Do you think Snapchat is just for teenagers sharing silly selfies? That’s a common misconception that might be holding your business back. Struggling with low website traffic or feeling like your brand is invisible online? Then this vibrant, visual platform is a powerful tool to stimulate growth, generate new leads, and boost sales in the Netherlands.
In this article, we show you exactly how to deploy Snapchat strategically. We discuss:
- Why Snapchat is an indispensable channel for Dutch marketers.
- How to set up effective ads that convert.
- Smart targeting and AI tools to maximize your ROI.
Why You Can't Ignore Snapchat
Dismissing Snapchat as a niche app is an easy mistake, but it means missing a direct connection with a massive, active audience. This is not a platform for stiff, corporate announcements; it is a place for real, spontaneous connection, which is exactly what modern consumers are looking for.
Users here don’t just scroll passively. They create, share, and engage actively, offering a huge opportunity for brands that dare to be creative.
Before we dive deeper, let’s look at the hard numbers that make Snapchat so attractive for businesses in the Netherlands.
Snapchat in Numbers for Dutch Marketers
This table shows why Snapchat is more than just a social app—it is a serious market waiting for your brand.
| Metric | Statistic | Business Opportunity |
| Total Dutch Users | 7+ million (early 2025) | Reach a massive local audience that may be less active on other platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn. |
| Population Reach | Nearly 40% of the population | Address a significant portion of the Dutch market with a single focused strategy. |
| Primary Age Group | 13-34 years | Connect directly with Gen Z and Millennials, two of the most influential consumer groups. |
| User Engagement | High daily active usage | Your message has a higher chance of being seen by users who open the app multiple times a day. |
These figures are not vanity metrics. They represent millions of potential customers you might be missing by ignoring the platform.
A Massive Dutch Audience Awaits You
The statistics speak for themselves. By early 2025, Snapchat has solidified its position in the Netherlands with over 7 million users. Let that sink in. That is nearly 40% of the entire Dutch population.
When you struggle with poor online visibility, ignoring a channel with such reach is like closing your shop to four out of ten people walking down your street. By being present here, you place your brand right in front of an audience that not only consumes visual content but expects it.
More Than an App—It’s a Growth Engine
For modern businesses, especially in e-commerce, retail, or hospitality, Snapchat has become much more than a simple messaging app. It is a strategic asset. The unique, ephemeral format encourages playful interaction and helps build brand loyalty in a way that feels authentic, not pushy.
Here is how the platform addresses common business pain points:
- Solve low brand awareness: Snapchat’s full-screen, immersive video ads are impossible to ignore. They grab the user’s full attention and break through the endless stream of a cluttered news feed.
- Generate more website traffic: Features like the simple "Swipe Up" link offer a frictionless path from an engaging Snap directly to your product pages, blog posts, or booking forms.
- Increase conversions and revenue: Shoppable AR lenses are a game-changer. They allow users to virtually "try on" sunglasses, test a new makeup shade, or see how a piece of furniture looks in their living room—and then buy it immediately.
By weaving Snapchat into your overall marketing plan, you open a fresh and powerful channel to find new customers. Our approach to social media marketing is based on this principle: turning platforms into real, measurable engines for business growth. It’s all about connecting with the right people, in the right place, with content that drives them to action.
The Dutch Snapchat User: Who Are They and What Do They Want?
To succeed with Snapchat, you first need to understand who you are talking to. It goes beyond basic stats about age and gender; you need to know what drives the Dutch user. This is not a passive audience scrolling by—they are creators, communicators, and active participants.
Don't see it as trying to get attention in a quiet movie theater, but as joining in at a lively festival. People are there to interact, share what is happening, and react to content that feels real and spontaneous. If you understand this mindset, you can create marketing messages that resonate and aren't skipped as just another boring ad.
What Makes Dutch Users So Engaged?
If there is one thing Dutch Snapchat users value, it is authenticity. They spot over-polished, corporate content from a mile away, and it feels out of place in a feed full of quick, personal moments. They expect brands to speak their language and be part of the conversation, rather than just shouting messages at them.
To truly make a connection, your content must be:
- Raw and unfiltered: A quick behind-the-scenes look at the office, a spontaneous product demo, or an informal Q&A session almost always performs better than an expensive, slick video.
- Interactive and playful: Engage people with polls, quizzes, and AR lenses. The more they can play and interact with your brand, the more memorable the experience becomes.
