to direct your limited marketing resources elsewhere.

However, suppose you have identified your market as people below 34/35. In that case, Snapchat marketing may be what you need to add to your social media marketing strategy to draw customers in and achieve business growth.

RELATED: 12 Snapchat Marketing Benefits for Your Business Growth in 2022.

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