How To Use Snapchat For Business [Beginner’s Guide]

Snapchat for Business offers brands a unique opportunity to connect with their audience. However, many brands seem to neglect to include it in their social media marketing strategy, mainly because the platform is often perceived as a user-to-user social media platform.

And despite its ups and downs, according to recent statistics, Snapchat is still relevant for younger audiences, boasting an impressive 397 million daily active users worldwide.

This guide will provide you with all the tools and tips to use Snapchat for Business successfully and maximize your return on investment!

What Is Snapchat?

Founded in 2011, Snapchat is a social media app allowing users to send short videos, photos, and chats that disappear after a short amount of time (usually seconds). The platform has interactive features like Stories, which stay on your profile for 24 hours, Snap Maps which let you view the locations of your friends, Bitmoji avatars, and a Discovery tab for exploring new content.

All of your content can be shot and edited within the app. You can also enhance your snaps with editing features such as selfie lenses, text, and stickers to add extra flair to your content.

Here is an example of how Primark uses Snapchat for Business!

Benefits Of Using Snapchat For Business

Here are 3 reasons why you should add Snapchat for Business to your overall social media strategy:

1. Connect with a young audience

If your target audience is under the age of 35, then Snapchat is the place to be. Data from Snapchat indicates that the social media platform reaches 75% of millennials and Gen Z, far more than TikTok and Twitter (now X).

On average, young people spend 30 minutes per day using Snapchat, so it’s a great idea to advertise your brand there.

2. Easily advertise your brand

With Snapchat, you can show your audience content that no one else has access to. Tease a new product or service by “snapping” a behind-the-scenes look that will get people curious and excited.

That way, you satisfy their need for unique content and make them keep coming back for more. What’s more, a behind-the-scenes photo or video is the ultimate act of transparency for many industries. Simply remember to keep your ads short and playful.

3. Show your brand’s human side

What makes Snapchat so unique and popular is its ability to showcase the personal side of brands. The platform is great for exclusive behind-the-scenes content, adding value to businesses and showing your “playful” side.

Here is a Snap from Cisco, one of the most successful cases of a brand using Snapchat for Business to bring out its human face.

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How To Set Up Snapchat for Business

To start using Snapchat for your business, first, you need to create a Snapchat account. This can be done either from the web or on a mobile device.

Enter all the information needed, including your phone number and birthday. Select a username that reflects your brand.

Then you’ll need to access the Ads Manager to start advertising your business. Here you’re going to create a Business Account. Simply input your business name, business email, your name, country and currency.

Your Snapchat Business Account is ready. Now you can create a Public Profile which is like a permanent landing page of your business on Snapchat.

Once this is finished, you can click on the Create Ads option at the top left of the screen and this page will appear.

If you are a newbie at Snapchat’s Ad Manager, then Instant Create is probably the best choice to get started.

Once you’ve selected Instant Create you are ready to start creating your beautiful ad!

Types of ads

There are 4 different ways to advertise your brand on Snapchat. Let’s dig in a little, shall we?

1. Collection ads

This advertising format is a carousel-like collection of ads, formatted like product catalogs, made for commerce. It allows you to display four images of products, on which users can tap to get more details while the links open directly within Snapchat.

According to Snapchat, “online retailer Wish.com earned a 17 percent higher engagement rate with the Shoppable Snap Ads compared to standard Snap Ads featuring the same product. eBay saw five times the engagement rate, and Guess saw 4.1 times the engagement rate with Shoppable Snap ads“.

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2. Story Ads

This type of ad lets you feature a series of 3 to 20 snaps to tell your story. What differentiates it from the other ads is that it only appears in the Discover feed.

Your stories are shown in the content section of Snapchat, alongside popular content tailored to your audience’s needs ad.

With one click, users can see your story. And the best part? You can also add an attachment so they swipe up and dive even deeper into your new products, navigating outside of Snapchat.

3. Sponsored AR Lenses

They are fun, popular, and easy to create. AR lenses are filters that can overlay everything from bunny ears to sunglasses onto a user’s photo and you can create your very own special lenses relevant to your business.

