Snapchat

What is Snapchat?

Launched in 2011, Snapchat is a social media app that allows users to send short, temporary photos, videos and chats that disappear after a short amount of time – typically mere seconds. Snapchat also offers interactive features like Snap Maps, where you can view the locations of your friends; Stories, which live on your profile for 24 hours; Bitmoji avatars; and a Discovery tab for finding new content.

How to set up Snapchat  for business

You need to create an account to use Snapchat. Registration can only be done on a mobile device.

First, download the app. From there, the on-screen directions will prompt you to add your birthday, choose a username, enter your email address and start adding friends from your phone’s contacts list. To set up a Snapchat Business account, follow these same steps, then set up an account with Ads Manager here. Complete the following steps to create your business account:

1. Input your business name and select the country you will be doing business in.
2. Create your first campaign to be set up with your Ad Accounts.
3. Input a payment method for your first Ad Account.

The six different types of Snapchat Ads

Snap Ads

Snap ads can take many forms: videos, photos, gifs, etc. Regardless of the format, the ads are full screen, appearing in between different types of Snapchat content. They allow the viewer to take immediate action, such as installing an app or clicking through to a specific URL.

Filters

In the Snapchat universe, the word “filter” does not apply to the various edits and overlays we put on our faces to make it look like we have giant anime eyes, or are wearing an especially absurd type of hat. Those are “Lenses”, which we’ll outline below. Instead, filters contain stylized text and images, and are targeted at specific demographics. The filter below, developed by Quaker Oats, was targeted to College & Young Working Women, Female Fitness Buffs, Convenience Seekers and Working Moms.

Lenses

When you think of Snapchat, you probably think of puppy ears and/or flower crown selfies. Those are lenses!

From an advertising perspective, they can also turn you into a giant taco, like this one by Taco Bell. If you saw this in your feed, you’d be unlikely to forget it, even if you tried very hard.

Story Ads

Story ads are a collection of Snap Ads all in rapid succession. You know, for those times that you need more than three to five seconds to communicate what you want to say!

Story ads appear in the “Discover” feed, with a cover photo and headline aimed to lure you in.

Product Ads

Want to shine a light on your products and services? Upload your catalogue or list of services and create “shoppable” ads (a.k.a Product ads).

Below, see an example of what you would see as an advertiser creating these ads. Below that, an example of what the user sees. They can click on the item that looks the most appealing, and buy it straight away!

Dynamic ads

Dynamic ads bring automated personalization to Snapchat advertising. While remarketing lets you send ads to past visitors of your website or mobile app, dynamic remarketing lets you specifically direct folks to the online catalog pages of the exact products they looked at on your site. Clients like Swarovski and Ivory Ella had favorable results on their dynamic ads over the holiday season.