We’re back for another Snapchat clap back as they announce their new self-serve ad platform that will, hopefully, put them on a new level of competition with Facebook.
Last month the company announced they were going to launch a more accessible and user-friendly tool to create ads and last week Snap Inc. officially launched the tool. In addition to the roll out came new easy to use tools to help brands target their ads and hopefully compel them to use the feature.
Head to the Snapchat Ads website and hit “Get Started” to kick off your brand’s first Snapchat social media advertising campaign. Snapchat created a landing page full of statistics, infographics, and research you can read through to prove that this is the second coming of the advertising messiah. They promise the feature will reach highly engaged and unique audiences, tell your story through innovative ad products, and deliver results to meet your objectives.
There is also a new dashboard for advertisers and creators to use for publishing and targeting. The Snap Publisher tool helps create Snap ads with templates they have created that allow the user to insert your brand’s assets. The Ads Manager will allow companies to buy, optimize and track analytics of a campaign. One of the more interesting elements is the option to use Snapchat audiences, including lookalike and Audience Match options, similar to other platforms. Snap Inc. also created Lifestyle Audiences, which utilize in-app data and location tracking to provide additional targeting options. There are over 60 interest categories, including parenting, political news, and music festivals, based on insights of social media engagement on the platform. Brands will be able to access this data and target depending on if they want to reach the 23-year-old young professional woman who checks out the Cosmopolitan story or the cool snap-savvy mom who gets her dinner recipes from the Food Network Discover feed.
For brands new to the social game, the platform will take you through its core capabilities with explanations of ad setup, targeting audiences, and budgeting your campaign.
Education and collaboration are top agenda items for Snap Inc. right now, as they have plans to announce their new Snapchat Certified Partners program during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. They will be collaborating with over 25 partner agencies to set up extra training and support on the ad platform. This partnership will help gain reputable referrals if it proves successful in driving ROI and simplifying campaign building.
With large media partnerships, education of best practices on the platform, and the growing need for brands to reach a wider audience, Snapchat may be able to redeem themselves after their disappointing IPO earlier this year, and their on-going competition with Facebook. In my opinion, Snapchat is an innovative platform that is always coming up with a way to draw people in; I think this is just another example of their tenacity and integrity in the technology and social space.
Let us know what you think about this new ad update, tweet at us @Socialfly.