All you have to do is develop a frame, filter or lens, pick a subject, and get started. AR Lenses are a great interactive way for users to create unique memories with special lenses relevant to your business and it’s also a great tool for reaching millennial users.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to see their face turn into a delicious taco or a Starbucks cup?

And who knows? You might even see your Lenses going viral and being shared on other social media platforms too!

4. Commercials

Another advanced ad option is commercial ads. These ads cannot be skipped for the first 6 seconds, so they are an ideal choice to drive engagement and brand awareness. Adsa of this type can have a maximum duration of three minutes.

Since Snapchat is a platform for young audiences, it’s best to embrace a playful feel so your ads are more engaging.

Snapchat For Business: Tips And Strategies To Use

In order to become the King of Snaps, you have to know how you will hit all the right notes. Are you taking notes?

1. Be original

Snapchat is not like Facebook or Instagram. It’s not about the perfect, edited highlight of your day or business. It’s the complete opposite. People are on Snapchat because of its unfiltered character and the advantage of seeing the other side of the camera – you.

For this reason, you should never post the same content you post on other social media platforms.

This is not the way Snapchat works. And don’t struggle to get the perfect ‘snap.’

Post real, raw photos and videos that give your fans a different view of your business so they have a reason to follow you and never miss a Snap.

2. Be friendly

You’re not alone in this. Your business needs its audience and your audience needs your attention to keep following you. Not just ad after ad that only talks about your product.

Like in any other relationship, Snapchat is all about give and take.

So if a follower sends you a message, do respond. It shows you care about your customers and gives a human face to your brand.

3. Be found

As great as Snapchat may be, with no search function available, it can be hard to build your following on it. Therefore, you must promote your presence on the platform via other channels.

Facebook, Instagram, and e-mail, they can all work in your favor.

Switch your avatars on social media for your Snapcode image, periodically post it on your newsfeed, and spread the word with a fun newsletter that calls subscribers to join you on Snapchat.

So you get the picture. Get creative, catch your followers’ attention and make the most of all the social media platforms you are using for your business. Cross-promotion is key for Snapchat!

5 Key Snapchat for Business Metrics To Track

It’s not that long ago that Snapchat only offered its users views and screenshots in lieu of analytics. However, now Snapchat opens up, letting you see insightful analytics that will help you craft the perfect social media marketing campaign.

Let’s have a look at the top 5 Snapchat metrics you should be tracking.

1. Unique views

Find how many people opened your Snapchat’s first frame for at least one second. You can find it by looking at the number of people who opened the first snap of a story every 24 hours.

This doesn’t mean they finished your story or have gone past the first frame but you can still get important insights and it is very accurate.

2. View time

With this metric, you can see how long users watched your story. You can view the year-to-date information and the time in weeks and months too.

This is a great metric to keep an eye on since you can easily understand how engaging your content is and when it’s time for a change.

3. Completion rate

Want to measure the percentage of users who watched your story from beginning to end? Great news for you since now you can see your completion rate on your “Story View Percentage” page without having to do the math yourself.

4. Screenshots

There may not be a Like button, but thank God for the screenshot metric! This one tells you how many users took a screenshot of your snap.

Just check the number next to the triangle that shows at the left bottom of your story.

Oops! Zero screenshots for me. Oh well.

5. Fallout rate

Determine when people dropped off when viewing your story by dividing the difference by the views from the first snap and multiplying by 100.

This formula will help you gather useful data and create more engaging and useful content for your fans.

Snapping it up

Well, there you have it! If your target audience is teenagers and youths, then using Snapchat for Business is totally worth your time.

Surely, fun and irreverent, this platform can prove key to reaching your marketing objectives and there are only so many ways to do that without spending a dime.

In brief, for the best results, stay original and creative and share content you don’t share on your other social media accounts.

And if you want to go the extra mile, take advantage of the Snapchat ads the platform offers.

Happy Snapping y’all!