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