If you want to reach millennials and Gen Z, Snapchat is the right platform. It offers creative tools, innovative ad formats, and a unique opportunity to connect with your target audience as long as you have a good Snapchat marketing strategy. In this blog, we explain the benefits and drawbacks of Snapchat ads and show you how brands can leverage them to position their brands for the next level.

Pros of Using Snapchat Ads

There are several reasons to consider using Snapchat ads. These include:

• A young and highly engaged audience. One of the benefits of Snapchat is that it primarily attracts a young audience aged 13 to 34, making it a great platform for brands targeting millennials and Gen Z. The audience is considered more digitally savvy and willing to engage in an interactive, creative, and highly visual way.
• A mobile-first platform. The Snapchat platform is primarily designed for mobile users, enabling smoother ad delivery and higher engagement rates in a mobile-first environment, especially as mobile device use continues to rise.
• Interactive and creative ad formats. Snapchat offers interactive ad formats and AR lenses that showcase creative content to drive user engagement. The format enables brands to deliver an immersive, engaging experience that resonates with the platform's audience. This can help you grow your following, especially when combined with Snapchat lenses for follower growth.
• Great targeting. Snapchat offers outstanding targeting options based on behaviors and demographic data, enabling brands to create highly personalized campaigns. Such precision can enable brands to reach their target audiences.
• Affordable. Compared to platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, Snapchat ads are usually cheaper, with lower CPMs and more flexible budgeting options. This means they can enable small businesses to reach their target audience on a minimal budget.
• Higher engagement level. Snapchat offers many features, such as ephemeral content and stories, which ensure a highly engaging experience for users. When ads appear in the Discover section or Stories, they get more attention from users who are already consuming the content.

Common Types of Snapchat Ads

If you are considering advertising on Snapchat, here are some of the common ad formats to consider:

• Single image and video ads. The video ads or single images are full-screen vertical ads that appear in the discover feed on Snapchat. The ads are a great choice for capturing users' attention with the right visual content, whether in the form of a short video or a still image. You can even pair these two ad formats to drive brand awareness, especially when paired with an outstanding CTA.
• Story Ads. These are usually visible in the Discover section of Snapchat and feature a range of branded snaps, mostly consisting of videos and images. These brands make it possible to tell a compelling story and add an immersive user experience. Story Ads can help you engage your audience in the long-term and are, therefore, effective for driving brand awareness and ensuring some deeper interaction with your brand.
• Collection ads. These feature varying products in a single ad unit. They help users browse various items in a mobile-optimized, visually appealing format.
• Commercial. Feature-full-screen, non-skippable video ads are appealing within the first few seconds of Discover content.
• AR Lenses. These refer to the interactive AR experience that enables users to change their environments using effects and filters.
• AR filters. Works similarly to Lenses, but instead overlays visual elements and digital efforts.

Best Practices When Creating Snapchat Ads

To create an effective Snapchat ad strategy, use the following best practices:

Determine Your Goal

With Snapchat, you can decide which interactive elements you want to use in Snap ads to serve as the call to action for ad viewers. When choosing an ad function, you can choose from four different options.

• Web view. Snapchat ads can drive traffic to your site when users swipe up.
• App installs. You can use Snapchat ads to lead viewers to an app on the Google Play Store or App Store. The app will then install in the background with a single tap.
• Increase brand awareness.
• Short snap ads. You can use the Snapchat ads to take viewers to your longer videos using the short Snap ad.

When they click the ad, Snapchat will prompt them to swipe up, which takes them to your landing page. You can decide to include an interactive element, with a start and end time for the ad to run. You can begin the ad immediately or set it for a later date. Remember that Snap Ads are usually in the vertical format. 

Consider Your Target Audience

Snapchat ads let you target specific fans by narrowing down who sees the ad. The platform allows advertisers to target audiences based on:

• Geography. You can choose the exact location and country you would like to target.
• Demographics. You can decide the people you want to target based on age, language, gender, and more.
• Placement. The platform allows you to select where the ad will be placed, either on All of Snapchat or in Content Placement.
• Device. The platform also allows you to target users based on their device type (e.g., iOS) and service provider.

You can use different Snapchat targeting tips, such as:

• Making sure the audience size for the ad is less than 20 million.
• Trying look-alike audiences to find the new customers.
• Using multiple ads for each ad set to see the performance of different ads.

Keep it Short

You can have a Snap Ad that lasts up to 3 minutes. However, according to the platform, for the best performance, you should keep the ad between 3 and 5 seconds. Make sure you also convey the message in the ads within 2 or 3 seconds. Younger audiences on Snapchat respond better to short ads, which are more effective at stimulating their interest.

Stay Authentic and Personal

If you want your ad to perform better, ensure it has a natural look, as snapchatters will find it relatable and authentic. You can leverage some personalized messages and targeting options to ensure that users feel they are getting something tailored to their needs. For instance, you can create an engaging ad that shows how a product or a service solves the problem.

Leverage AR Filters

The AR feature in Snapchat is a great way to drive engagement with your ad. The platform now allows advertisers to create ads that feature Sponsored Geofilters and Sponsored Lenses.

Leverage Sponsored Lenses

Snapchat lenses are also a great way to add fun, cool AR effects to your selfies and images. Statistics indicate that a third of Snapchat users use this feature for at least 20 seconds, making it a great choice for promoting your brand. In fact, Snapchat lenses will enable you to promote beyond the platform, since snapchatters often share videos and photos on other social media platforms.

Final Thoughts

Snapchat offers an outstanding opportunity for brands to connect with younger, more engaged audiences in immersive, creative ways. They are a great choice for driving engagement and brand awareness. While they may not be the perfect fit for some businesses, especially those targeting older audiences or with longer sales cycles, they will perform well for businesses targeting young demographics. Therefore, go ahead and use the above tips to start using Snapchat ads effectively. You can read our guide on how to increase your Snapchat score quickly.