If you haven’t added Snapchat to your list of social media platforms, it’s time to seriously consider it. Snapchat can be intimidating for those who aren’t familiar with snaps and filters. In fact, the whole interface requires a learning curve. It’s different from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Rest assured that once you play around on Snapchat, you’ll learn to love it. It provides a unique way to share content using animations, live video, snaps, drawing tools, emojis, stickers, and so much more. Let’s learn more about Snapchat, why it’s an important piece of your social media strategy and ideas for getting started.

Is Your Audience on Snapchat? Let’s Find Out!

As we always remind our clients, you don’t need to be on every marketing channel. Just because something is popular doesn’t mean that your audience is there. So, before choosing to advertise on Snapchat, do your research and make sure your customers are active on this channel.

Here are the most recent demographics of Snapchat users.

  • 71% of users are under 34 years old

  • Roughly 70% of users are female

  • 45% of users are between 18 and 24

  • 30% of U.S. millennials use Snapchat regularly

  • 300+ million monthly active users

  • 10+ billion daily video views

  • 1 million snaps created every day

Why You Should Consider Advertising on Snapchat

Snapchat has already raised $1.8 billion and reaches 11% of the digital population in the U.S. This may not sound like much, but it’s a decent reach that can help get your brand in front of a new audience. It’s also worth pointing out that Snapchat has more users than Twitter. So, if your Twitter strategy has been underperforming, you can funnel some of your budget into Snapchat. The new self-serve ad platform offers plenty of affordable ad options for businesses of all sizes!

Here are some of the reasons why Snapchat is worth a second look.

  • Less competition compared to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

  • Unique platform to showcase your brand

  • Effective way to reach a new audience, particularly millennials

  • Encourages authentic content for a “behind the scenes” look

  • Snapchat posts are free; self-serve ads are affordable

What Content Goes on Snapchat?

Once you spend some time playing around with the app, you’ll get more comfortable with the content. Luckily, there is no shortage of content that you can post, so see what works for your brand. The editing options also give you creative freedom as you can add text, emojis, stickers, and other conversation tools.

Below are examples of the content you can post to Snapchat.

  • Images – Take photos right from your smartphone, edit, and upload  

  • Videos – Film videos 10 seconds or less, edit and share

  • Snaps – Take photos or videos and send them privately to specific users

  • Stories – Share several videos or images with your audience

Ideas for Getting Started

As you warm up to Snapchat and experiment with the filters, editing tools, and photo/video upload options, here are some ideas to start with. Track and measure audience feedback so that you can modify your campaigns to better meet your goals.

  • Offer coupon codes

  • Connect with influencers

  • Build anticipation for a new product/event

  • Target your audience with private snaps

  • Tell a story using images and video

Want to advertise on Snapchat but need some help? Give SEMGeeks a call and we’ll work with you to create a successful, cost-effective campaign for this millennial-loving social app.