Snapchat geofilters have been around for a while now and have proved to be very effective for businesses wanting to engage with younger audiences. With over 203 million daily active users, Snapchat provides a valuable opportunity to reach a huge audience. It is also the most popular social media platform amongst teens aged between 13 and 17 years old; a demographic that is very difficult to reach with other forms of digital and conventional marketing. They offer a huge competitive advantage because not a lot of brands are using them and that Snapchat users love to share filters even if they are branded ones.
Creating geofilters is relativity simple, but some businesses choose to give the task to a social media marketing agency to maximise their potential. However, in this post, we would like to give you everything you need to know to create them yourself.
What is an On-Demand Geofilter?
On-demand filters are quite similar to normal filters. Users take a photo or record a video and then overlay a filter on top. The main difference is that any Snapchat user can create an on-demand geofilter. Whether you are a business owner celebrating the opening of your new shop or hosting a birthday party for a family member, you can now create a custom on-demand geofilter. However, if you are creating an on-demand geofilter for your business, then you need certain permissions and rights to include your logo and trademarks.
Step 1: Design Your Geofilter
The first step is to design your geofilter. If you are not an expert at design and don’t know how to use graphic design tools such as Photoshop or InDesign, then we recommend seeking assistance at this point. However, if you do not have the resources to do so, then, Snapchat does have some pre-designed templates that are easy to edit. Additionally, Canva also has a user-friendly tool to help you with designing a creative geofilter.
When designing your filter, it’s important to keep the following in mind:
- It must be 1080 by 1920 pixels (the same size as an Instagram story)
- The background must be transparent
- The file size must be under 300KB
Step 2: Upload Your Geofilter
Once you have your geofilter design ready, you then need to visit the Snapchat on-demand website and click on the “create now” option. You will then need to log in using your account details. Once logged in, you will then be prompted to upload your geofilter design. Once uploaded, you will then see a preview of how it will look and have the option of naming it. Please note, that if your geofilter is rejected by Snapchat, they will provide you with a reason as it why they rejected it. You can then make any adjustments and reupload the filter again.
Step 3: Set the Time and Date
On the next screen, you will be required to select the dates that you would like your geofilter to run for. At this point, you must pay extra attention as once you have submitted the dates; they cannot be changed.
Step 4: Select the Location
Once you have uploaded your filter and selected the dates that you want it to run for; it’s time to choose the location. To date, on-demand geofilters are only available in the UK, USA and Canada and the radius that you select must be less than 5 million square feet. To select the location, you need to enter an address and then choose a radius around it. When choosing the radius, it’s better to be generous.
Step 5: Measure The Success Of Your Geofilter
Now you are all set. Once you have gone through these simple steps and paid for your on-demand geofilter, you are ready to go and will receive a confirmation email to confirm your payment. Once your geofilter has expired, Snapchat will provide you with some data on how it performed, including how many times it was used. This data can take a few days to arrive in your inbox.