Why Snapchat is Relevant in 2022

May 17, 2022

Last year, Snapchat turned 10 years old. But it’s only now that marketers and businesses are realising the platform’s true potential.

Is Snapchat relevant? Not only is it relevant but it’s actually experiencing a revival. Users are growing and marketing & business managers are taking notice.

Don’t miss a valuable audience

As of 2022, Snapchat is still one of the top 15 social media platforms in the world.

While some may not see that as impressive enough, Snapchat is relevant because it’s still engaging with more users year after year.

Recent data shows that:

• Daily Snapchat users have risen to 319 million users in 2021
• Snapchat is the sixth most popular social media platform in Australia

In the last couple of years, a sense of connection is something users have been clamouring for and have found through a simple Snap to a friend. The average user opens the app 30 times a day!

What is Snapchat good for?

Undoubtedly its ability to connect with the Gen Z demographic.

According to recent stats, most Snapchat users range from the age of 19 to 24 years old. This makes sense for Gen Z users as the platform was introduced during their time of adolescence and have essentially grown up with Snapchat. What this tells us is that this simple messaging app is an opportunity for businesses to grow with an audience.

Snapchat for Business

Many use Facebook or Google for marketing, but Snapchat marketing is a tool that has often been overlooked. Now, managers are using it to build brands and engage with younger consumers. Coming from a digital marketing agency that works in the higher education sector, we can tell you that’s a considerable resource.

There are different ways that businesses can connect with users on Snapchat:

• Developing a sponsored lens
  One of Snapchat’s unique features is the input of AR which allows businesses to display their personality directly to the user
  
   
• Running a Snapchat account for your business
  A chance to show authenticity and relate to the younger market
• Purchasing snap ads
  Promotes brand awareness as users swipe through stories
• Creating your geo-filter and snapcodes
  A useful tool where anyone on Snapchat can tag themselves near or at your business location or institution to promote engagement
  

In Australia, Snapchat marketing has the potential to reach 6 million users with 61% of users opening Snapchat at least once a day. Regarding whether Snapchat is a good marketing tool, Snapchat Business Manager has also allowed businesses and agencies to monitor and optimise their campaigns as consistency is key.

Let’s talk about Instagram & TikTok

The top social media platforms attempt to make their mark on the world every year. But where is Snapchat in all this? How does it compare to Instagram or Tiktok?

TikTok vs Snapchat stats:

• TikTok’s the 7th most popular social media platform in Australia
• 6.0% of 18-64 year-olds say TikTok is their favourite social platform

Specialising in short-form content, TikTok videos can potentially reach millions of Gen Z users. While both apps are about authenticity, Tiktok focuses on what’s currently viral in contrast to Snapchat where content is more personal. If we’re talking about digital marketing, Snapchat has more diverse features previously mentioned when it comes to promoting a business or brand. Tiktok mostly relies on influencer and UGC marketing.

Snapchat vs Instagram stats:

• Instagram’s the 2nd most popular social media platform in Australia
• 16.2% of 16-64 year-olds say Instagram is their favourite social platform

Comparing Snapchat vs Instagram, the latter was founded a year before Snapchat and is arguably more popular. Both rely on static and video content, but Instagram can reach a wider age demographic as a social network.

Users are also more used to seeing advertising on Instagram as new data tells us that 82% of Insta users in Australia are open to discovering new brands on the platform. We recommend incorporating a combination of these platforms as part of your marketing strategy.

The real reason Snapchat is still relevant

If Snapchat should change in the future, its USP shouldn’t. The idea of disappearing content is the key to its long life. Knowing a picture or video will only be seen for a few seconds and then immediately gone allows presenting yourself as more real. It doesn’t matter if the content you post isn’t traditional, as long as it’s engaging. In this sense, the app will continue to prove popular as marketing leans more into authenticity.

Should you choose Snapchat over Instagram or Tiktok when marketing to a younger audience? Well, you don’t have to. The whole point is that business managers shouldn’t take Snapchat marketing out of consideration but keep it in the mix, at a point in the customer journey where it has the most impact.

Snapchat appears to be here to stay and our team is prepared to take advantage to help promote awareness for your business.