Achieving Success on Snapchat
Five steps to better Snapchat results.
A few years ago it looked like Snapchat’s popularity was waining but it’s turned its fortunes around and made itself a must use marketing platform for teenage and young adult audiences. With Snapchat ads being relatively new compared to other platforms we’ve found it to be a more cost effective channel with a higher ROI than more established channels like Instagram. So how do you design for Snapchat? Below are five steps to improve your content for better performance on Snapchat.
Use a native style.
Develop creatives with Snapchat’s platform and visual language in mind. Ads which look and feel like user-generated content and have someone speaking to camera are significantly stronger at driving longer view times, as well as driving ad awareness compared to more polished styles.
Don’t overcomplicate things.
Keep ad creative simple and concise with a clear key message. Ads should seek to mirror the bite-sized, linear storytelling of Snaps. Snapchat recommends keeping duration closer to 5-6 seconds. Snapchat applies a brand name and headline to the upper left corner of all content. To prevent overlap, we should suggest keeping the top 150 px of the canvas clear of graphics or logos.
Get your branding in early.
Include some form of branding before the two second mark to maximise ad awareness, but avoid opening on a solid frame with a logo or product shot only. Opening with intriguing, moving footage will act as a hook to keep viewers watching for longer.
Use a visual call to action.
Snapchatters are highly impulsive and having a strong visual CTA can propel them to take action quicker.
Design for sound on.
64% of users use the app with sound on so you should take time to pick the right music or voiceover (or both). Including voiceovers can help viewers feel emotionally engaged with the ad.
