The basic rule of social media marketing is to have a presence where your target audience is. If you are targeting a young demographic, you need to be on Snapchat. With over 940 MAUs (Monthly Active Users) and around 477 million DAUs (Daily Active Users), Snapchat is the 5th-largest social media platform, making it worth considering. 

However, it is also one of the most underrated and misunderstood platforms for marketers, with many considering it a platform for funny filters and selfies. This is despite the platform also being a great place to grow your brand by consistently sharing engaging, honest content. In this detailed guide, we take you through Snapchat marketing strategies to help your brand take the next step.

Understanding How Snapchat Works

If you are used to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and X, you might feel like you are in a completely new world on Snapchat. With a unique design, it is designed for exclusivity, spontaneity, and instant content creation. In fact, when you open the app, it will direct you to your camera, making it super easy to capture and edit photos and videos.

The app then features a wide range of filters, AR lenses, and stickers to edit your snaps before sending them to your friends or adding them to your story, which will be visible for the next 24 hours. The Spotlight feature on Snapchat also works like TikTok, allowing users to share short-form videos with a bigger audience.

There are many other features on the app, such as Snap Map, an AI-powered chatbot, and disappearing DMs. That means the platform hosts a variety of creative, innovative users, enabling you to engage with your audience.

What is Snapchat Marketing?

Snapchat marketing involves the use of the unique features of Snapchat, such as Stories, Filters, and ads, to promote your brand natively within the platform. The goal shouldn't be to create the perfect content or get the highest number of views. Instead, focus on showing up meaningfully, grabbing users' attention, and making them want to engage with your brand. Users of Snapchat are very loyal to the platform, sending over 5 billion snaps per day.

That can also pose a challenge for brands, as it may mean they struggle to gain visibility amid the noise. However, the truth is that as long as they create content that is both enjoyable and immersive, your brand can blend well with the platform's scrolling habits without sounding promotional. When doing Snapchat marketing, focus on creating content that is both exclusive and fun to capture people's attention.

Why Snapchat for Marketing?

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

Ability to Reach Gen Zs

Over 80% of Snapchat users are young people aged 34 or younger. This means that it can be a great platform for targeting Gen Zs, Millennials, and even Gen Alpha. While it may not have the large audience demographic of Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube, it has one of the highest engagement rates.

Some of the activities that the audience on Snapchat engages in include:

• 66% of users watch their family and friends’ stories.
• 65% use Snapchat to send messages to people or groups.
• 60% use the platform to watch videos.
• 58% use the app camera to take pictures
• 52% watch content.

Therefore, Snapchat can help you reach young users on a platform they are already familiar with. When using the platform to reach Gen Zs, you should focus on creating content that feels spontaneous and casual, so that you can match the user’s behavior on the app.

Higher Interaction Rate

According to one study, the average Snapchat user opens the app at least 40 times a day and spends an average of 30 minutes daily on the platform, indicating it has one of the highest interaction rates. It is a great choice for social media marketing because of its personal feel. 

You just don't post on a feed and wait for likes. You get into someone's inner circle, right between the message they get from friends and the stories from their cherished ones. No other social media platform offers such an experience, which is why it is quite effective at driving engagement.

Encourage Brand Engagement

Additionally, Snapchat offers features such as Spotlight, Stories, custom lenses, and location-based ads that you can leverage to create a scroll-stopping campaign. Stories usually disappear within 24 hours, creating a sense of urgency and triggering FOMO, prompting the users to act quickly.

Temporary content tends to encourage spontaneous views, clicks, and replies. In such a low-stakes environment, brands can grow their interactions in a manner native to the platform. 

Use Authenticity to Build Trust

Authenticity is one of the things that Snapchat users value in an era when raw content is winning over polished content. About 80% of users say they value authenticity and realism. When a brand connects authentically with its target audience, it results in a deeper connection and a stronger emotional bond.

According to a SproutSocial study, 64% of users say they like feeling connected to their favorite brands. The ephemeral nature of content on Snapchat means there is no need to create polished content or put pressure on yourself to deliver perfect content, as users appreciate raw content.

Brands that Should Use Snapchat

Before you start using Snapchat marketing, know that the platform will not work for all brands. If you are a brand targeting younger consumers, this should be among the platforms to consider for your social media marketing strategy. Again, the platform will work well for those who use a youthful tone and image and focus more on realness, authenticity, and creativity.

On the other hand, if you have a highly professional brand image, you probably need to consider other platforms. Beauty products, fashion labels, tech start-ups, and entertainment are also among the brands that achieve high levels of success on the platform. The platform will work well for any brand looking to create engaging, immersive content that resonates with users.

