GUESS what?! This brand achieved an increase of 17% in sales and 4% in engagement rate with the help of this type of ad! [Thursdays: FYO!]
For a lot of businesses, the “ber” months mean an upside in a consumer-driven economy.
This is the time of the year when brands double up their marketing efforts and create holiday sales to take advantage of consumers’ eagerness to buy gifts for their loved ones.
One of the places where businesses promote their products or services?
Social media.
… and so to help brands connect with their target market, multimedia messaging app Snapchat released a range of new ad tools and options in September 2018―just in time for the holiday ad-buying season.
Part of these tools is…
The Collection Ads.
Collection Ads are made-for-commerce ads that allow business owners and marketers to promote a series of products that Snapchat users can tap to get more details.
This type of ad can be a single image or video with 4 tappable tiles (small squares that contain images with embedded links or URLs) at the bottom to feature other products. Tapping on the tiles will direct consumers to a specific product page, with a link to a purchase option.
What are some of the best practices when using Snapchat’s Collection Ads?
- Use purposeful, vibrant, and eye-catching design for your ads.
- Keep your ads short and appealing to mirror the bite-sized nature of Snaps.
- Feature a relevant and compelling call-to-action.
- Use thumbnails with high resolution.
- Focus on one key message in your ads and make sure to keep it clear.
Here are a few more notes to keep in mind in creating your brand’s Collection Ads:
- You can create Dynamic Collection Ads. In this format, you allow Snapchat to automatically create your Collection Ads using your brand’s uploaded Product Catalogs.
- A call-to-action is required. Snapchat asks for a call-to-action button on your Collection Ads and puts it on the upper left corner of the tiles area.
- Keep your product URLs ready. Each tile in your Collection Ads requires a corresponding URL so make sure the links you embed in your ads direct Snapchat users to the correct product page.
- An additional swipe-up URL is required. When a Snapchat user swipes up, the page where the URL directs to is visited.
- Your ad thumbnails should be strategically displayed. Your Collection Ad thumbnails should:
- Include texts.
- Feature an image rather than a single- or multi-color fill, gradient, or pattern.
- Show your brand’s products at different angles or vantage points.
Now that you know some of the best practices in creating Collection Ads on Snapchat, let’s proceed with an example of a brand that used this ad format effectively:
GUESS
Guess is an American clothing brand and retailer. Aside from clothes, the company manufactures and sells fashion accessories such as jewelry, watches, bags, and shoes.
In 2018 (the same year when Snapchat launched Collection Ads), Guess reached out to a young generation of consumers on Snapchat. The goal was to interact with millennials and Gen Zs and encourage them to browse the company’s offerings.
What did Guess do to achieve that goal?
Throughout the “ber” months, it used Snapchat’s Collection Ads and highlighted some of its bestsellers using the 4 tappable tiles at the bottom of the ad!
The brand used the “Shop Now” call-to-action button to let Snapchat users know that each tile directs to a specific product page as shown on the thumbnails.
Was Guess’ Snapchat Collection Ads effective?
Guess what―YES!
According to Snapchat’s case study about the brand’s marketing strategy, Guess’ online sales increased by 17% in the “ber” months of 2018 compared to other months of the year, contributing to the company’s overall revenue increase versus 2017. Additionally, the brand’s engagement rate grew by 4% during the fourth quarter of the year.
These results showed that marketing on Snapchat was a good move for Guess because it was able to capture the attention of its target market through Collection Ads.
When used properly, Collection Ads will help you achieve your marketing goals.
However, just like the Single Image or Video Ads that we talked about in last week’s “Find You Optimization!” article, this ad format is only applicable if your business’ target market is on Snapchat or if your branding fits Snapchat’s.
If your business leans on the more professional side of things and your customers aren’t within the platform’s user age range and other demographics, then maybe Snapchat Advertising isn’t for your brand.
… but if the social media’s ecosystem fits your core business, then great! There are lots of ways you can use Snapchat to increase your brand’s engagement rate, drive traffic to your site, and boost your sales.
Maximize your marketing experience on the social media platform with the help of Collection Ads!
With proper planning, strategizing, and execution, this ad format will help you connect and engage with your target market and strengthen your brand’s visibility online.
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Thursdays: FYO! Find You Optimization”
Why should you stop thinking SEO and start thinking FYO?
We’re not saying that you should abandon Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Don’t get us wrong, of course, we know this is something very important, especially in today’s digital marketing age.
The internet landscape is vast, and a world of its own. You really need to distinguish yourself and make your brand/company/website known and easily searchable.
Better yet, get to the top of page one for Top Results on Google or any other search engine.
However, what is the purpose of SEO? It’s that customers Find You!
That’s what matters. So, while SEO is one factor of FYO… it really is only one, and we ought not to abandon all the myriad of ways digitally and offline for improving your FYO.
How can we look at this from a different and better perspective?
Let’s say you have it in the bag! You and your team are experts in SEO. Awesome. But did you ever wonder what else you could do to push it further and give your SEO skills a boost?
FYO! Find You Optimization!
You need your target audience to FIND YOU—your brand, product, service, or offer. This is SEO plus other tools that increase visibility online (and offline).
Every Thursday, we publish content on how you can get your target market to find you, beyond the typical “type and search.” There are other things you can do along with your SEO to give your online advertising process a boost.
Try considering other tactics beyond it—WOMO (Word Of Mouth Optimization), RO (Referral Optimization), and “All-Other-Means-Of-Getting-Your-Target-Market-To-Find-You” Optimization (AOMOGYTMTFY, if you’d like a long acronym).
Part of a great marketing strategy is knowing how to adapt new methods and make use of different types of marketing and promotion that best fit your business goals and which give you the results you want.
Hope you’ve found this week’s insights interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Thursday’s FYO!
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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