We’ve previously covered Snapchat geofilters, and how they can be an awesome supplement to your nonprofit’s social media strategy. If you’re still unfamiliar with them, check out this detailed demo video:
These simple picture overlays have a lot of potential, so this week we’ll brainstorm 10+ Snapchat geofilter ideas for your organization.
Before we get started, we’ll need to take into account Snapchat’s restrictions on how you can use geofilters. You can find the full list here, but I’ll list the essentials below.
Guidelines to creating a great geofilter
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You must have the necessary rights to include any trademarks or logos
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No photographs of people – illustrated caricatures seem to be OK
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No urls, phone numbers, emails or hashtags
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No more than 2 lines of text
You’ll notice Snapchat doesn’t have many restrictions, but the few that do exist really force us to be creative.
The key to creating a great geofilter, then, is to pique the user’s curiosity rather than tell them what to do.
With this goal in mind, let’s think up a few ways you can use geofilters to your organization’s advantage.
10 Ideas for Snapchat geofilters
1) Make a “visual hashtag”
Throw up a geofilter at your next event or annual Gala, and guests will share it when they snap all their friends about how they’re spending their Friday night.
It’s similar to how events create hashtags for Twitter, but even better.
2) Remind people you exist
I’m sure people don’t appreciate you enough.
Create a geofilter that covers an important location people don’t associate with your non-profit to increase awareness of your work.
For example, I didn’t know Philly’s Wissahickon park is maintained by volunteers. A geofilter by Friends of the Wissahickon might inspire me to help out when I snap my friends about my afternoon hike.
3) Oppose a politician
Snapchat users love being goofy, so a filter poking fun at your political opponent will be a big hoot.
There’s a Philly campaign called “Where’s Toomey?” that calls out our Senator on his empty field offices. A geofilter that covers each office would be a big hit; it could say “Selfie with Toomey” and have a dashed outline of some invisible person.
Note that political filters are required to have “Paid for by …” on the screen.
4) Reach your audience
Where do your supporters hang out? Use the geo- part of the filter to your advantage by targeting places your audience gathers.
Take Bumble for example. They were a new dating app targeting girls in their 20’s. They paired up with Snapchat to create filters for every single university in the US and Canada, and with great success.
5) Create a virtual tour
You know those audio tours that make you carry around
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Community dev corp makes a tour of buildings they’ve restored
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Create an icebreaker activity by sending pairs to take snaps with each of the filters and add them to their “story”. Increase awareness while doing teambuilding!
6) Make a coupon
Just like Facebook likes, Twitter Hashtags and Foursquare check-ins, you can use Snapchat geofilters to create a coupon that also increases awareness.
Simply have your customers show the snap in their Story to whoever is working the register!
7) Promote int’l ___ day
There is an international “day” for everything. Sometimes even a week or month. Take advantage of the increased buzz to publish a geofilter from your nonprofit!
The example to the right is Snapchat’s filter for Int’l Women’s Day. A domestic abuse organization could do something similar, and probably see an increase in donations that day.
8) Make people feel left out
Everyone, especially people who keep up with social media, love to feel “in-the-know”. Creating an exclusive campaign, then, is the perfect plan to make your group the talk of the town.
Taco Bell did this with great success for the launch of their Naked Chicken Chalupa. Anyone who saw this filter would think “Pre-order? For Taco Bell? What? Why? How did I not know?” and immediately google it.
9) Create a virtual prop
Snapchat users love using filters to augment reality and pose with virtual props.
Capitalize on your goofiness and make something salient, but strange!
For example, some fair-trade nonprofit could easily replicate this Starbucks filter with their own brand.
Even better, a bird sanctuary could make a couple virtual beaks and plumage!
10) Re-create a meme
Memes are naturally shareable, so why not include one in your geofilter?
The recent “Cash me ouside, how bow dah?” meme could’ve been the perfect opportunity for the national parks to promote attendance during the slow season.
I can already see the floods of 10-second videos of people dancing in meadows while this remix plays in the background.
11) Bonus!
…Sort of. Just a reminder that this isn’t the limit. Use your creativity to combine any of these ideas into a mega filter!
To combine #3 and #10, I hear Donald Trump memes are especially shareable these days.
Anyways, I hope you have as much fun creating geofilters as I did writing this post about them. Unleash your silliness and enjoy!