Advertising On Snapchat: Your E-Commerce Brand’s Creative Guide

When it first came into the social media scene, Snapchat was known as the mobile-obsessed teen’s cheeky obsession. By leveraging the appeal of disappearing messages, or ‘Snaps’ and candid communication, Snapchat brought new meaning to FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) – and used it to its advantage. While brands avoided Snapchat at first, it is now a crucial part of any digital marketing strategy, even for e-commerce businesses. 

With a variety of media and ad formats, including the infamous Snap camera and filters, by advertising on Snapchat, you have the potential to reach almost half of the young internet population in the United States alone. 

This guide will go through everything you need to know about e-commerce marketing and advertising on Snapchat. 

Ephemeral Content is Valuable Content

And valuable content is exactly what your e-commerce marketing strategy needs to achieve success in 2022. 

While a bulk of your digital marketing plan can focus on evergreen content, we do recommend using platforms such as Snapchat for the exact opposite: Ephemeral content that disappears after a certain amount of time. The sense of urgency and interest it creates is unsurpassed and provides you with fantastic ROI. This is important when considering that 60% of millennial consumers alone said they make a reactive purchase after experiencing FOMO. Disappearing stories are everywhere now, even on WhatsApp, and it is this vanishing trick that proves to be their biggest and most potent strength.

Create adverts on Snapchat that entice FOMO by:

Eliciting a prompt response

Always have a clear CTA on every ad you post. You want to trigger an immediate response and entice viewers to react to your Snap immediately. Using words like ‘exclusive’, ‘flash deal’ and ‘one-time only’ is a great way to encourage this. 

Posting engaging content

Engagement can be achieved from non-organic elements as well. Snapchat’s variety of features makes it quick and easy to do so. Use filters, write captions, and incorporate polls. 19% of users shop on Snapchat, so it is a great way to target an engaged audience and drive conversion.

Being transparent

Snaps are a great way to show the human side of your business. The informal setting allows your e-commerce brand to appear authentic and provide your customers with behind-the-scenes footage that they might otherwise not have access to. Post ads that showcase this ‘real’ side of things, help establish trust and satisfy those users who crave authenticity. 

Do Not Underestimate the Power of Snapchat’s Video Ads

We recommend keeping all Snap video advertisements short and sweet for maximum effectiveness and recall. Snapchat is a fast-paced environment tailored to users on the go looking to consume micro-content. A key point to remember is that Snapchat is a vertical platform and users expect to see content as such. No matter how much you spent on producing that epic TV advertisement, you will need to adapt it for your on-the-go mobile user on Snapchat and other social media platforms.

Snapchat video and story advertisements are also a great way to show off your catalog. Feature your item in the center of your ad so that viewers instantly and accurately know what you’re promoting.

Snapchat Video Ad Ideas:

• How-to videos and tutorials
• Behind-the-scenes footage 
• Product reviews and testimonials
• Games and interactive content

Use Augmented Reality (AR) Shopping Lenses

AR has been a huge boost to social media’s shopping appeal, blending the social environment with innovation and fantasy. Snapchat offers interactive AR features like virtual “try-ons” allowing users to sample products like fashion, and an impressive 93% of users are interested in using AR for shopping. 

Choose from an extensive library of 3D objects, templates, animations, and effects to build your own branded AR lens using Snapchat’s Lens Web Builder. Beauty brands have nailed this new concept, and it’s time for others to catch up. Augmented reality is the future of e-commerce, and the digitization of shopping in recent years has only accelerated this demand.

Business Filters and Geofilters are Still Going Strong

Geofilters are image overlays that can be added to Snaps when a user is in a specific location. These work great for events and for new promotions as well. Go beyond the generic ‘Just Married’ and ‘Manhattan’ filters to create a unique one for your e-commerce brand. It needs to be fun, creative, and share-worthy enough for users to add as well. 

• They are great for when you need to advertise locally
  Target local coffee shops, parks, and recreation centers that tie in with your e-commerce brand’s values and who you can partner with. 
• They are a cost-effective method of digital advertising. Starting from $5 an hour, geofilters on Snapchat are a budget-friendly way to conduct A/B testing among your audience. Anyone in the specified location you selected will have the ability to access your filter, giving you extensive reach as well. 
• They are quick to implement. Geofilters can be as simple or complex as you want. Most require just a quick sketch and a few words to look nice. 

Leverage FOMO in Your E-Commerce Marketing 

“You missed it!”

“You should have been there!”

“It just ended!”

Sentences like these trigger that sinking feeling in many people’s stomachs as they experience FOMO, and it is especially true among teens and young people. While Gen-Zers are more mindful of what content they’re now consuming and what brands they’re supporting, the ephemeral factor of Snapchat is still addictive to the majority. 

Utilize this to your advantage, and alongside the creative elements mentioned above, to get the most out of Snapchat’s 190 million+ daily active users. It is the perfect platform to break through the noise and leave a mark that is unique from the rest of your competitors. Consistency is key if you want to make sure your e-commerce marketing message doesn’t disappear from the user’s mind as quickly as a Snap.

If you’re already experiencing FOMO, then it’s time to reach out to our team and get started with Snapchat!

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About the author: Joanne has lived in five countries and is always on the hunt for a new city to explore. After a Masters in English Literature from the University of Leeds, she landed an internship at Google that ignited her passion for all things digital. She has 10 years of experience in content writing, reads 2 books a week, and loves ‘90s pop culture.