- Timely and relevant: Link your content to local events, holidays, or trends. A custom Geofilter for a local festival or a special lens for King's Day (Koningsdag) shows that you are paying attention and are part of the culture.
This desire for authenticity means your marketing should feel less like an ad and more like a conversation between friends.
Key Insight: The Dutch Snapchat audience doesn’t just consume content; they help create the experience. Your goal should not just be to be seen, but to become a natural part of their daily interactions on the app.
A Seriously Active and Engaged Audience
What truly stands out about the Dutch Snapchat community is how active it is. The user base is large, sure, but it is how often they use the app that offers a huge opportunity for businesses. These users don't just check in once a day; they are constantly there.
Snapchat usage in the Netherlands is exceptionally high in terms of engagement. Research shows that Dutch users open the app an average of 387 times per month. That is a huge jump compared to the global average of 136 sessions, which truly shows how deeply the platform is woven into their daily lives. You can read the full study on global Snapchat usage to see how the Dutch market stands out.
This incredible frequency means you have countless opportunities throughout the day to reach your audience. A well-timed Snap or Story can catch their attention during their morning commute, lunch break, or when they are relaxing in the evening.
Practical Tips to Reach This Audience
Understanding this behavior is the first step, but turning it into action yields results. So, how do you translate these insights into a concrete strategy that actually generates traffic and brings in leads for your business?
Here are a few practical ideas to get you started:
- Embrace Ephemeral Content: The temporary nature of Snaps and Stories is your friend. Use it to create a sense of urgency with limited-time offers, flash sales, or exclusive behind-the-scenes content that disappears after 24 hours.
- Use User-Generated Content (UGC): Engage your followers by encouraging them to share Snaps of themselves using your product or service. You can then post the best ones to your Story. This not only provides authentic social proof but also helps build a real community around your brand.
- Go Local with Geo-Targeting: Use Geofilters to target users in very specific locations, such as your physical store, an event you are attending, or even outside a competitor's location. It is a smart, cost-effective way to generate local traffic and make your brand visible in a specific area.
Choosing the Right Snapchat Ad Formats for Maximum ROI
Choosing the right ad format on Snapchat is like choosing the right tool for a job. You don’t use a hammer to cut wood, and you shouldn’t just throw money at a Story Ad if an interactive AR Lens could yield much better results. Snapchat’s ad toolkit is incredibly versatile, but you need to align the format with your specific goals—whether that’s generating traffic to your website or getting people into your physical store.
This image captures the creative, personal feel of the platform well. It is a good reminder for businesses to focus on authentic, engaging content rather than over-polished, corporate ads.
Snap Ads: The Workhorse of Your Campaign
The most common ad you will see is the Single Image or Video Ad, often just called a Snap Ad. These are the full-screen ads that appear between your friends' Stories or in the Discover feed. They are designed to grab someone’s full attention, even if only for a few seconds.
The most common ad you will see is the Single Image or Video Ad, often just called a Snap Ad. These are the full-screen ads that appear between your friends' Stories or in the Discover feed. They are designed to grab someone’s full attention, even if only for a few seconds.
When should you use them?
- Drive website traffic: Have a new blog post or a special landing page? This is your best bet.
- Promote a sale: Show a product with a clear "Shop Now" call-to-action.
- Generate leads: A simple swipe-up to a contact form can work wonders.
A good example is a Dutch e-commerce store selling sneakers. They can run a sleek, 10-second video ad showcasing their latest collection. A "Swipe Up to Shop" link takes people directly to the right page on their site, making the step from ad to purchase incredibly simple.
Story Ads: For Deeper Brand Stories
While a Snap Ad is a single shot, a Story Ad is a collection of 3 to 20 individual Snaps. It appears as a branded tile in the Discover section and invites users to dive deeper. This format gives you the space to tell a real story, showcase a range of products, or explain a service in more detail.
Think of it as your brand's own pop-up magazine on Snapchat. People have to actively tap on your Story to view it, which means you are reaching an audience that is already curious and more willing to engage with longer content.
You can build these and other ads via the official Snapchat for Business platform. Getting familiar with this dashboard is essential to effectively create, manage, and measure your campaigns. For more tips on making your videos pop, our guide on online video marketing offers valuable insights that apply here too.
Filters and Lenses: Let Users Play with Your Brand
This is where Snapchat truly distinguishes itself. Filters are graphical overlays that people can add to their Snaps, while Augmented Reality (AR) Lenses create interactive experiences that can change a user's appearance or transform the world around them.
