Maybe you can’t relate to the teens at your dinner table, but if you’re advertising on Snapchat, you’re definitely connecting with them digitally.

Snapchat reaches about three out of four Gen Z and Millennials aged 13-34 in the US alone,  and eMarketer predicts that the monthly user base around the world will increase another 11% in 2019.

Innovative, customizable ad features make engagement a breeze, offering a viewing experience that is fun rather than disruptive. New ad formats and affordable options have also given small- and medium-sized businesses a leg up on advertising.

How can you maximize your ad space on Snapchat? Let’s dig in.

1. Brand Outreach

This may sound obvious, but it’s still worth a reminder: be sure to create ads and videos that will pique the interest of a younger audience.

Research shows that 45% of college students will open a Snap Ad from a brand they’ve never heard of, while 73% would open one from a brand they recognize. Students also shared that they very much appreciate promotions and coupons. Bottom line: if you build it (and offer incentives), they will come.

2. Go Big or Go Home

Customized filters and lenses really let your brand stand out and make your company memorable. Try them out, and change the way users see the world, literally.

Try creating your own AR Lenses, which are interactive augmented reality effects that appear in users’ carousels, and let Snapchatters “play” with your ads. Users tend to interact with lenses for an average of 20 seconds, so that’s 20 seconds of engagement you just earned for your brand. You can also create illustrated overlays or filters that users can use to bring a little of your vision to their photos and videos. These can be shared widely, even on other social media sites.

3. You’ve Got to Move It, Move It

Mix up your visuals and messaging  to keep your audience interested.

One option for video advertising is with Snap Originals. The platform offers exclusive scripted series and reality shows during which advertisers can run unskippabe six-second ads, two to three times per episode. Story Ads is another option: what may look like sponsored content tiles in the Discover feed can feature up to 20 snaps that tell your brand’s story and can connect users with your product. So by keeping things moving, you can keep users engaged. Which leads us to …

4. Keep ‘Em Clicking

Don’t miss out on opportunities to engage.

When you use Snap Ads, which pop up in friends’ stories and Snapchat-curated content, you can drive users to your product or website with a single swipe. Or you can put an interactive element in your Snap Ads, like Gatorade did when it added an 8-bit tennis video game to its ad. All users had to do was swipe up to access it, and they interacted with it for an average of three minutes.

5. Slinging Goods

Snapchat is a mobile app. Use that to your advantage to make shopping easy.

Snapchat’s  new visual search feature allows users to scan products or barcodes through the app, which then links them to Amazon’s app or mobile site for a quick and easy buying experience.. With the Collection Ads option, you can feature four products in one ad so you get more bang for your buck. Guess and eBay both noticed huge increases in engagement using this ad option. You could, too.

6. Track Your Progress

When all is said and done, a solid advertising campaign is nothing without metrics, careful analysis, and retargeting.

Snapchat has down-funnel event tracking which, when used with a third-party tracking platform, can accurately determine the success of your campaigns. It also offers easy-to-understand analytics of engagement for its advertisers. Add powerful analytics to the tips and tricks we’ve shared here, and you’ve got Snapchat advertising in the bag. Your untapped audience is waiting.

Ready to learn more about making Snapchat advertising work for you? Drop us a line at info@taptica.com.