Three Reasons Why Your Association Needs a Geofilter at Your Next Event

Snapchat, one of the most popular social platforms among Millennials, is often overlooked by marketers. Usually outshadowed by its counterparts – here’s looking at you Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – Snapchat is an untapped platform worth investing in.

If your association hosts annual events, festivals, or conferences, you should consider purchasing a sponsored geofilter and here’s why.

Reason 1: Snapchat is a simple way to expand your brand reach.

Admittedly, my day routinely begins with a quick scroll through my Snapchat feed. I watch 10-second videos of my friends’ shenanigans from the day before and peruse their series of stories (photos and videos shared to all of our friends – much like a Facebook Timeline – rather than shared privately) while I sip my morning coffee.

This morning I woke up to a video of my friend catching a wave in a California surf town, a sunrise over Puerto Rico, and my college roommates cheering on the Cubs at Wrigley Field. And every experience was highlighted with a unique geofilter.

A geofilter is a simple graphic overlay that users can attach to a video or photo. You can use a template or upload a design of your own. It’s a simple and unique way to market your event to thousands of people who might not have had the opportunity to hear about it on their own. By purchasing a geofilter, you’ve turned every attendee into an influencer.

Reason 2: Snapchat is cost-effective marketing.

More often than not, when finances are tight the marketing budget is the first to be cut. And most Executive Directors will have a hard time convincing their board to agree to an over-priced marketing initiative that won’t increase the bottom line.

A Snapchat geofilter can be purchased for as low as $5.00 and can run for as short as an hour or as long as 30 consecutive days. After your event, you can view your geofilter metrics to see how it performed. How many people viewed it – the number of times people watched a Snapchat story or a received a personal Snap with your filter applied to it – and how many times the filter was applied to a Snap.

Reason 3: Snapchat allows you to speak the language of your Millennial membership.

Most association executives will agree, finding and keeping the next generation membership – especially for an industry that doesn’t require continuing education – can be extremely difficult. I’ve heard it time and time again, Millennials just aren’t joiners. But how much of this could simply be chalked up to the fact that your message just isn’t getting through to them? Quick, disposable content is key among this generation.

Article written by:

Devin Bond

Client Success Team Leader – Associations