Creating a Snapchat Strategy for Your Business

When creating a Snapchat strategy, you need to do more than spontaneously post content. Here are the steps you need to follow:

Understand Your Goal

Your first step should be to understand what you want your brand to achieve, so you can determine the kind of content that will be suitable for reaching the target audience on Snapchat. 

Do you want to generate brand awareness, increase conversion, or build your brand community? When you understand your goals, it becomes easier to create content that aligns with them. For instance, if your goal is to increase website traffic, you can use link sharing in stories to drive traffic to your site.

You can use the Snapchat Sponsored Lenses to attract followers or Discover to increase your audience’s reach. To increase loyalty, you can post regularly or partner with other creators on Stories to keep users coming back. Understanding your Snapchat goal will help you create content that aligns with the goal.

Understand Your Audience

As with other marketing strategies, you also need to understand your goal to create outstanding content that meets their needs. You can use Snapchat Insights to view your audience's demographic data, including age, gender, location, and general interests. You can then use the data to refine the content and tailor it accordingly.

Create Engaging Instagram Content

According to the 2023 Sprout Social Index, consumers on Snapchat are searching for authenticity and non-promotional content from brands, and Snapchat content isn't an exception. When people open the Snapchat app, they want to share and see real moments. Therefore, focus on creating content that aligns with your brand's expectations. 

Here are some tips to create engaging Snapchat content:

• Shoot vertical videos. Use movement, POV shots, and varied camera angles to keep everything visually dynamic.
• Add a filter, frames, music, and a caption to make your video look casual.
• Add stickers. They are a good choice for helping your audience take part and ensuring that the Stories are a two-way conversation.
• Post consistently. As with any other marketing strategy, you need to be consistent to be successful, and this also applies to Snapchat.
• Maintain a good balance. Of course, the goal is to promote your brand to your target audience, but you need to avoid over-promoting yourself. Instead, focus on a good balance between organic content and engaging storytelling.
• Make sure the content you add includes humor, behind-the-scenes moments, and challenges. The 2026 Social Media report suggests that human-generated content should be the top priority for brands.
• Follow the Snapchat best practices. It goes without saying that you need to understand the platform, spend time on it to see what works, and adapt it to match your own strategy.

Leverage the Snapchat Features

Engage your audience with Snapchat's tools and features to ensure your content resonates. Each of these features has its own purpose, so use those that support your goals. Some of the top features to consider include:

Stories

Stories are one of the most important features on Snapchat. They are fast and fill the screen, providing users with a quick way to consume content. Stories can be a great way to give users a sneak peek at behind-the-scenes content, such as new product drops, office shenanigans, tutorials, countdowns, Q&As, etc. When creating Snapchat stories, keep the theme real and add a CTA, even if it is just asking users to DM or swipe up.

Lenses/AR filters

These are a great way to drive brand engagement. You can use lenses as face filters or geo filters, which act as location-based overlays for Snaps. The interactive filters let users play with the brand in a fun, immersive way. You can also use Snapchat AR features to create immersive experiences.

According to one study, an average Snapchat user spends about 20 seconds using a lens and is likely to share videos and images of themselves using filters, turning branded content into promotional UGC. Due to their interactive features, lenses and filters are a great choice for driving audience engagement and sparking a viral trend without the need for promotional ads.

Geofilters

This is a great feature for driving in-person engagement and location-based awareness. They consist of animated and static overlays that appear when a user reaches a designated spot. You can use them for your events, storefronts, and product drops to improve brand visibility and in-person engagement. For instance, Adidas created a customer Geofilter celebrating the reopening of the redesigned Oxford Street in London.

Discover/Spotlight

Spotlight on Snapchat works the same way as reels do on Instagram. They usually consist of short vertical videos appealing in the public feed. They can be a great way to make your brand go viral. However, you need to keep your videos fun and relatable, tap into a trending topic, and grab your audience's attention within the first few seconds.

These are another great feature for expanding your reach. You can use them to showcase content that is more entertaining, editorial, or creator-directed. You can create stories in the form of a series or branded storytelling that match the platform's tone.

Leverage Influencer Marketing and Creator Collaboration

With influencer marketing, you can tap into your built-in audience to increase your credibility level with the young users. According to a Sprout Social report, 86% of customers have bought a product inspired by an influencer at least once a year, especially among Gen Z. This suggests Snapchat could be a great choice for influencer collaborations.

One option is a Snapchat takeover, where the creator takes over your brand account for a day. Such a takeover can encourage your followers to engage and often features cross-promotion on the influencer's channel. However, when using the strategy, ensure that the takeover content remains exclusively on the platform. You might feel tempted to report the stories from other networks, such as Instagram, but you want to encourage social media users to follow you specifically on Snapchat.

