Businesses are constantly asking us whether or not a Geofilter is right for them. Having worked with tens of thousands of clients, we’ve gained a strong understanding of which Geofilters are destined for success, and which are dead straight out of the gate. I’m sorry to say, but if your business is tax document preparation, Geofilters are likely not the marketing tool for you. Below, I’ll touch on five of the biggest industries we see utilizing Geofilters, and why it’s so beneficial for them to incorporate a filter into their marketing strategy.
#1 – Restaurants
I feel like this should come as no surprise at all. Anyone who has ever been on a social media platform understands that pictures of delicious food are king. You may hate that the first thing some teenagers do when their food is served is take 10 photos of it, but it’s almost a bigger crime to not recognize the marketing potential that this offers. It’s well known throughout the culinary industry that the first thing you do is eat with your eyes. Because of this increased emphasis on the visual nature of food, it should come as no surprise that a huge volume of photos and videos are shared from inside restaurants. In 2017, a Greenberg Strategy study showed that 80% of Snapchat users confirmed that they use Snapchat at restaurants. This same visual attention to detail should be incorporated into the whole marketing strategy, including how they want their Geofilter to represent their business when it is shared.
Our top performing restaurant Geofilter is a Hot Pot location based out of London, England. This business realized the benefits that Snapchat Geofillters presented early, and has just completed their first year utilizing a custom branded Geofilter as a marketing tool. In that time, the Geofilter achieved over 2.4 million impressions. Because of the visual and engaging nature of Hot Pot cuisine, it was clear that this restaurant style was ideal for how Snapchat users share their experience, and they have fully capitalized on the opportunity.
#2 Concerts
We’ve all been there. Last night, there was clearly a massive concert in town and Snapchat Stories are flooded with videos of people singing along and screaming. There’s one small problem though, you have no idea who the artist is because you can’t tell from the five second shaky video. Whether it’s terrible video quality, inaudible lyrics, poor seat choices, or a combination of all of the above, there is a sizeable group of people who will not know who they are looking at. Sure, I could go look up who performed last night, but the reality is that I’m already watching the next Snapchat Story. By building a Geofilter into your music event, whether small or large, you create an opportunity where your band name is getting in front of more eyes, which means more listens to your albums on Spotify.
#3 Schools/Universities
Before I get a stream of emails from teachers complaining about how their students already use their phones too much in class, let me clarify. I’m not advocating for Geofilters to be incorporated into your 2nd year Geology lecture. Not even a Geofilter can spice that up, sorry geologists. Where Geofilters can fit into a school’s marketing strategy is through extra-curricular events that are held across campus. Improving student engagement is a very real goal for academic institutions, and Geofilters are a great way to insert these events into the conversations of your students. Clients of ours such as the University of Alabama have utilized Geofilters to brand departmental orientations, competitions, and homecoming events. Looking to increase attendance at your school’s upcoming basketball game? Make sure that students know about the game by placing Geofilters over high traffic areas on campus advertising the game, like we did with Texas A&M. You can put up posters all around campus for your event, but how are you going to reach those students who never seem to look up from their phones? Geofilters allow you to grow the awareness and engagement at your events by allowing students to learn about these events on the platforms that they natively use for their daily conversations.
#4 Salons
It should come as no surprise that one of the first things many people do after they’ve gotten their hair done is to share a selfie with their friends. This is an easy way for salons, which operate in a very competitive space, to distinguish themselves from the competition. Snapchat Geofilters are a great tool for branding, which is crucial in the aesthetic marketplace. Next to restaurants, this industry has been the highest volume of business Geofilters that we’ve created.
#5 Gyms
Ah the gym, a wonderful world full of protein shakes, sweaty gym equipment, and of course, selfies. By no means am I discouraging this behaviour, people who are dedicated to the gym deserve to be proud and share the effort they’re putting in. But this behaviour should point to a missed opportunity on behalf of the gyms that aren’t using Snapchat filters to add to the experience. Whether it’s incorporating the gym’s workout mantra or fitness imagery into a filter, giving your members another way to enjoy their workout in the downtime between sets can have a big impact on branding and awareness for that brand.
The idea of using Geofilters in the fitness industry isn’t only for brick and mortar gyms. If anything, private boot camps and personal trainers can benefit even more from Geofilters, as social media branding and word of mouth marketing are crucial factors in their business model. Since these bootcamps are often held outside of city centers, their Snapchat Fees are also typically cheaper, which accommodates potentially smaller budgets.
These are just a few great examples of industries where Geofilters are becoming more and more commonplace in their marketing strategy. If you’re wondering if your business is a good fit for Geofilters, start by thinking about how your customers will naturally use their phone and Snapchat within your business. All of the above industries are so successful with Geofilters because people naturally want to share their experience in these settings over social media. If you think this sounds like it also applies to your business, then Geofilters are probably a great fit for your marketing strategy!
-Tom
Manager of Corporate Relations
