In the six years since Snapchat was created, it has become one of the largest social networking apps in the world. According to Bloomberg, there are over 150 million people using Snapchat every day, which recently surpassed Twitter who only has 140 million users daily. Snapchat is a popular social platform for all ages but is widely used specifically in the millennial demographic. Snapchat boasts that “on any given day, Snapchat reaches 41 percent of all 18 to 34 year-olds in the United States.”  

We are all aware that millennials are highly influenced by social media. But did you know that 30.1% of drivers today are millennials? With such a large percentage of drivers, it is important for your auto repair shop to market to these millennials, and Snapchat is a great place to start.

As a result of Snapchat’s extended reach, it now offers the platform as a form of advertising for companies. There are a variety of ways that local businesses can advertise their product or service using Snapchat, one of which is creating a geofilter.

What is a geofilter?

A geofilter is a filter that is placed over a picture that users can add to embellish their Snapchat photos. Once a user takes a photo, they have the option to swipe through different filters ranging from those that simply say the name of the city where they are located to advertisements sponsored by different companies.

Each geofilter has a fence-like boundary that defines the area in which the geofilter is available. Your shop can take advantage of this by selecting the area in and around your auto repair shop’s location. Imagine a bored customer taking a selfie while they wait in your auto shop’s lobby. If you offer a geofilter that they can add to their photo, it will add some excitement to their wait time.

Snapchat geofilters are also an easy way to get many eyes on your auto repair shop’s brand. When a user adds your shop’s geofilter to their picture it is not only enjoyed by the individual user, but everyone that that picture is sent to also views the filter.

Geofilters are a fun and creative form of advertising that provide a way for users to interact with the company that is advertising. And we’ll be honest – people love using them!

On-Demand Geofilters

Snapchat also offers On-Demand geofilters, which are paid geofilters that anyone can make. On-Demand geofilters fall into two categories: personal and business. A personal geofilter does not include any company branding and could be for something like a birthday party or a special event. A business geofilter is one that promotes a business and has a few special guidelines to follow, which are all listed on the Snapchat website.

On-Demand geofilters are not only a great way to reach a lot of people, but they are also extremely cost effective. You can produce a geofilter for as little as $5, but prices range depending on how long you would like the geofilter to run and how big of an area you would like the geofilter to be available. Snapchat geofilters are also quick and easy to set up – you only need to follow three simple steps!

How To Set Up Your Geofilter

1. Design your filter. The very first step you need to take is to design your geofilter. Snapchat has a few guidelines for their filters which include things like the amount of the screen the filter can take up, how much text can be included in the filter, and bans on phone numbers, email addresses, or any other type of personal information in the filter. If you’re having trouble designing your own filter, Snapchat also offers templates that you can use to get started on your geofilter.

2. Set the date and time. The second thing you need to do is set the duration of the geofilter and the location in which you would like the geofilter to be available. The duration of your geofilter can range from a few hours up until 30 days and the location can be as small or large as you desire – the only limit being that it needs to be between 20,000 and 5 million square feet. Once you set your time range and location, Snapchat will quote a price for your geofilter, but as a general rule Snapchat charges about $5 per 20,000 square feet.

3. Submit for review. The third and final step is submitting your geofilter for review. If you have followed all of the geofilter guidelines, Snapchat will have your geofilter reviewed and approved within one business day. Then it will be up and running!

Tap Into a New Audience

Snapchat helps you keep tabs on exactly how many people your geofilter reached by sending you a performance report once your geofilter has expired. This report details how many times your filter was viewed and how many times it was used. So for a low cost, you could potentially get thousands of uses on your geofilter, increasing your auto repair shop’s brand awareness exponentially. You will also create a great opportunity by extending your reach into the millennial audience, which is highly influenced by social media. 

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