At first glance, Instagram and Snapchat may seem like two very similar platforms, since both are used to share images and videos with other users. However, if we stop to analyze them in depth, there are great differences between instagram and snapchat, especially if we want to use them as a marketing tool for our business or brand.
In this post we will explain these differences and we will see what the strengths and weaknesses of each platform are so that you can select the one that best suits your needs.
Instagram vs. Snapchat
Even though both applications can be well adapted to a marketing strategy of a business or brand, sometimes lack of time and other reasons force us to select a single platform on which to enhance our presence. If this is your case, you should study the opportunities offered by each one.
March
Even when, as we have already said, both platforms are used to share images and videos, there is a very marked difference, the time that other users can see your publications.
While on Instagram, posts are not removed from the user's profile or feed until they are voluntarily removed, on Snapchat posts are only viewable for a few seconds, being able to go from one to ten, as decided by the user. It is this expiration in the publications that makes the difference in Snapchat.
UPDATE: With the introduction of Instagram Stories, all content you post will expire in 24 hours.
Users
One of the most important things when making a choice like this is to know what type of users each of these platforms has and compare it with the type of audience your marketing campaign is aimed at.
Instagram already has more than 400 million active users who spend an average of 21 minutes a day using the app. The 41% of its users are between 16 and 24 years old and the 35% between 24 and 34.
Snapchat has more than 100 million users of which 70% are women and the average age of these users is between 13 and 24 years.
As you can see, there is a notable difference between the type of users, while Instagram covers a broader sector of the population, Snapchat has a majority of young or adolescent users.
Publications
At the same time that they remain visible to other users, we find more differences in the way of making a publication.
As you know, Instagram has a bank of filters that allow you to change the appearance of your images before posting them and at the same time add text, location, hashtags and tags in the same post, making the post as complete as possible. .
In Snapchat we can apply some filters to our photos even though it doesn't have as many as Instagram, despite everything we can paint on the image, add texts and even emojis. The publications consist only of the image, so we will not be able to add description, hashtags, etc.
Summarizing. if you were thinking about use hashtags on your Snapchat photos To reach more people, forget about it because you don't have this option.
Commercial promotion
Regarding sponsored posts, Instagram has an advertising platform supported by Facebook that has a very good response from users.
Snapchat, for its part, has yet to implement an ad platform that allows advertisers to boost posts.
Conclusions
Snapchat is a newer platform and so the competition is less, which means it can be easier to gain a foothold. At the same time, its operation makes other users rush when viewing the content since they know that it will not last visible for long.
On the other hand, you must have an account that the average user profile has a very marked age range, so if your publications are aimed at a young audience, it can be a very good option.
Instagram, for its part, has a much higher number of users and a broader age range, so if you need to reach a more diverse audience, Instagram is the ideal option.
And what is more, Instagram allows you to store your publications and create a gallery that all your followers can see at any time, which can be an advantage for most brands and users.
Finally, both applications can be of great advantage to reach your potential customers through the power of the image, despite everything, each one has its strengths.
