Big Brands Find Organic Ways To Advertise On Snapchat

Snapchat made a questionable entrance onto the social media scene with its disappearing photos feature, but the app has since exploded among millennials, making it an essential part of any big firm's marketing efforts.

Snapchat has been working to establish itself as an advertising platform, but some companies are already finding ways to connect with users in a way that feels natural rather than through targeted advertising.

Snapchat Advertising Opportunities

Snapchat has been using its Discover platform to lure in content creators like National Geographic, Comedy Central and Time Inc. They use the platform to tell a stories using a collection of videos, photos and text which are available to users for 24 hours. Many saw Snapchat's Discover feature as a good first step for selling ad space.

Related Link: Instagram Ads Have Huge Potential For Facebook

Advertising Quietly

However, big firms like McDonald's Corporation MCD and Target Corporation TGT are already using Snapchat in another way: sponsored geofilters. Geofilters are images that can be added on to a user's Snapchat video when they are in a specific location, in this case eating at a McDonalds or visiting a Target store.

Big brands are encouraging users to incorporate their geofilters while visiting their locations in an effort to make their brand standout without overshadowing the social sharing aspect of the app.

Several Benefits

By promoting the use of geofilters, brands are encouraging customers to visit their locations where they will hopefully spend money. But this type of advertising has an added benefit of creating brand ambassadors. Popular Snapchatters with a large number of followers who use a sponsored geofilter could encourage others to visit the same store or restaurant. That way, firms are using word-of-mouth to boost their brand image, something that has proven much more valuable than a traditional advertisement.