Author: Ana Gotter / Source: Business 2 Community
Did you know that two years ago, Snapchat followed the path of Netflix and Hulu and the one Facebook is now on and created their first original show?
If you missed it, you aren’t alone. Snapchat doesn’t have quite as many users as competing platforms, and not a ton of people were going to sign up for a single show.
Since then, however, Snapchat has created more original programming, and they’re now releasing Snap Originals, which is simultaneously emphasizing and formalizing their foray into TV-like programming that we’re seeing elsewhere.
Wondering what this means? In this post, we’re going to take a look at the new Snap Originals announcement and discuss what it means for both Snapchat, marketers who use it, and other social media marketing platforms moving forward.
What Is Snapchat’s Snap Originals and Why Do I Care?
Snap Originals is a transition into offering tv programming like-content on the platform. Think documentaries, political talk shows (like their current “Good Luck America”), and even scripted shows. They’ll all be created to be published exclusively on Snapchat.
And, believe it or not, this is significant, because while Snapchat usage has steadily declined at a much faster pace than I’m sure the platform likes, the Snapchat shows have actually held strong with views. So even though one quarter in 2018 saw a decrease of three million daily active users, the Snap shows actually were still reaching 10 million users per month (which was a slight increase from the previous quarter).
Users were regularly tuning in several times a week to watch these shows. Not only did the shows provide content to people in-app longer; they actually worked to add value to the platform and draw people in when they might not have even opened the app in the first place. This signals an important change in how people are using social media and what they want to see.
In addition to understanding what users want to see on the platform, you should also care for another big reason. These shows are holding strong in performance. Even better, advertisers can now purchase video ads up to six seconds long and have them played in the middle of the original shows. This engages a relatively captive and enthusiastic audience.
What This Means for Snapchat Marketing
This means several things.
Publishers can easily see the benefit of…
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