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\nIn less than three years, the Snapchat app has grown from a \"sexting\" app to a growing marketing platform that reaches 41% of Americans monthly. In fact, Snapchat is now the third-most-used social network among U.S. users ages 18 to 24 — ahead of Instagram and Pinterest. If you haven't started using Snapchat as an influencer or brand marketer yet, it's time to take action fast
\n\n\nThe platform offers several unique advantages for marketers: This post will cover some of the best ways you can use Snapchat as a marketer. From gaining new followers to creating custom geofilters, these tips will help your business get more from your snaps—and leave all those other snaps that you see pop up every once in a
\nMessage Your Audience with Snaps
The first and most obvious way to use Snapchat as a brand marketer is to send your current and potential customers direct messages (DM). In fact, 79% of all snaps are sent directly to friends—and many of these are marketing-related. To send a DM on Snapchat, simply swipe left from the main camera screen. You also have the option of adding a sticker or emoji to the message, which can help draw attention to it. DMing your audience has several advantages over other types of marketing. Since messages disappear within 24 hours, you can send whatever you want without leaving a long-term mark. This encourages you to be more conversational and casual with your messaging. Snapchat also makes marketing more personal. As opposed to targeting potential customers with ads and emails, your direct messages let people know that they're important to you and your brand. This can also help give you a leg up over other brands that your customers are also receiving DM messages from.
Use Filters to Boost Engagement
Another way to use Snapchat as a marketer is to become more social and start engaging with your followers more. Engaging with others on Snapchat can take a variety of forms, but it's best to start by using filters. Engaging with filters can help you build connections with new followers in a fun and lighthearted way. To use filters, simply swipe left from the camera screen and select the icon of the heart with the arrow. To use filters more effectively, try to choose filters that will complement the content of your snap. For example, the dog filter is great for snaps involving toys or the foodie filter for snaps with food. To engage with other Snapchatters, simply tap and hold on their snap to use the same filters as you would use for your own snaps. This can be a great way to build a connection with people you're interested in connecting with without seeming too salesy or pushy.
Create Custom Geofilters for Events and Sponsorships
Another way to use Snapchat as a marketer is to create custom geofilters for events and sponsorships. Geofilters are the graphic overlays that appear in the upper left-hand corner of each snap. To create a geofilter for an upcoming event, simply head to the \"on-demand\" page of the geofilters tab on the Snapchat app. There you can select the date and time of your event, along with the location, and select the \"create\" button. To create a geofilter for a local business or sponsorship, you can visit the same page and select the \"custom\" option. It'll take up to a week for Snapchat to review your request, so keep that in mind if you need it sooner. Once your geofilter has been approved, you can select the \"create\" button to create and design your filter. This can be a great way to help others associate your brand with your hometown or event.
Produce Content with Snapchat Ads
Another great way to use Snapchat as a marketer is to create sponsored ads. Sponsored ads on Snapchat take the same form as ads on other social networks. They are marked as paid content and labeled as an ad. However, the unique nature of Snapchat ads makes the entire process more interesting. When you create an ad, you can select from a number of different types of ads. For example, you can choose to send an advertise that sends your snap directly to your customer's inbox or a \"story\" ad that publically displays your ad in a 24-hour time frame. Sponsored \"geofilter\" ads are another option that's unique to Snapchat. Geofilters are the graphic overlays that appear in the upper left-hand corner of each snap. Geofilters are unique to each location. To create a geofilter ad, you select the \"geofilter\" option when creating your ad on Snapchat's self-serve ad creation platform.
Summing Up
In less than three years, the Snapchat app has grown from a \"sexting\" app to a growing marketing platform that reaches 41% of Americans monthly. In fact, Snapchat is now the third-most-used social network among U.S. users ages 18 to 24 — ahead of Instagram and Pinterest. If you haven't started using Snapchat as an influencer or brand marketer yet, it's time to take action fast. The platform offers several unique advantages for marketers: DMing your audience has several advantages over other types of marketing, creating custom geofilters for events and sponsorships, and producing content with Snapchat ads. Now that you know how to use Snapchat as a marketer, you can create more authentic and personalized interactions with your customers.