Once you have the basics of Snapchat down, Geofilters are a next-level tool for reaching your audience. It may not be obvious at first how to use both Community (free) and On-Demand (paid) Geofilters to engage an audience, but once you learn how to think about them from various angles, there are several ways to be smart and strategic about Geofilter use.
Laura Wilson, director of digital engagement & social media at Georgetown University, is heading a session on Geofilters at the PR News Snapchat Boot Camp, July 12 at the Yale Club in New York City. Here are a few of the tips she plans to discuss with the audience in the pursuit of bringing Snapchatters together to share content:
1. Leverage free Community Geofilters to highlight your brand's location or presence in a certain area.
A Snapchat Geofilter can only be accessed in a specific location, and Community Geofilters are those submitted by members of the Snapchat community. A Community Geofilter typically highlights a particular city, neighborhood, iconic location or landmark, or even a special event. This can be a great way to show off where your brand is located or that you are present at a specific special event.
2. Spark conversation around a topic or issue.
Geofilters can be effectively used to incite conversation or build awareness around a particular advocacy issue or cause.
3. Brand your hosted or sponsored events with a Geofilter.
Sponsoring or hosting an event? You know your attendees will be capturing moments for your event, so take advantage of this opportunity to brand the event by creating an On-Demand Geofilter. A Geofilter for your event is an engaging way to to get attendees to share your brand from their own Snaps.
4. Remind your target audience of a special day, event, or action to take.
With On-Demand Geofilters you can choose the dates, times, and locations you want it to run, so a Geofilter can be an effective way to remind your target audience of a specific action you want them to take. Political campaigns have been using Geofilters to their advantage by running them in areas where elections or votes are imminent.
5. Associate your brand with a specific location or activity.
For example, does your brand appeal to travelers? Running an On-Demand Geofilter in airports or busy transportation hubs may be just the way to reach your target audience.
6. Remember, an active presence on Snapchat is optional to run a Geofilter campaign.
Even if your brand is not actively creating content or building a community on Snapchat, you can still purchase and run a Geofilter campaign. This may be the right fit for brands that are looking to interact with their target workforce but their typical customer or client skews a bit outside of the demographics of your average active Snapchat user.
Register for the PR News Snapchat Boot Camp today.
Follow Laura Wilson: @LauraEWilson
Follow Ian Wright: @ianwright0101