These formats are brilliant because they turn your audience into brand ambassadors. When someone uses your branded Filter at an event or has fun with a clever AR Lens, they share your brand with their entire circle of friends. This creates massive organic reach that feels fun and natural, not like an intrusive ad.
- Geofilters: These are location-based overlays. For example, a local coffee bar can create a custom filter that only appears when customers are in the shop, encouraging them to share their visit.
- AR Lenses: These are highly interactive and can be incredibly powerful. Imagine an online furniture store creating a Lens that allows you to place a virtual sofa in your own living room to see if it fits. That’s not just an ad; it’s a tool that solves a real customer problem.
To get the most out of your Snapchat budget, you need to be strategic. The table below indicates which format works best for different business goals.
Choosing the Right Snapchat Ad Format
| Ad Format | Best For | Example |
| Snap Ads | Driving direct actions like website clicks, app installs, or lead generation. | A fashion brand runs a 10-second video to promote a flash sale with a "Swipe Up to Shop" link. |
| Story Ads | Telling a more detailed brand story, showcasing a product line, or building brand awareness. | A travel agency creates a Story Ad showing a "day in the life" of a trip to Bali, using multiple Snaps. |
| AR Lenses | Creating high-impact, viral engagement and interactive product experiences. | A makeup brand launches a Lens allowing users to virtually "try on" different lipstick shades. |
| Geo filters | Promoting physical locations, events, or generating store traffic. | A music festival creates a branded Geofilter only available to attendees on the event grounds. |
Ultimately, choosing the right format ensures that every euro you spend works as hard as possible to achieve your goals, whether that’s building brand awareness, collecting leads, or generating revenue.
Setting Up Your First Snapchat Campaign: A Step-by-Step Plan
Okay, let’s get to work. You know the theory, but now it’s time to actually set up your first Snapchat campaign. It might sound intimidating, but it is simpler than you think. We will guide you through the process step-by-step so your first venture into Snapchat ads is a success.
We cover everything from setting up your account to determining a budget that makes sense for you. Let’s begin.
Getting Started with Ads Manager
First of all, you need a place to build and manage your campaigns. That place is the Snapchat Ads Manager. Think of it as your command center for everything related to ads on the platform.
Setting it up is simple. Go to the Snapchat for Business website and create an account. You will need to fill in some basic information about your company. Once inside, take a moment to explore the dashboard. This is where you build your campaigns, monitor performance, and manage your spending.
What is Your Goal? Define Your Campaign Objectives
Before you spend a single euro, you need to ask yourself the most important question: what do I actually want to achieve? Without a clear goal, you are throwing content into the void. Fortunately, Snapchat's Ads Manager forces you to think about this from the start by asking you to choose an objective.
These objectives are neatly divided into three main categories:
- Awareness: This is all about bringing your brand to the attention of as many new people as possible. Perfect if you are just starting out, launching something new, or just want to create some buzz.
- Consideration: This is the next step. You want people to actually do something. This could be sending traffic to your website, getting more app installs, driving video views, or collecting new leads.
- Conversions: This is where the real action happens. The goal is to generate specific, valuable actions, such as a sale on your website or someone signing up for your newsletter.
Our Advice: Keep it simple for your very first campaign. Choose one clear objective. If you need more website traffic, choose "Website Visits". If you are looking for sales, select "Website Conversions". Focusing on one goal makes it much easier to determine if your campaign was successful.
Find Your Audience: Master Audience Targeting
With your objective set, it's time to decide who sees your ads. This is where Snapchat's targeting tools really shine, allowing you to find your ideal customer with great precision. You can build your audience with various layers.
Demographic and Location Targeting
This is your starting point. You can segment your audience based on:
- Age and Gender: Select the specific age groups and genders that match your typical customer.
- Location (Geo-Targeting): This is a game-changer for local businesses. You can target users in a specific country, region, city, or even draw a digital fence around your physical store to attract foot traffic from the neighborhood.
Interest and Behavioral Targeting
Now we get to the smart part. Snapchat allows you to target people based on their interests and behaviors, both on and off the app. For example, a sports store can target people interested in "Fitness & Wellness", while a travel agency can target users who have recently searched for vacations. This ensures your ads don't feel like spam, but are genuinely relevant to the people who see them.
Your Creative is Decisive
On a platform that revolves entirely around visuals, your ad creative can make the difference between success and failure. People on Snapchat fly through content, so you literally have seconds to make an impression. Your visuals need to stand out, feel authentic, and be made for a vertical screen.