Alternatively, you can supply them with unboxing products, reviews, and demos to provide creators the space they need to share unbiased opinions. If you create genuine content, it will be easier for you to create content that sounds genuine and encourages action. According to some reports, 47% of consumers suggest they value influencers’ authenticity when creating sponsored content. No matter the collaboration you want to join, give priority to creators who use Snapchat regularly and ensure they align with your tone.

Leverage Snapchat Ads

If you have the necessary resources, Snapchat ads offer users an opportunity to reach their target audience and achieve the desired results. Snapchat ads feature content formats that determine how an ad looks and behaves, and are placed in the localities where users see them. 

If you want to capture attention faster, you can use the strong Snapchat ads. However, make sure they remain short, use bold text, use a vertical design, and use motion. When using sound, you should go strategically and add a clear call to action. When targeting, you can leverage the Ad Manager on Snapchat to reach different users based on their behaviors, demographics, interests, and ad types to see what resonates with your target audience.

Snapchat allows you to choose from different ad formats, such as:

Sponsored Snaps

These are among the most used ad formats and often consist of either the basic or commonly used formats. The image, photo, or video ad can include a CTA that users can swipe up to. The ads are usually shown in the Discover, Spotlights, and Stories. They can be an effective way to drive action without complicated ads.

Collection Ads

These ad formats are suitable for e-commerce brands and feature tappable, shoppable tiles that link directly to products and appear alongside the sponsored snaps.

Sponsored Lenses and Filters

Filters and lenses are the most popular and engaging features on Snapchat. They also offer a sponsored version to increase brand awareness and reach. You can use them to target according to their interests or location. An example of a brand that uses them is the Superman movie, where the promo features a Lens tab with options, including the ability to join a virtual movie theatre branded with Toyota.

Story Ads

You can use full-screen, skippable vertical ads consisting of 3 to 20 frames on the Discover tab. You can pair the ad with an interactive CTA link to increase brand awareness, drive conversions, or achieve other goals, such as app installs. An example of a brand that used the ad well is Candy Crush, which added a story in collaboration with an actor who gave a review of the game he was playing, along with a CTA asking users to download the app.

Commercial

These ads appear in a curated show on Snapchat Discover. The ads are usually non-skippable for the first 6 seconds and are a great choice for high-impact brand awareness campaigns that drive premium content.

Leads Generation Ads

The lead generation ads often feature an embedded lead form that enables snapchatters to share their details quickly, including their names and email addresses, while still in the app. These are a great choice for the service-based brands.

Track and Optimize

Unless you track your Snapchat campaign's performance, it can be hard to determine whether it is delivering the desired results. The good news is that, as long as you have a business account, you will have access to Snapchat analytics, allowing you to view metrics such as story views, average view time, audience demographics, and completion rate.

Begin by setting the benchmark that best aligns with your goals, and keep adjusting it as needed. For instance, when you see that the open rate of a particular story is high but the completion rate is low, you can try short or more visual content. If you are aiming for conversions, you can track the ad completion rate and the number of swipe-ups. 

Choosing the Right Snapchat Strategy For Your Brand

We mentioned earlier that the choice of a Snapchat tone will impact the success or lack of it for your brand. A good idea is to use a casual, playful tone, as seen on the platform, to help you connect easily with the target audience as you infuse humor. 

Use the following tip to hack your Snapchat tone:

• Use a lighthearted tone. People patronise Snapchat for entertainment; therefore, there is no room for a hard sales pitch.
• Be authentic. You can use Snapchat to show the human side of your brand through user-generated content or behind-the-scenes images.
• Have a specific target audience. You can leverage the Snapchat targeting tool to reach specific audiences based on their interests and behaviors.
• Keep engaging. Snapchat offers a wide range of interactive features, such as Q&As, polls, and more, so you need to use them effectively.
• Create native and engaging content. When creating an ad on Snapchat, avoid the traditional polished format and instead make it look like normal user-generated content. 
• Use a hook. Capture the user's attention within two seconds, and keep your videos under ten seconds.
• Leverage influencer takeover. You can partner with the industry experts and influencers for an industry takeover, thereby increasing your reach and credibility.
• Use exclusive content. You can share behind-the-scenes or insider content that isn't available on other social media platforms.
• Use interactive tools. You can use Q&As, polls, and AR lenses to increase interaction.

In Conclusion

Snapchat can be a great choice for helping brands reach Gen Zs and millennials, drive traffic to their sites, and influence buying decisions. Since most of the audience on Snapchat is young, you need to avoid hard selling and instead focus on creating relatable content and driving brand awareness. By following our detailed guide, it should be easy to do that.