The moment social media marketing professionals have been waiting for is finally here (well, those of us that utilize Snapchat for reasons other than posting selfies). Advertising is now available to all businesses on Snapchat.

The new ad manager will present small-to-medium sized companies the opportunity to manage their campaigns without the need of having to through a sales representative or third-party company. Additionally, this gives all types of businesses the chance to test campaigns on smaller budgets rather than investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into brand awareness campaigns that may or may not generate a good return on investment. For those of you venturing through the advertising buying process on Snapchat for the first time, here is what you can expect with regards to the ad formats available.

Sponsored Lenses

Snapchat currently offers users the ability to use various lenses to alter their appearance in photos and videos. Unfortunately, the ability to purchase sponsored lenses is not currently available via the self-serve advertising manager. However, if you want to capitalize on the trend of using lenses for content creation, this particular ad format can be purchased through a sales representative, where you can provide an augmented-reality experience for users across the globe.

Sponsored Geofilters

Sponsored geofilters will not be made publicly available to companies via the self-serve ad manager. These illustrated overlays give brands the opportunity to further customize content on a local level. The adoption rate has been quite high, as all types of brands and events have utilized this interactive ad format to create a buzz either locally or nationally. If your business is looking to promote a local event or generate awareness in particular communities, purchasing sponsored geofilters via Snapchat’s website might be a worthwhile investment. However, these ads cannot be purchased on the go and need to be planned well in advance of your campaign’s launch date. Sponsored geofilters go through an approval process and must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance.

Snap Ads

Finally, an ad format that is currently available to users via the self-serve ad manager. Advertisers will be able to upload a video that can run for up to ten seconds and have it appear in Snapchat’s original shows, curated Our Stories, or between users’ publicly posted Stories. Snap Ads can also be customized to promote content in one of four ways:

• Articles: Only available to appear in a Snapchat Show or Publisher Story, this type of Snap Ad can feature an advertorial accompanied with at least one image, video, or GIF.
• App Installs: If your goal is to generate app installs at a cost-effective rate, you can embed a deep link in a Snap Ad to direct users to the appropriate app store.
• Long-form Video: Similar to YouTube brand awareness campaigns, you can promote video content through Snap Ads to targeted audiences.
• Web Views: Website click campaigns are available on Snapchat via the Snap Ads format, where you can quickly push users to a mobile web page.

In order to facilitate the media buying process and onboard clients effectively, Snapchat has also released a new publishing tool that can enable brands to create stunning Snap Ads within minutes. With only 13 templates available, the creative process is rather limited, but this will prove to be valuable for small businesses that cannot lean on the expertise of agencies or creative designers.

Ad Targeting

Building the right ad targeting can make or break your campaigns. With Snapchat advertising, companies have the ability to target users based on four main criteria as defined below.

• Demographics
  • Age Groups: 13-17, 18-20, 21-24, 25-34, 35+
  • Gender
• Location
  • You can choose to target based on country, region, or metropolitan area.
• Device
  • Particularly useful for app install campaigns, you can target users based on the mobile operating system, as well as whether or not the user is using wi-fi or cellular data.
• DLX Advanced Demographics
  • This option gives advertisers the ability to add layered targeting to their campaigns, choosing segments of users based on education, income level, marital status, and parental status.

Is Snapchat Advertising Right for My Business?

If your target audience is highly engaged on Snapchat, it might be a worthwhile investment to test media buying campaigns with limited budgets to gauge how it can have a beneficial impact on your business. If you’re able to tap into a new channel to drive conversions at a cost-effective rate, it may prove to be advantageous and add another element to your marketing arsenal. However, if the cost is too prohibitive compared to other social media platforms, you will be able to halt spend immediately and readjust. If you’re looking to propel your business into the spotlight on Snapchat and don’t know where to start, we are aware of a couple of social media marketing wizards that can help…