There is a new effort among brands and marketers to find potential partners with well known Snapchatters. Snapchat has fostered a new flock digital stars that are, similar to Vine and YouTube, gathering attention from some of the biggest marketers.

The only issue facing these brands is the element that makes Snapchat so defined  — its ephemerality. Due to the short-lived nature of “snaps, ” it is difficult for brands to precisely measure how well Snaps do, what their reach is, and how many impressions they make. Basically the only ways to get any idea of this is to measure how many times your Snap is opened, or if a screenshot is taken (the app notifies you when that happens). Additionally, it is impossible to find any “top users” or trending topics on Snapchat and there is no search capability that easily lets users find brands to follow, compared to other social platforms like Instagram and Vine that are much easier to navigate.

Regardless, brands are having no trouble finding fit “Snapchat celebrities.” For example, Shaun McBride, whose Snapchat user name is “Shonduras,” creates Snapchat art that gets an abundance of attention. McBride has also worked on Snapchat campaigns for Disney and the MLS.

Still, the CEO of twtMob Marco Hansell, said that Snapchat has “limited access” in terms of data about who is opening Snaps.

Still, many Viners and YouTubers are now migrating over to Snapchat, which can earn $1000 per Snap, depending on the campaign and the brand they’re creating for, according to Digiday.

How much to charge brands for Snaps remains a puzzle, though. “What is the value of a screenshot versus a view is the question,” asked Hansell, who added that he has seen top Snapchatters command video-like CPMs: $25 per 1,000 opens.

Snapchat, however, doesn’t actively support its creators, whether that be through production spaces or training and resources, unlike the competing platform YouTube which has this capability. Nevertheless, Snapchat is definitely attempting to make gains with this process by meeting with brands and agencies to gain some favor and recognition.

So far, the only company that is truly showing signs of Snapchat integration is Niche, who says it represents about 150 brands, including GE and Coca-Cola, and often marries Vine or Instagram campaigns with Snapchat. However, it hasn’t done a standalone Snapchat campaign yet.

 

Source: Digiday