How To Make A Snapchat Geofilter For Your Event

The massive scale of Snapchat's popularity means that it has entered the spotlight as an important tool for event organizers to use for promotional purposes. Here we go everything you need to build and launch a geofilter for your next event.

________________________________

Guest post by Rachel Grate of Eventbrite

With more than 150 million people using Snapchat every day, event organizers can no longer afford to ignore the platform. While 60% of users are under 25, more than half of new users are over 25. That means that even if your attendees aren’t on Snapchat yet, they will be soon.

The easiest way to use Snapchat for events? Make a Snapchat geofilter for your attendees. By investing only an hour of time and less than $100 of budget, you can engage attendees and spread the word to new ticket-buyers. Here’s everything you need to know about how to use Snapchat geofilters.

What are Snapchat Geofilters?

Snapchat geofilters are graphics (or “filters”) for Snapchat photos that can only be used at certain locations. For example, most cities have geofilters that include their name and a famous landmark, and Snapchat also creates filters for cultural events. Here are some examples of Snapchat’s pre-designed geofilters, which you could edit for your event (find out how below).

snapchat geofilter examples

There are two types of on-demand geofilters: for people, and for businesses. If you’re hosting a professional event, you want to choose a “Business” geofilter.

Anyone physically on your event grounds will be able to overlay the filter over their Snapchat images and videos — they don’t need to follow you on Snapchat to access them. That means you’ll get broad distribution without extra effort. And while geofilters cost money, they’re very affordable — usually not more than $10 per city block per hour.

It’s easy and affordable to create original geofilters for your event. You don’t have to be active on Snapchat to create a geofilter for attendees, you just need an account. (You can make an account by downloading the app, here for iOS or here for Android.)

How to create an on-demand Snapchat geofilter

Making an on-demand geofilter for your event is a simple three-step process. You choose your design, select the physical area you want the filter to be displayed on, and then submit it to Snapchat for review. All of these steps happen on Snapchat’s on-demand geofilter website.

To create a geofilter for your event, you just need to submit an illustration to Snapchat here. Your filter will be reviewed within a few business days. Here are the steps:

Step 1. Design your on-demand Snapchat geofilter

You have two options when designing your geofilter: uploading your own, or editing one of Snapchat’s provided templates on the web.

Most events will want to design their own geofilter to upload, which you can do using Photoshop or Illustrator templates. This way, you can include your brand’s logo and elements that are specific to your event. Here are a few guidelines to follow when making your Snapchat geofilter:

Include your business or event name and logo
Cover only the top or bottom 25% of the screen
Submit files that are 1080 px wide by 1920 px high
Save your filter as a .PNG with a transparent background
Make sure your file is under 300KB in size

And of course, be sure not to include any information against Snapchat’s submission guidelines, such as contact info like URLs, hashtags, or social media handles.

If your bandwidth, timeline, or budget don’t allow for an original filter, Snapchat also has a number of good online templates you can quickly edit to include your event name.

Step 2. Pick a time and set a geofence for your geofilter

Next, you’ll be asked to select the dates and time you want the geofilter to be active. This will likely be the date and time of your event, though it’s a good idea to add an extra hour or two on either end of your event as buffer. The maximum date range for this kind of geofilter is 30 days. Expect to pay somewhere around $10-15 per hour per city block on which the geofilter is active.

If you host a repeating event or own a venue, you can buy a geofilter on a long-term basis for a discount. These annual plans are in the $1,000-$10,000 range, depending on your location. The plans allow you to update the creative for each event, and include benefits like additional reporting and discounted pricing.

Once you’ve selected the timing of your geofilter, it’s time to define your “geofence” — the physical location where the geofilter will be active. Once again, it’s a good idea to be generous when drawing these lines, since cell phone location services can be inaccurate. You don’t want attendees on your event grounds to be unable to access your geofilter because their phone thinks they’re across the street. To safeguard against this, consider adding the blocks surrounding your venue to your filter as well.

Step 3. Submit and purchase your geofilter

The last step is to confirm the details, agree to the terms of service, and pay. Snapchat reviews geofilters within a business day of submission, but it’s best to submit your filter at least a week before the event. This way, if the filter isn’t approved for any reason (which Snapchat would explain), you have plenty of time to edit it.

There are no limits to the number of geofilters you can make for your event — just go through the same process as many times as you’d like. Large events often have several filter options for attendees to choose from, but for smaller events one is typically fine.

If you’re reading this before March 13th, you’re in luck! Eventbrite is offering readers a 10% off discount on any on-demand geofilter submitted between March 2 and March 13, 2017 using the code “EB10.” (The event can take place at a later date, but the geofilter must be purchased within these dates.)*

How attendees use Snapchat Geofilters at the event

When attendees are on Snapchat, they’ll automatically see your geofilter among their options for editing their photos or videos. When they send them to their friends or add them to their story, those viewers will see your geofilter as well. In that way, you can spread awareness of your brand far beyond your attendees.

Geofilters are incredibly popular — you’ll often see pictures with Snapchat filters over them appear on other social networks, because they add creative value to the photo. That said, it’s a good idea to use signage at your event to promote your Snapchat filter alongside your typical signs promoting your other social networks.

In one case study, RetailMeNot launched geofilters targeting malls across the country, and one in six Snapchatters who unlocked the geofilter chose to use it. Since your attendees are more actively engaged with your brand than the average shopper, you may see engagement rates well above that. After the event, you can look at your metrics to find out exactly how many people viewed and used your geofilter to see your ROI and find out how you can improve for next time.

Want to learn more about geofilters and other ways you can use Snapchat to promote your event? Check out this on-demand webinar for insider tips on how to use snapchat for your event.

*Terms and conditions: In order to redeem this Gift Code, you must have a Snapchat account. If you don’t already have a Snapchat account, you can create one by downloading the Snapchat app from the Apple Store available here or the Google Play Store available here (depending on your device). You can use this Gift Code for 10% off the purchase of a single On-Demand Geofilter from the Snap Inc. On-Demand Geofilter website available here. This Gift Code expires at 11:59 PM PT on 3/13/2017 and Snap Inc. reserves the right to modify, discontinue, or cancel this Gift Code at any time without notice in Snap Inc.’s discretion. To redeem this Gift Code, provide the Gift Code during the checkout process. Limited one use per Snapchat user. This Gift Code is not redeemable for cash and may not be used in combination with any other promotional offer. Refunds of a purchase using this Gift Code will have the amount charged to the Snapchat user’s method of payment refunded back to the Snapchat user. Snap Inc. is not responsible for any lost, stolen, or misused Gift Codes. This Gift Code cannot be resold and will be void if resold. If you violate any of the terms of this offer, this Gift Code will be automatically voided. Void where prohibited by law. This Gift Code and any purchase of an On-Demand Geofilter is subject to the On-Demand Geofilter Terms and Conditions. Please see the On-Demand Geofilter Terms and Conditions for additional details and contact information.