Think Snapchat is dead? Think again.

You might easily think that Snapchat is not a viable marketing channel anymore. With Instagram's stories replicating Snap's story feature and TikTok completely redefining marketing for Gen Z, it's easy to assume that "no one uses Snapchat anymore."

However, ironically, Snapchat remains one of the most widely used social platforms for America's Generation Z, consisting of those born in 1996 or later. According to Forbes, Snapchat reaches 90% of those between the ages of 13 and 24 in the United States. The platform also continued to add 9 million daily active users in the second quarter of 2020 and boosting quarterly revenue by 17%. Over 238 million people use Snapchat daily at the moment.

What sets Snapchat apart is its unique positioning for video advertising. It offers a full-screen format and interactive features to the brands, which gives them an opportunity to offer a more intimate, sneak-peek-like view into their character and value proposition. In times when customers value authenticity and relevance more than anything, advertising on Snapchat gives a chance to showcase the genuine side of any brand and create more in-depth relationships with current and potential customers, while keeping the interactions fun and engaging.

Essentially, Snapchat is widely used and loved -- and it's impossible to ignore its impact. However, there are some caveats when it comes to marketing on Snapchat:

• It's not always straightforward when it comes to tracking and success measurement.
• It's largely visual, leaving little to no room for copy or text content.
• The content won't stay on the platform for longer than 24 hours -- while this may be the differentiating factor of the platform in the first place, it certainly makes the content highly ephemeral and impossible to keep on a platform for a long enough time period.

While the platform may not be the top marketing channel of choice for all businesses, it's wrong to disregard the value it adds.