Think back to what we know about Snapchat users—they want content that belongs there. That means raw, authentic, and engaging. A simple, well-recorded video with your phone often performs better than a slick, expensive production. Focus on telling a quick, clear story and always add a strong call-to-action, like "Swipe Up to Shop".
Use AI and Advanced Targeting Tools
Running a Snapchat campaign without using the advanced tools is like sailing without a rudder. Yes, you are moving, but you are leaving your destination to chance. The true magic of the platform lies in the smart, AI-driven features that take the guesswork out of your marketing and deliver real, measurable results.
These aren't luxury extras; they are essential for finding the right audience, serving them the perfect message, and understanding what actually works. Let’s look at how you can use these tools to stop wasting money and see a solid return on your ad spend.
The Snap Pixel: Your Smart Website Tracker
First and foremost, you absolutely must install the Snap Pixel. Think of it as a small piece of code that creates a direct link between your website and your Snapchat ads. Once you have placed it on your site, it starts tracking what people do after they have seen your ad.
This is an absolute game-changer. It shows you who clicked, who bought something, and who signed up for your newsletter. Without the Pixel, you are essentially running your campaigns blind, without a concrete way to prove if your money is making a difference.
Installing the Pixel unlocks two crucial capabilities:
- Conversion Tracking: You can finally see which ads actually generate sales or leads. This allows you to confidently increase your budget for the winners and stop the ads that are just costing money.
- Remarketing: This is where it gets really smart. You can build custom audiences from your website visitors. Imagine being able to specifically target people who added an item to their cart but got distracted before checking out.
Let AI Automate Your Bids
Figuring out how much to bid for your ads can feel like a dark art. Bid too low, and your ad is never seen. Bid too high, and you burn through your budget in no time. This is where Goal-Based Bidding comes in, where Snapchat’s AI does the heavy lifting for you.
Instead of messing with manual bids, you simply tell Snapchat what you want to achieve—for example, a "cost per purchase" of €10. The algorithm then gets to work, automatically adjusting your bids in real-time to achieve that goal as efficiently as possible.
Key Insight: Goal-Based Bidding gives you back control over your costs and strives for better results. The AI works around the clock to find the cheapest way to realize that sale, sign-up, or swipe-up you are looking for.
It is an ideal approach for busy entrepreneurs who don't have time to monitor their ad campaigns all day. It ensures your budget is spent intelligently to achieve tangible business results.
Dynamic Advertisements for eCommerce Success
Dynamic Ads for E-commerce Success If you are in e-commerce and have a huge product catalog, creating a separate ad for every item is a logistical nightmare. That is where Dynamic Ads save you a tremendous amount of time and generate more sales.
Instead of building every ad by hand, you simply connect your product catalog to Snapchat. The platform then takes over and automatically creates ads for different products, which are shown to users who have already shown interest on your website.
Think about it: a shopper views a specific pair of sneakers on your site but doesn't buy them. Moments later, an ad for those exact sneakers appears in their Snapchat feed, giving them a gentle nudge to complete their purchase. It is a hugely effective way to win back those near-lost sales and increase your conversion rates.
As the platform continues to grow, so does the potential for advertisers. By mid-2025, Snapchat's presence in the European Union had grown to an average of 94.7 million monthly active users, with a significant user base here in the Netherlands. This continued growth only underscores how essential it is to master these tools. You can find more insights on Snapchat's growth in the EU to see how big the opportunity is.
Understanding and using AI in your marketing is no longer a luxury; it is fundamental for growth. To delve deeper into how AI can revolutionize your marketing strategy, our whitepaper on AI for businesses might be useful. By embracing these advanced tools on Snapchat, you can move from simply spending money on ads to building a smart, predictable engine for generating sales and leads.
Measuring Success and Optimizing Performance
You’ve launched your Snapchat campaign. Great! But that is just the starting line. A marketing campaign is only as good as the results it delivers, which means you need to get serious about measuring your Return on Investment (ROI). It is easy to get distracted by flashy numbers, but we need to focus on the data that actually impacts your business.
our command center for all this is the Snapchat Ads ManagerHere you will find all the data on how your campaigns are performing. Don't be intimidated by the charts and numbers; the trick is to focus on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that directly relate to the goals you set initially.
Key Metrics to Monitor in Ads Manager
To determine if your Snapchat strategy is really working, you need to know which numbers to look at. Think of these metrics as a story about how people interact with your ads and, more importantly, whether that engagement translates into real business value.
