Snapchat is a social media platform similar to Instagram. It allows you to take photos and videos, share them with friends or send them as messages. The catch with Snapchat is that once a viewer opens your snap, they have only 10 seconds to see the content, and then the content disappears.
The famous photo sharing platform Instagram advertised as “a fun and quirky way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures” has definitely shaded Snapchat. This is because of an update called Instagram Stories. For years now, Snapchat has laid claim to the feature, allowing users to take short videos and share with their friends whenever they feel like it. Then, out of nowhere, Instagram decided they wanted to do the exact same thing. This was, no doubt, a move made in order to fight the competition. Since Instagram offers higher performance for a while now, they seem to have accomplished their goal of beating Snapchat on the market.
Instagram offers artistic focus – the images are often of higher quality and can be edited. Hashtags are frequently used, meaning it will be easier to reach your target audience, and more texts and descriptions can be added.
Another important reason why Instagram has been sweeping Snapchat off the digital marketplace is Facebook integration. Instagram content automatically appears on Facebook and it is viewed by two sets of audience. This makes Instagram a better choice for marketing purposes.
Some time ago, there were still significant differences between Instagram and Snapchat, as they offered different features and, therefore, were used for different purposes. Instagram was the curator of great content, and Snapchat was about capturing the moments in your life. Now that Instagram incorporated the Stories feature, users are faced with a choice when that special moment strikes.
You really can’t post to both because as soon as you post, that moment already passed. And since Instagram offers additional features, you don’t really want to use both apps, when you can have it all within one.
Although Facebook has become an advertiser’s dream with its laser-targeted ad network, the cool kids were starting to migrate to Instagram. Zuckerberg knew that once a tech brand loses cool, there’s no use chasing it. Instead, he simply acquired Instagram, gave it a future-forward facelift and integrated his controversial Facebook algorithm. Some time ago, Facebook offered 3 billion dollars to buy Snapchat, but the company didn’t want to sell.
Witnessing the rise of Snapchat with the younger demographic as a “trendier alternative” to Instagram, Facebook decided to protect its territory by folding Snapchat features right in – and as we can see, it worked out. Just as Facebook is beginning to define family and online marketing, Instagram is already shaping the social media culture as we know it.
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