We've Integrated with Snapchat's Creator API. Here's a Guide to Influencer Marketing on the Platform

Snapchat has been a major player in the digital media landscape for years, and many brands have leveraged their tools to run impactful advertising campaigns on the platform. Now, Snapchat is also becoming a staple of influencer marketing strategies and the booming creator economy.

Snap's new Creator Discovery API and expanded toolset enable brands to work directly with creator partners and scale meaningful influencer marketing strategies on the platform. CreatorIQ customers can now discover Snapchat creators, activate them in campaigns, and report on performance.

Instead of running an entirely manual process, you can now automate Snapchat activations alongside the rest of your influencer marketing efforts within CreatorIQ.

The time to jump on Snapchat for creator marketing is now. But where should you start? How does creator marketing on Snapchat differ from other platforms? And how can you integrate Snapchat into your larger program strategy?

Here's everything you need to know.

The Untapped Potential of Creator Marketing on Snapchat

Creators and audiences are on Snapchat in a big way. With over 800+ million monthly active users and over 150 million of those in North America, the platform isn’t exactly considered an emerging destination. 
What’s more, US users open the app nearly 40 times per day, and over 60% who open Snapchat each day create Snaps. Over 75% of 13-34 year olds in over 25 countries use Snapchat, as do 90% of 13-24 year olds.

A recent study by Snap and IPG found that key demographics are especially receptive to brand sponsored creator content on the app, including 91% of Gen Z Snapchatters.

With a combination of global reach, active and engaged users in key demographics, and positive sentiment towards branded content, creator marketing is a clear opportunity for brands, but an even bigger one for brands who adopt the channel early.

The bottom line? Activating on Snapchat is an opportunity to generate incremental reach. By expanding to the platform and including it in your cross-channel strategy, you can reach additional viewership that extends beyond your likely already well-defined social audience across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and others. Here’s how to do that:

• Diversify by finding white space. Tapping into incremental reach means opportunities to work with new creators to reach new audiences, and develop new content strategies for your brand.
• Consider specific targets. Snapchat is particularly strong among key demographics like Gen Z and in international markets. Successfully generate incremental reach by aligning your specific targeting considerations to Snapchat’s strengths. Zero in on the markets and audiences where Snapchat thrives (like Gen Z, the Nordics, India, and MENA) and is growing (US, Canada, UK, and Western Europe). 

Snapchat 101: Navigating a Unique Content Ecosystem

Like other platforms, content can be distributed across different audiences within Snapchat, and it has its own unique terms and definitions for specific content types: 

• Snaps: These are posts up to a minute long that disappear after 24 hours.
• Stories: A collection of Snaps that disappears after 24 hours. Stories highlight the in-between moments in the life of creators.
• Saved Stories: Permanent Stories that are viewable on a public profile. Creators sometimes have seasons and episodes, with each episode being one story.
• Spotlight: These are permanent videos featured on Snapchat’s entertainment platform within the app. They’re an easy entry point to start the creator journey. Spotlight highlights quality content from creators, regardless of how many followers they have, and helps gain exposure and extend reach beyond immediate followers. 
• Snap Maps: With place tags, creators’ videos will appear on Place Profiles on the Snap Map. The Map is used as a discovery tool for people curious about what’s happening around them. Stories on the Map are curated and moderated by the Editorial Team at Snap with user-generated content that’s sent to the Snap Map. Creators can expand their reach by tagging locations in their Snaps and Spotlight videos.
• Creators vs. Snap Stars: Snap Stars are a vetted subset of 15K+ creators, celebrities, and public figures on the platform. Snap has vetted them based on content quality, cultural relevance, and growth on and off the platform. But there are still many more creators on the platform with public profiles seeking to build a community beyond their friends and partner with brands. 
• Stories Revenue Share Program: Creators can monetize their Snaps through revenue-sharing from ads inserted between their Public Stories. To date, this has been their primary revenue stream available, and also how brands have advertised prior to the recently established solutions for official Brand Partnerships.

How to Integrate Snapchat into Your Creator Marketing Strategy

If you’re thinking about including Snapchat in your creator marketing strategy, start with a test and measure approach and set iterative goals as you explore the platform and what works. Start small, focus on landing, then expand. 

1. Develop a Snapchat specific content strategy. According to Snap, less polished content works best on the platform over highly produced content. Viewers value authenticity from the creators they follow above all, including mistakes, daily life, 1:1 conversations, and connection. 67% of users say honesty is the most important trait they look for in a creator-brand sponsorship.
2. Define direction via Creator Discovery. The Creator Discovery API means Snapchat creators are discoverable by software service providers like us. Ensuring you’re using a comprehensive database of discoverable creators and a best-in-class discovery application will make your sourcing faster and easier.
3. Encourage your creators to share data. To ensure you have access to the information you need to test and establish an effective strategy, you need visibility into a creator’s performance data. To view more than just follower count and post content, you’ll need to request your creators turn data sharing on or authenticate via CreatorIQ.
4. Cross-post content types. Cross-posting to both Stories and Spotlights is a good way to ensure you have the best coverage to track and measure your posts. Stories are the crux of most Snapchatter’s content, and guarantee distribution to their audience, while Spotlights are public posts that can reach a wider audience than just a creator’s followers, though distribution isn’t a guarantee. Stories are considered private, so require creator authentication or data sharing, and may not be pulled into your campaign without a hashtag or keyword.
5. Include Snapchat in multi-platform campaigns. Cross-posting to both Stories and Spotlights is a good way to maximize distribution of your posts. Stories are the everyday moments shared with subscribers, while Spotlights shine a light on the most entertaining Snaps, made public to reaching a wider audience across the Snapchat community. Stories are considered private, so require creator authentication or data sharing, and may not be pulled into your campaign without a hashtag or keyword.
6. Be transparent. Disclosing branded content is very important to Snapchatters: 89% say it’s a must! Keep in mind in a largely untapped market for brand sponsored organic content, audiences are receptive, but expect disclosure.
7. Plan for the complete journey of a sponsored post. Snapchat makes it easy to boost and run ads. It’s their platform strength, after all! A combined paid and organic strategy is the best way to activate on Snapchat and maximize reach. 

Get Started With Snapchat on CreatorIQ

You’re now ready to begin integrating Snapchat into your overall program strategy, but doing so with a comprehensive solution like CreatorIQ guarantees you’ll be able to execute at scale, alongside your established, multi-platform program, and using the most sophisticated tools for creator discovery, campaign execution, and reporting in the market. 

With CreatorIQ, you can:

• Discover creators across all major platforms using advanced AI search capabilities and detailed analytics for vetting and selection.
• Activate Snapchat creators and run Snapchat-only or multi-platform campaigns.
• Get a complete understanding of Snapchat success and impact. Compare performance across platforms, creators, and campaigns.
• Gain visibility and optimize for future Snapchat activations.
  
  

Download our worksheet to help you plan your approach to Snapchat. And remember, you can get started with Snapchat in CreatorIQ today by reaching out to your Customer Success or Sales representative.