Top Tips for Snapchat Advertising Success

Social commerce—the sale and purchase of items through social media sites—grew dramatically over the last year, as the pandemic shut down brick-and-mortar storefronts and drastically changed how people shop. We saw many businesses increase their ecommerce capabilities because of this shift and invest more resources in social commerce to reach the most customers. 

Last year’s Q4 resulted in record numbers of online sales, and the trend is expected to hold this year. Even as in-person shopping starts to pick back up, social media use continues to grow. As of August 2021, more than 58% of all global web traffic came from mobile phones. 

Snapchat is one of the social commerce channels we like in 2021 because of its immersive ad capabilities and unique audience reach. Not only does Snapchat capture a largely Millennial and Gen Z audience, but its users also hold $4.4 trillion in global spending power. 

Here are some tips to get started and succeed on Snapchat during the upcoming holiday season and beyond.

So, how do I start selling products on Snapchat? 

The first step to advertising on Snapchat is to create a business account. This is a simple process; once you have a personal account set up, log into Ads Manager with the same account information and a business account will be created automatically. This gives you access to Snapchat’s self-service advertising tool, so you can create and buy ads. 

There are two processes for creating ads on Snapchat: Instant Create and Advanced Create.

• Instant Create allows you to build ads quickly, focusing on simpler conversions like app installations, website engagement, and prompting users to call or text your business.
• Advanced Create lets you build multiple ad campaigns and gives you access to more robust targeting and bidding capabilities. You also gain access to reporting tools such as Snap Pixel, which enables you to track and measure the impact of your campaigns to make better-informed decisions.

Snapchat also offers different ad formats depending on your business type and desired conversions. For ecommerce businesses, Snapchat’s made-for-commerce options, such as single image and video ads, collection ads, and dynamic product ads, help drive conversions on purchases, website visits, and more. For local businesses, utilizing location-based targeting and the Snap Map to list physical storefront locations can help drive in-store traffic. Plus, with place listings, customers can find directions, business information, and website access all in one place. 

If they’re already optimized for Google Shopping, preparing your product feeds for Snapchat is a pretty simple process because its best practices are closely aligned with Google’s. In some instances, our feed specialists recommend prioritizing different title elements if you know your Snapchat audience has different buying habits than your other audiences. For example, if you know your Snapchat audience tends to care about the type of fit for a clothing item more than your Google audience, you might rearrange the order of the title to list the type of fit ahead of another element like the size.

Why should I focus on Snapchat in Q4?

Part of Snapchat’s appeal is how its users shop. According to 2021 Deloitte Holiday Research, Snapchat users spend three times more than the average shopper when making holiday purchases on social apps. They’re also 20% more likely than non-Snapchat users to recommend products to family and friends. With immersive and engaging ads, merchants can drive Snapchat users to visit their websites, download apps, and even make purchases straight from Snapchat.

Beyond Snapchat’s global reach and audience spending power, the social commerce channel also allows businesses to partake in everyday conversations easily and in a less intrusive way. With ad options like Augmented Reality Lenses, brands can insert their advertisements into Snapchat users’ feeds without interrupting their experience. If your campaign involves face filters, your audience can engage with your content directly and enjoy your brand’s advertising creativity. Knowing your target audience and their shopping habits helps you make better-informed decisions as the holidays approach.

When it comes to succeeding during the holiday season, merchants should begin advertising early to meet Snapchat users’ holiday planning habits. In a survey of U.S. Snapchat users, a whopping 72% said they plan to shop on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and most begin planning gift purchases two to three months before major holidays like Christmas.

What are some best practices for Snapchat?

Tricks such as front-loading titles with keywords and important information, using multiple images, and updating feeds daily can help your ads perform better on Snapchat. Our expert feed specialists also recommend sending files in CSV formats instead of TXT—they tend to process faster and lead to fewer feed issues from delays in updating inventory.

Snap Pixel is another helpful tool for advertisers on Snapchat. This feature allows merchants to track conversions—such as page views, purchases, and sign-ups—optimize campaigns towards specific events, and retarget Snapchat users who have already taken action on your website.

It’s also important to take advantage of Snapchat’s advanced targeting capabilities. Snapchat offers custom audience creation and helpful targeting tools so you can better tailor your ad campaigns. These features include:

• Snap Audience Match: Target Snapchat users who have interacted with your brand before and those similar to your existing customers.
• Audience Insights: Learn even more about your audience to build hyper-relevant ad creatives and audience segments specific to your products.
• Campaign Lab: See what’s working well and where improvements need to be made. Test hypotheses, run reports, and take action to optimize your campaigns.
• Snap Lifestyle Categories: Find specific categories for audience targeting with over 100 interest options, including parenting, political news, music festivals, and more.

How can Feedonomics help me succeed on Snapchat?

Merchants with large product catalogs or those who advertise on multiple channels may find it overwhelming to keep their product feeds and inventory up-to-date across multiple systems, on top of everything else that’s required for running a successful business. 

Feedonomics uses automated feed management technology and a team of advertising specialists to streamline these processes for Snapchat ads. With Feedonomics, your product data is updated on a regular schedule and your catalog is categorized and optimized according to Snapchat’s best practices. Our full-service solution for advertising channels includes 24/7 support, proactive feed monitoring, alerts for import and export errors, and more. 

Social commerce is expected to surge this holiday season, and merchants can take advantage by meeting shoppers where they are. Snapchat’s unique audience allows businesses to access a customer base with massive amounts of spending potential and powerful shopping habits. Drive Q4 conversions and create meaningful holiday moments by taking advantage of Snapchat’s helpful reporting tools and targeting capabilities, as well as utilizing best practices for your product feed exports. 

Read more about our feed management solution for Snapchat to see how Feedonomics can help you succeed on this growing channel.