Everybody knows that social networks can create a great impact when you are promoting your app. But the main consideration is your audience. If you target young people, like Millennials then the path to reach them may pass through Snapchat Ads, a playful social platform which offers the possibility of creating personalized ads for your app. You can observe in the chart below the fast growth of Snapchat from March 2014. This popular network practically tripled the number of daily active users in just 2 years. And we are talking about millions of people which everyday use their accounts to check or to make funny updates.

Snapchat’s Audience

For every marketing campaign you must have in front of your eyes your target users. You can’t start without this information. And if your app is created for younger people then you need to know that this specific category prefer Snapchat, as you can see in the chart below.

Moreover, when you create your ad you are allowed to select your users by the following criteria:

• Location
• Age
• Gender
• Device
• OS
• Content

Advertising On Snapchat

When you make an ad on Snapchat you need to get real creative. Maybe you want to add some text overlays or animations. Anything goes as long as it fits your brand and you consider that is relevant for your users.

Ad Formats

You can find Snapchat Ads in three formats, each one with its own characteristics and prices:

Snap Ads are mobile video ads which run in full screen for 10 seconds. After that, users may have the possibility to swipe up for more, like a longer video, an article, a mobile site or the rest of the ad for downloading the app.

Sponsored Geofilters allow you to create a map for the ones who uses the Geofilters, which you can design or you can upload, if you have a suitable one.

Sponsored Lenses are ads which offer users the possibility to play with the ad. This interactive feature makes users treating it like a little game, not a plain and boring ad.

How They Look

Snap Ads are similar to other clips uploaded by user, the only difference being the “Ad” specification in the right corner. Snapchat team chose vertical videos for the ads as a method for preventing users to rotate their devices all the time and to increase the engagement of their adepts.

Sponsored Geofilters are creations which can make your ad standing out. Snapchatters from the zone you define it can take a Snap and use your Geofilter. If we follow the statistics of Snapchat, Geofilters reaches between 40% to 60% users per day.

Sponsored Lenses contain fun and special details which provide a rich and impressive experience. After that, users can share their results, increasing the engagement and the popularity of the ad even more. The average time spent with Sponsored Lens would be around 20 seconds.

Ad Rates

The price for Snap Ads depends on the interactivity. The static ads are 2 cents per view while the interactive ones are 4 cents per view. Snapchat promises a higher install rate based on the swipe up rate which is more effective than clicks since Snapchat adepts are used to swiping through pages.

For Sponsored Geofilters, as you may guess the rates are set according to the filter and the area you choose, the minimum being 20,000 square feet with a price of $5000 per hour.

Although, Sponsored Lenses are so attractive and effective, they come with huge prices, not affordable for every app owner. The rates depend on the ad, the event and the day of the week. You can contact the Snapchat team if you are ready to choose this kind of promotion, but be prepared to start somewhere around $450.000 for an ad which runs between Sunday and Thursday.

Niceties Of Creating Snapchat Video Ads

As with all the social platforms, there are some characteristics that define video ads created through Snapchat, but if you respect them, the benefits come in the end to reward your efforts.

Match With Right Audience

We repeat once again: It is all about the audience. If you know that people interested in your app already turned 35 by now, then you must reconsider your strategy because less than 20% of these users open Snapchat for amusing moments. They don’t intent to see an ad for a new app. Spear your time and money and look for other alternatives. Maybe some of them are on the platform just to check what their kids posted lately, since Snapchat is the favorite platform for teenagers, as Statista revealed in a survey published this year.

On the other hand, if you target Millennials, then, Snapchat is the place for your ad. Just take a look at the Infographic below to convince yourself.

Get Interactive

If we established that Snapchat is an appropriate channel for your ad, then you must start by using this platform before creating your ad. Make an account (but, maybe you have one if you considered Snapchat for advertising your app) and check what others have to say and after that, post some of your ideas. Play a while with the app to catch the spirit. This way you will discover in what manner you will create your ad. By using Snapchat, you will develop a connection between your app and ad in a funny manner. For Snapchat everything expresses a motion. The advantage of using Snapchat is that you can promote your app in an innovative and dynamic way.

Make It Authentic

There are no general rules, but all content posted on Snapchat follow a personalized and amusing pattern. Whatever you do, you need to know that authenticity matters the most. You can add stickers and messages over your ad but be careful to make it understandable for viewers. In a period of seconds they will need to decipher what you meant with your video.

Show Off With Your App

The most important thing is that you are here to promote your app. Users must figure out that you are talking about an interesting app and it is convenient for them to download it and to use it. This is your focal point. In less than 10 seconds show the best part of your app. Since Snapchat allows A/B testing you can find what section worth the attention.

Take Advantage Of Special Events/Days

Maybe a good approach is to choose some holidays or events for promoting your app when people are more willing to have fun or to discover new apps since they have more free time to spend on Snapchat.

An ad which seems like a Christmas card will attract more users during the holiday seasons.

Final Thoughts

Snapchat Ads platform isn’t for everyone, but if your users are asking for this type of promotion, then you need to listen to them. For those who enjoy these animated creations, it is an innovative and in the same time, effective solution to drive awareness about your app. The type of ad you choose is related to your preferences and especially your budget. But, taking into consideration the overcrowded markets, there is no reason not to try any method available, even more a promising one like Snapchat Ads.