Here are the most important ones to watch closely:
- Swipe-Up Rate: This is simply the percentage of people who saw your ad and swiped up to follow your link. If this number is low, it is a strong signal that your creative might not be grabbing their attention or giving them a good reason to take action.
- Cost Per Swipe-Up (CPSU): This tells you exactly what you are paying every time someone clicks through to your website. Monitoring this helps you understand if you are spending your money efficiently.
- Cost Per Lead (CPL): If you are running a campaign to generate new leads, this metric is your best friend. It calculates the cost of acquiring one new potential customer, which is crucial for managing your budget.
- Return On Ad Spend (ROAS): This is the ultimate measure to see if your ads are making money. It shows how much revenue you generate for every euro you spend. For example, a ROAS of 3:1 means you earned €3 for every €1 you invested.
Tracking these numbers helps you draw a direct line from your ad budget to business growth. It turns marketing from a cost center into a measurable, valuable investment.
How Do You Use Data for Smarter Decisions?
Having data is one thing; knowing what to do with it is another. The insights you gather from your Ads Manager should feed every adjustment you make, helping you refine your strategy for better results. When a campaign doesn't meet its goals, don't see it as a failure, but as a valuable lesson.
Our Pro Tip: Make it a habit to regularly check your campaign data to spot patterns. Is your swipe-up rate higher in the evening? Do videos get more engagement than static images? Use these observations to shift your budget and adjust your creative where it will have the most impact.
The Power of A/B Testing
One of the best ways to get more out of your campaigns is through A/B testing. It sounds technical, but it’s really just running two slightly different versions of an ad to see which one your audience prefers. The key is to change just one thing at a time—like the headline or the image—so you can pinpoint exactly what makes the difference.
You can test almost every part of your ad, such as:
- Headlines: Pit a direct call-to-action against an intriguing question.
- Visuals: Try a clean, product-focused image versus a more inspiring lifestyle photo.
- Audiences: Run the same ad for two different audience segments to see which group responds better.
This methodical approach takes the guesswork out of optimization. By continuously testing and refining, you go from hoping your ads work to building a data-driven marketing machine that consistently helps grow your business.
Frequently Asked Questions about Snapchat Marketing
When exploring a new marketing platform, questions always arise. As a digital marketing agency, we often get questions from Dutch entrepreneurs about how they can make Snapchat work for their business. Let's clear up some of the most common uncertainties so you can get started with confidence.
Is Snapchat isn't just for teenagers?
That is probably the biggest myth we hear. While Snapchat indeed started with a younger audience, the audience has matured and expanded. Here in the Netherlands, millions of users are now in the 18-34 age category — a crucial demographic with serious purchasing power. If you write off Snapchat, you are potentially ignoring a huge group of millennials and older Gen Z consumers who are on the app daily.
What budget do I need for Snapchat ads?
There is no magic number; it really depends on your specific goals and industry. But the beauty of Snapchat's ad platform is that you don't need deep pockets to start. You can start testing with as little as €5 per day.
Our advice? Start small, monitor your results closely, and then double down on what truly works. Pay close attention to metrics like your Cost Per Swipe-Up or Cost Per Lead. This tells you exactly what you are getting for your money before you decide to increase your spending. It is a low-barrier way to build a strategy based on real data, not guesswork.
Do I need to hire a professional videographer?
Not at all! In fact, super-polished, corporate videos often feel out of place on Snapchat and can perform poorly. People on the platform are used to authentic, spontaneous content. Think vertical videos, recorded with a smartphone, that feel natural and real.
The trick is to create ads that feel less like a slick TV commercial and more like a Snap from a friend. That authentic feel builds trust and ensures people actually engage.
Can B2B companies really use Snapchat?
It might seem like a natural playground for e-commerce, fashion, or food brands, but B2B companies can absolutely be successful here too. It just requires a bit more creativity. For example, a B2B company can use Snapchat to:
- Show company culture: Give potential new employees a look behind the scenes at the office, at your team, and what makes your company a great place to work.
- Promote events and webinars: Run targeted ads to reach professionals in very specific industries or locations.
- Showcase your brand's personality: Share quick industry tips or interesting insights in a fun, digestible format that doesn't feel like a lecture.
It’s all about finding a creative angle to connect with a professional audience in a more human, less formal way.
Ready to Turn Your Snapchat Strategy from a Question Mark into a Powerful Growth Engine? At Digitalique.nl, we help businesses like yours set up smart, data-driven campaigns that deliver real results.
Start growing your business with a clear strategy today .
