Snapchat now selling users, businesses on-demand geo-filters

Snapchat will allow businesses and users to purchase geo-filters on-demand, opening a new revenue stream for the photo and video app, the company announced on Monday.

In the past, geofilters have been restricted to specific communities.

For example, at the University of Kentucky there is a geofilter for Snapchats whenever I am on campus. It can be accessed by sliding through Snapchat's filters after a photo or video has been taken.

But now with its new on-demand geo-filter product, users can buy geo-filters starting at $5 and the turnaround time is generally one day, Snapchat says. It's up to the user or business to create the geofilter logo that will be used. The minimum size and time for the geofilters is 5,000 square feet and 30 minutes.

I tried a community geofilter for my fraternity's house last fall, but thought about the implications it could cause with users anonymously posting stories of who knows what. I was pretty impressed with how Snapchat works with communities, however.

For businesses, it could mean more engagement on the cheap.

See also:

• Snapchat working on 'Discover' subscribe feature for publishers: Report
• Ban teens from Snapchat, Facebook, Google? That's Europe's new ruling