Snapchat has become one of the most popular social media platforms, especially among younger users. One fun feature of Snapchat is how it handles birthdays. When it’s someone’s birthday, their friends on Snapchat are notified and can send them birthday wishes directly through the app. But what exactly does this look like from the user’s perspective? Here’s an overview of what happens on Snapchat when it’s your birthday.
Receiving Birthday Notifications
On the day of your birthday, your friends on Snapchat will get a notification saying that it’s your birthday. This notification appears at the top of their chat screens and stories page. Tapping on it opens up a page where they can create and send you a custom birthday message or greeting.
So throughout your birthday, you’ll start receiving snaps from your friends wishing you a happy birthday. The snaps will often include fun filters, stickers, drawings, or captions specifically celebrating your special day.
Birthday Stickers and Filters
In addition to messages from friends, Snapchat provides some exclusive birthday features. On your birthday, you get access to special birthday filters and stickers to decorate your snaps.
The birthday filters add festive overlays and animations to your selfies. Some examples include birthday hats, glittery backgrounds, balloons, and colorful lettering of “Happy Birthday!”
The app also unlocks a set of customizable stickers with birthday themes. You can add these stickers to your snaps to mark them as birthday snaps. There are stickers with cakes, balloons, presents, and party themes.
Birthday Mini Profile
Snapchat also creates a special mini profile on your birthday. This publicly showcases to all your friends on Snapchat that it’s your birthday.
In your mini profile, the app adds a celebratory emoji like a birthday hat or cake. It also shows a sticker that says “It’s (Your Name)’s Birthday!” Underneath it displays your birthday in a colorful font.
This mini profile stays active the entire day, so all your Snapchat friends and contacts can see that you’re celebrating your special day. Some may reach out directly with birthday wishes after seeing your mini profile.
Birthday Stories
In addition to snaps from individual friends, you may also receive some birthday stories. The Snapchat stories feature allows friends to post longer videos and photos that stay available for 24 hours.
On your birthday, friends can create stories wishing you a happy birthday. These tend to be more elaborate, with friends taking videos of themselves singing or holding up birthday signs. Rather than private snaps, these public stories let all your mutual friends know it’s your birthday.
Snapchat will also automatically create a default happy birthday story for you. It contains the current time, a birthday sticker, and message saying “Happy Birthday!” This gets added to the stories feed on your special day.
Birthday Trophy Case
After your birthday passes, a trophy appears in your profile commemorating your special day. This gets added to your “trophy case,” which is a section that displays your achievements on Snapchat.
The birthday trophy appears as a blue cupcake icon and is labeled with the date of your most recent birthday. Tapping on it pulls up a celebratory message, confetti animation, and all the stories you received on your birthday.
It becomes a keepsake to look back on the happy birthday wishes from your friends on Snapchat. You’ll get to re-live the birthday fun whenever you glance at your trophy case.
Why Does Snapchat Do All of This for Birthdays?
Snapchat goes above and beyond for birthdays compared to other social networks. Here are some of the key reasons and motivations behind Snapchat’s birthday features:
Drives Engagement
The notifications and prompts encourage friends to reach out and send birthday snaps. This increases engagement between users and how actively they use Snapchat to communicate with each other. High engagement is key for social media growth.
Personalization
By making birthdays feel special, Snapchat provides a more personalized and human touch. This helps users build closer connections beyond just generic social media interactions.
Retention
Unique birthday features give users incentive to keep using Snapchat. The exclusive stickers, filters, and trophy case are only available through Snapchat. This retention boosts Snapchat’s userbase and daily active users.
Virality
Friends sharing birthday stories helps spread awareness about Snapchat’s birthday capabilities through word-of-mouth. The more viral these features become, the more new users join Snapchat.
Positive Association
When users link Snapchat with positive feelings of celebrating birthdays, they develop a positive association with the brand. This emotional connection and sentiment keep them loyal to Snapchat.
Advertising
Snapchat birthday mini profiles and stories offer valuable advertising real estate. Snapchat can insert ads into the birthday stories feed or use the mini profile space for sponsored content.
Data Collection
By getting users to verify their birthdays for birthday features, Snapchat also gains access to valuable user data and demographics. This supports their data analytics and ad targeting capabilities.
