Using Snapchat & TikTok for Business

With general eCommerce sales expected to increase by 13% in 2021, there’s a lot more to thank than just organic search and archaic marketing channels. Instead, we should be shifting our appreciation to booming social media platforms, like Snapchat and TikTok, for the hike in annual sales. Over the past few months, shoppable media has become an increasingly popular trend. Hence why we think it’s important to capitalize on this opportunity as eCommerce store owners, and start using Snapchat and TikTok for Business!

Let’s take a closer look at Snapchat and TikTok and what they have to offer.

What is Snapchat and how does it work?

Snapchat is a widely used app that allows users to message each other through exchanging ‘snaps’ that consist of pictures, text messages, emojis and videos. Although the primary feature, is the time frame in which you can view the picture or video. It usually disappears after a few seconds.

To use Snapchat and start connecting to people through pictures, you can sync your phone/tablet’s contacts with your existing contact list, or you can search for people that you may already know. Once you’ve decided who you’d like to chat to, you simply take a photo/video, add some text or an emoji or two, and click send.

In summary: Snapchat is a social media app that enables online users to share short, temporary pictures or videos.

For more on Snapchat, take a look at this article on Everything you need to know about Snapchat.

Using Snapchat for business

Using Snapchat as an additional marketing channel for your products is a great idea if you’re wanting to target the younger generation. Compared to other social apps, like Twitter and Facebook, Snapchat is the most highly trafficked social platform among teenagers.

There are multiple ways you can use Snapchat for business. You can either use the app as a channel to engage with potential customers through highly-interactive content, or you can advertise on the app.

To set up a Snapchat business account follow the below steps:

1. Download the app and follow the prompts (fill in your email address and username etc.)
2. Set up an Ads Manageraccount and complete the following steps:
   • Add your business name and select the country in which your business operates.
   • Create your first campaign.
   • Input a payment method.

Advertising on Snapchat

Snapchat allows you to advertise in a variety of ways on their app. But generally speaking, Snap ads are usually 10 seconds in length, are full-screen, vertical videos that can also include other features, such as a call to action to click on a link. As a rule of thumb, an ad should be a quick informative video about your company and the products/services it offers.

Here are a few methods to advertising on Snapchat:

• Sponsored geofilters
  • This allows you to send snaps from a specific location.
  • You can also apply a geofilter nationally under a certain theme, for example “Cheerio’s National Cereal Day”
• Sponsored lenses
  • Lenses tend to be more interactive than geofilters.
  • They are essentially filters that are applied after a video or picture is taken.
  • Lenses make use of advanced facial recognition technology, which allows users faces to be transformed into all sorts of things, even dogs!
• Snapchat Discover
  • Another aspect of Snapchat is that of Discover.
  • This is where users are able to see content created by well-known media organizations, such as Cosmopolitan and ESPN.
  • Although you do have the option to advertise on Discover as an eCommerce store, it may not be viable for some small-medium business, as the costs are astronomical. Strike Social reports that ads can start from daily rates of $50 000.
• Influencer marketing
  • Another way to advertise on Snapchat is through Influencer marketing.
  • You can do this by paying certain influencers to wear or review your products.
  • Influencers can now make use of Snapchat’s tag functionality and tag companies in their snaps.

What is TikTok and how does it work?

By now, you should have heard the buzz around TikTok, and as a result of the recent “Facebook Outage”, more and more users are flocking towards the popular video-sharing social platform.

TikTok is a video-sharing app that enables users to create and share their short-form videos. Almost any type of content can be shared on TikTok. Whether it’s a video on restaurants to try in the area, a funny video of a dog, or an informative video on business tips and tricks, theres bound to be something that will grab your attention and keep you scrolling for hours.

Using TikTok for business

You may be wondering why you should consider using TikTok for business, but believe it or not, it’s fast becoming one of the most highly trafficked social platforms, with more than 500 million active global online users every month. Ignoring the opportunity to market your company or products on TikTok would be a mistake!

Using TikTok for business also allows for a variety of ways to market your products or company. You can simply create an account, and share your own content, or you could make use of ads on the platform.

Advertising on TikTok

There are two formats of ads on TikTok:

1. Biddable ads
   • These allow you to place bids on ads within the network.
   • This will ultimately enable you to place video ads in the main feed of the app.
   • With biddable ads, you’re able to customize your target audience according to age, gender and location.
   • Pricing models for biddable ads include:
     • CPC – Cost per click
     • CPM – Cost per mille
     • CPV – Cost per view
2. Ads that require a TikTok Account Manager
   • TikTok also offers campaign services, however you’ll need to have a large budget for this and be willing to work with an account manager.
     • Brand Takeover: a large format that appears when users open the app. Limited to one advertiser per day.
     • Hashtag Challenge: creating viral user-generated content by uploading a video of a unique dance/challenge.
     • Branded Lenses: Similar to Snapchat, users can create custom augmented reality filters.
     • Influencer package: TikTok will connect you with an influencer to advertise your product/company.

Conclusion

With shoppable media becoming increasingly popular, social apps Snapchat and TikTok are not marketing channels you should ignore! In this article, we looked at the opportunities of using Snapchat and TikTok for business. Whether you would like to create your own business account, and share content unique to your company, or list ads on the relevant platforms, there are countless opportunities to grow your business!

At ShoppingFeeder, we offer a seamless integration with Snapchat, and will soon be extending our channel list to include TikTok. To sign up for a free 14-day trial and subscribe to Snapchat, visit www.shoppingfeeder.com.

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