Snapchat was brought to the market in 2011, and it enjoyed rapid growth due to certain features the app provided which to my knowledge, no other mobile application could provide at the time. A huge drawing card for the app, was the temporary nature and self-deleting media once a user had shared it with a select audience. This enabled users to engage in frivolous banter and entertainment. Furthermore, another feature which gained in popularity, was the story-mode, allowing users to post videos throughout the day showcasing their lifestyle. This mode became popular with celebrities and certain brands who incorporated it into their social media marketing strategy.
However, Instagram have been fiercely competitive and keen to cut into Snapchats share of the market, they quickly realised the potential story mode had as a drawing feature to their app. Consequently, Instagram introduced their own story mode in August 2016, and have continually developed the app to allow for a more streamlined and convenient ‘user experience’. Its no surprise then, that Instagram is now ahead of SnapChat, with AdWeek reporting that Instagram now has 250 million daily users as of June this year, as opposed to SnapChats share of the pie, which saw them report a drastically lower share with 166 million daily users. AdWeek also found evidence which examined brands with both a SnapChat and an Instagram account, these brands were more than twice as likely to use story mode on Instagram than on Snapchat. What is remarkable about this, is that story mode on Instagram has only been around for little over a year. The graph below further illustrates my point.
So the question to naturally ask, is why are marketers using Instagram more? Well John Boitnott from Entrepreneur magazine believes the reason marketers are choosing Instagram over Snapchat is because of a number of reasons:
a) Hashtags, allowing brands to be discovered and create niche markets;
b) lower priced Advertising;
c) lastly Instagram services, which provide post scheduling, hashtag recommendations and marketing strategies to name a few.
Let me know what you think below, why do you think Instagram is the platform of choice for Digital Marketers?
Thanks for reading,
Eddie
featured image: winkstrategies.com
Hi Eddie, it’s amazing to see how quickly Instagram captured the “story” market from Snapchat and other users. I guess that being able to reference is a huge bonus for brands. The ability to link back to a profile that displays the products and services they offer as well as the use of hashtags to run campaigns and get people involved and engaged through the use of the same hashtags can be extremely appealing to these businesses. All these features are non-existent in Snapchat, which is why Instagram has become a better avenue for businesses to market through.
Great analysis, Instagram is definitively more user friendly for both brands and users. A few cosmetic brands have seen success on snapchat however, most brands find their audiences are far more engaged on Instagram. You make some great points, I also believe Facebooks acquisition of Instagram has played a large part in the success of the platform too, particularly with linking accounts and analytics.
I think more and more marketers will be using Instagram stories over Snapchat because the filters on the snapchat like vomiting rainbows and the like make the brand that want to advertise there in a less serious light. Additionally, it’s easier to find brands on Instagram through their bio and their Facebook over Snapchat where you would need the exact username to add. With Instagram being around longer they have a larger customer base to target, so it’s not surprising brands are using Instagram stories.
Yeah very true, snapchat has a very childish feel, and not so much focused on visual appeal like instagram. It’s interesting to see how overvalued snapchats IPO was, and the share price completely plummet since it was publicly listed. thanks for commenting
Interesting post! I personally use both social media apps but when it comes to story mode, I still use Snapchat’s more than Instagram maybe because I just got use to it and feel that there is more privacy as compared to Snapchat. From a marketer’s point of view, yes I do agree that Instagram would be a better platform as Instagram has been established for quite some time and many brands have an Insta page to their brands and by using hashtags and tags on Insta story, consumers are able to link one another but with Snapchat there is no such usage. I feel Snapchat is more for privatised usage and with their strict rules, advertisers are not able to get into it.
Yeah agree, I see snapchat as a very private thing, used for fun and games, and I think Snapchat want to retain it. I used Snapchat for a couple of months, but it wasn’t really my piece of cake. I think it all depends on the user, and then brands can make a decision which platform to utilize, cosmetic brands have had quite a bit of success on Snapchat. Thanks for commenting
Hey! This posts highlights the power of hashtags in terms of marketing strategy! In my opinion, instagram also benefits from a better design than snapchat. Indeed, I think that the app is more likable than the yellow one. Also, if you see an interesting product on the Instagram story you will go and have a look on their Instagram page, both are easily linked.
Very true, I think the user experience is lacking with SnapChat, however I’m not a frequent user of the platform, so it would be interesting to conduct some research on their user’s attitudes towards their platform.
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