How to Use Snapchat’s Birthday Features
Want to make the most of Snapchat’s birthday goodies? Here are some tips:
Set Your Birthday
First things first – make sure your birthday is properly set in your Snapchat profile settings. This alerts Snapchat to give you access to the special birthday features on your special day.
Spread the Word
Let your close friends know that your birthday is approaching so they remember to send you snaps and stories. The more friends who participate, the merrier your birthday will be!
Use the Special Elements
Take full advantage of the exclusive birthday filters, stickers, and other creative elements to decorate your birthday snaps. Show off and flaunt the Snapchat birthday features.
Save Your Birthday Stories
Don’t forget to screenshot your favorite birthday stories and messages. That way you can look back on the happy memories even when the stories expire after 24 hours.
Thank Your Friends
Let your friends know that you appreciate them thinking of you on your special day. Send thank you messages or create a gratitude story for all their birthday wishes.
Fun Ways Friends Can Celebrate Your Birthday on Snapchat
Need some inspiration for how friends can make your birthday extra special on Snapchat? Here are some fun ideas:
Custom Filters
Friends can create custom geofilters just for your birthday with your name or a birthday message. When you’re together in person, you’ll be able to use the exclusive geofilter to celebrate.
Shared Stories
Friends can collaborate on a shared story compiling birthday wishes and memories from all your close Snapchat buddies. It becomes a collective birthday card from all your friends!
Birthday Contest
Friends can compete in a birthday snap contest to see who can create the most elaborate or hilarious birthday snap for you. You can even give out awards for categories like “Funniest” or “Most Creative.”
Birthday Mystery Game
Friends give you challenges or puzzles via snaps that lead to a birthday surprise or gift. It becomes a fun birthday scavenger hunt across Snapchat!
Surprise Party Snaps
If your friends throw you a real-life surprise party, make sure they document the planning and party on Snapchat as an added birthday surprise.
Embarrassing Old Snaps
For some birthday humor, friends can dig through their old snaps and find funny or embarrassing snaps to replay just for your birthday. A birthday roast if you will!
Montage Video
Friends can use the Snapchat Memories feature to string together old snaps and stories into a heartfelt birthday montage video celebrating your friendship.
Birthday Takeover
If you feel like really ceding the spotlight for your birthday, let your friends “takeover” your Snapchat account for the day. They can snap as you for your birthday while you sit back and watch the fun!
Snapchat Birthday Features for Businesses
Snapchat also provides options for businesses to leverage birthdays in creative ways:
Birthday Ads
Snapchat Ads Manager lets businesses target ads specifically to users on their birthdays. This allows for highly personalized marketing on the user’s special day.
Birthday Lenses
Sponsored lenses that activate on a user’s birthday could include the business’ branding alongside the birthday celebration. This captures their attention on their special day.
Birthday Filters
Geofilters sponsored by a business for users’ birthdays would blend promotional marketing with the user’s birthday celebration.
Birthday Coupons
Businesses can send discount codes or special “birthday freebies” offers to members on their birthdays. This shows appreciation and builds loyalty.
Contests
Brands can hold birthday giveaways or contests entry for users on their birthdays. To enter, users would engage further with the brand by following their account, sharing content, etc.
Tiered Rewards
Loyalty programs could offer escalating birthday rewards based on how many years the user has been a member. Year one could be a free item, year two a discount, year three free shipping, and so on.
Snapchat Birthday Case Studies
Here are some real world examples of brands running inventive Snapchat birthday campaigns:
Anthropologie – Birthday Notes
Fashion retailer Anthropologie partnered with Snapchat to allow users to send custom illustrated birthday notes to friends right within Snapchat. The notes featured Anthropologie’s signature artistic style blended with birthday themes. This drove brand engagement by associating Anthropologie with friendship and birthday fun.
Guess – Sticker Store
For their 30th anniversary campaign, Guess launched a Snapchat scavenger hunt. Users could unlock various stickers by watching Guess’ birthday stories and visiting retail locations. Users would then use the stickers to wish Guess a happy birthday, increasing awareness.
