12 Things I Hate About Snapchat Ads
Snapchat’s ad platform is relatively new, having launched in the summer of 2016. It allows people to place ads in the form of short videos targeted at a particular audience. However, the ad platform still has some major kinks. Read to find out what Tony Guo (http://www.linkedin.com/in/tyguo/) find to be so loathsome about Snapchat ads.
1. They Are Expensive
Online advertising can be quite expensive. However, Snapchat Ads has to be the most expensive platform for online ads. On Snapchat, advertising can cost as much as $700 thousand a day. If you are a small business trying to get a few more clients to your site, this is not feasible. You will need to break the bank to get onto this platform.
2. There is No Trace
Snapchat ads last for ten seconds and then disappear. The result is that there is very little chance for captivating your audience. It is especially so if you are trying to advertising a complex product. Thus, for people who need to make a lasting impression on their clients, it is simply not worth it.
3. The Metrics for Engagement are Scarce
When Snapchat users come across your ad, they can still choose to skip it. Even when they do view it, there is no way of knowing whether their eyeballs were actually on the screen. In short, it is quite difficult to know what kind of an effect you are having on viewers. It is among the reasons you may want to avoid it if you have limited resources.
4. It is Hard to Put Videos in Context
With only 10 seconds to work with, you may not be able to place the ad in context. The result is that you may have to post multiple videos just to give viewers an idea of what you are doing. However, you have no assurance that viewers will actually watch all the videos that you post.
5. You Ads Get Deleted
It is among main reasons why advertising on Snapchat is so irksome. Each ad you post will be available to all your viewers for only 24 hours since you first post it. That means if a user misses that window by even a minute, they will not view your ad. Consequently, you have to come up with new ads every day.
6. Brands Cannot React to Negative Feedback
When you advertise on Facebook, it is quite easy to post a reply to every negative comment you get. However, if you use Snapchat, you cannot do that. Essentially, your brand could be ruined and you would have no way of responding to it. That is among the reasons that companies with a sketchy brand image should keep off Snapchat.
7. There are no Free analytics
If you want a more in-depth view of how you Snapchat ads are doing, you will need to purchase these services. There are companies that offer these services at a small fee. However, it seems like too much considering that, you do not need to spend any money on other platforms to analyze the performance of your ads.
8. It has a Narrow Demographic
The demographic on Snapchat is quite limited. Although it has more active users than twitter, most of them are below the age of 35. In fact, most users of Snapchat are teens and those in their early twenties. It thus limits the products that you can advertise on the platform.
9. There Are Limited opportunities for Targeting
Snapchat users are quite hard to target. However, if you use other platforms like Facebook Ads, the targeting opportunities are numerous. It is among the reasons Snapchat may not be appealing to those that need to target a specific audience.
10. It is Too Popular
Snapchat’s popularity has grown quite fast in the last few years. However, that might also be its major undoing. As the social network becomes popular, so does the amount advertisers have to pay. The result is that it could be making itself uncompetitive. With time, the costs might rise so much that businesses will eventually realize that they do not need to spend so much. The ROI will make it unworthy of the effort compared to other online platforms.
11. Snapchat is Only Available on iPhones and android Phones
The result is that you are limited on how many people you can reach. If they use a desktop or they use a windows phone, they cannot use the platform. If you are a brand that is trying to reach as many people as possible, Snapchat can feel quite restraining. It is among the reason why I hate it.
12. It May Affect the Seriousness with which People Treat your Brand
Snapchat is an app created primarily for having fun. Thus if your business is that platform, people many not take it seriously. For example, if you are a major real estate business trying to get serious buyers, people may not take you very seriously. The result is that people may actually lose faith in your business when they see it on Snapchat.