It may seem like Snapchat is the next big thing poised to take over social media, but businesses and marketers disagree as they continue to choose Instagram over Snapchat for their social media marketing efforts.
Based on size alone, Snapchat’s user base of 150 million pales in comparison to Instagram’s whopping 400 million. John Boitnott of Entrepreneur shares a few more reasons why marketers are choosing Instagram over Snapchat.
The basic nature of each social platform is very different. According to Whit Walker, Category Manager at Fiverr, “Instagram is permanent and concrete while also being more discoverable.” Conversely, Snapchat’s niche relies on its ability to be temporary. This means people have a harder time exploring on the social app, which is a serious barricade for businesses’ social media marketing strategies. Instagram also has a more service-oriented advertising structure that is both user-friendly and affordable, while Snapchat’s advertising opportunities cater towards major brands with big social media marketing budgets. In addition, Instagram is widely preferred by both small businesses and entrepreneurs who need accessibility and affordability. It provides a more cost-effective ROI with content that has a higher chance of being discovered and shared.
The advent of Instagram stories makes it an even stronger social media platform competitor. In fact, Snapchat growth slowed by 82 percent following the launch of Instagram stories, despite the fact that the features are virtually identical to Snapchat’s. Meanwhile, Instagram shows no signs of slowing down. eMarketer predicts that half of all social media users will be on Instagram by the end of 2017.