ESPN – Sponsored Lenses
ESPN created sponsored lenses featuring celebratory graphics and captions like “Happy Birthday Sports Fan!” on Snapchat users’ birthdays. Clicking the lens pulled up an ESPN video billboard wishing them a happy birthday.
Hollister – Snapchat Q&A
On Hollister’s birthday, the company hosted a Snapchat Q&A for fans. In exchange for birthday wishes, Hollister answered questions about products and campaigns. This personalized connection made fans feel special on Hollister’s big day.
Buffalo Wild Wings – Birthday Deals
For Buffalo Wild Wings’ birthday month, they offered fans a free order of wings if they showed their ID matching the birth month. This exclusive birthday offer incentivized visits and sales during the brand’s special month.
Best Practices for Brands
Here are some top tips for brands looking to make the most of Snapchat birthday marketing:
Partner With Snapchat
Work directly with Snapchat’s marketing team to brainstorm innovative birthday campaigns. Their expertise can help unlock unique features other brands aren’t using.
Personalize Messaging
Avoid overly salesy or promotional messaging. Focus on emotional connections and making birthdays feel special. This authenticity resonates more.
Incentivize Engagement
Offer exclusive birthday rewards in exchange for engagement with your brand. Discounts, contests, and freebies entice activity and buzz.
Utilize Creative Tools
Leverage Snapchat’s full suite of lenses, filters, stickers, and more. Creativity makes campaigns more memorable and shareable.
Highlight Exclusivity
Emphasize how your birthday features are only available on Snapchat. The exclusivity makes fans feel special and gives Snapchat status as the place for birthday fun.
Snapchat Birthday Trends
Here are some current trends in how birthdays are celebrated on Snapchat:
More Elaborate Stories
Friends are taking stories to the next level with videos, montages, and multi-snap narratives. Sending just a basic snap is no longer enough.
Increased Group Participation
It’s become more common to have collaborative group stories with 10+ friends all contributing birthday snaps and wishing the birthday person well.
Snaps Throughout the Day
Friends are snapping birthday messages in the morning, afternoon, and evening rather than just a single snap. The birthday love is spread out across the day.
Covid-Themed Lenses
Popular quarantine-themed lenses insert masks or social distancing references into birthday snaps during Covid times. Friends are making the best of pandemic birthdays.
Birthday Highlight Covers
Users are designing colorful, festive highlight covers on their profiles specifically to showcase their birthday stories from friends.
Cross-Platform Birthday Posts
Friends are re-sharing their Snapchat birthday stories as posts on Instagram or Facebook. Cross-promoting amplifies the birthday love even further.
The Future of Birthdays on Snapchat
As Snapchat continues evolving as a platform, what might the future look like for birthdays? Here are some potential developments:
More Personalized Features
Imagine Snapchat using augmented reality to display 3D birthday effects and overlays customized with your name and age. The possibilities get more advanced.
Smarter Notifications
Snapchat could use artificial intelligence to notify your “Top Friends” list first about your birthday before other contacts for more personalization.
Birthday Mini Games
To drive engagement, Snapchat may develop special birthday-themed mini games to play with friends. These could offer chances to win exclusive filters or lenses.
Event Integration
For users who add their birthdays to Snapchat’s Snap Map, nearby venues could offer special discounts or freebies on their birthday. Integrating real world perks.
Custom Memory Reels
Snapchat might auto-generate a shareable highlight reel of your snaps from past birthdays. It would showcase the app’s importance on one’s special day throughout the years.
Conclusion
Snapchat has transformed into so much more than just a photo and video sharing app. The unique and festive ways Snapchat celebrates birthdays really exemplifies the app’s focus on friendship and connections.
Between the birthday stories, special lenses and filters, notifications to friends, and trophies, Snapchat makes birthdays feel meaningful and special. Both individual users and brands have found creative ways to leverage Snapchat’s birthday features for engagement, virality, and fun.
As Snapchat continues to innovate, the birthday celebrations on the platform will likely only get more personalized and elaborate. But ultimately, it represents Snapchat’s commitment to making sure every user’s special day is acknowledged. For an app built on ephemeral content, Snapchat birthdays create lasting memories and touch emotional notes through the power of technology.