How to Effectively Advertise on Snapchat

As a long-time Snapchat user, I was thrilled when the company reached out for me to create content for their brand, and I’m here to tell you not just as an advertising partner but also as a fan of the platform that advertising on Snapchat can be a great way to reach customers.

In addition to being a popular platform for connecting with Gen Z and Millennials, the content on Snapchat naturally aligns with humanizing your brand, as snaps tend to be personal and have a “behind-the-scenes” feel. While your ads on the platform may be somewhat salesy, they can still have that informal, in-the-moment feel of regular snaps so that customers feel a stronger connection to your brand, and you can leverage exciting features like augmented reality lenses to be more engaging.

Getting Started With Instant Create

If you want to reach young consumers effectively, try piloting a few ads on Snapchat through the platform’s Instant Create feature. In just a few minutes, you can launch an ad that’s directly tailored to your intended audience.

To do so, go to Snapchat’s website and click on Ads on the main menu. If you haven’t created an account yet or familiarized yourself with the platform, I recommended reading through some of the resources on Snapchat’s site.

From there, once you log in to the ads manager, take stock of two important features before you create an ad. One is Creative Library, where you can upload and store photos and videos you’ve created off of Snapchat for use in your Snapchat ads. The other key feature is Audiences, where you can upload your own data to reach relevant targets. For example, if you have an email newsletter or a CRM, you can upload a CSV file that has email addresses of your marketing list. Snapchat can then match those emails with users who have connected those same addresses to the platform, meaning your ad will be shown to these specific users instead of just a random audience that may not be relevant to you.

To then actually create your ad in less than five minutes, navigate to the Create tab, click Create Ads, then click on Instant Create. Within Instant Create, you can select your goal for the ad — either website visits, app installs, or app visits — and then import a creative for your ad or pull content from the site you’re driving traffic to. Then follow the menu to add the information about your ad, including your CTA.

Pay Attention to Targeting

Once the creative aspects, goals, and relevant information for your ad are set up, it’s crucial to target your ad to the right audience before setting it live. Within the Instant Create menu, you’ll see options for targeting based on factors such as age range, the type of device your audience uses, and specific interests such as business news.

Targeting is crucial to your success because even though you’re narrowing down the potential audience size, your views will likely be more relevant to what you’re trying to accomplish.

A key to advertising success is to be as strategic and organized as possible. Many marketers make the mistake of merely throwing ads up on social media without paying attention to targeting, or where they’re directing viewers to, and in doing so, they waste money.

Instead, focus on who’s most likely to engage with your ad, and make it easy on yourself and your audience by efficiently directing them to a relevant page. For example, instead of sending viewers of a product ad to your home page, send them directly to a Buy Now page or a landing page dedicated to that product.

Ready to begin? Click here to create a Snapchat Ad in minutes. A $100 ad credit is available for redemptions from Dec 1-15th, 2019. The credit will only be available for 14 days from the time a user creates a new account. This offer is for new ad accounts only.