If you’re in business in Bucks County and looking at various digital marketing strategies to complement local SEO as a method of growing your company, you should consider advertising on social media. Facebook and Twitter are probably the first two websites that come to mind when those who need to advertise their business think of social media. In addition to extremely impressive traffic volume, they have also been around longer than most with Facebook having launched in 2004 and Twitter in 2006. While they are two of the bigger kids on the block, they are not the only ones.
Two other social media platforms that businesses are having to evaluate for potential marketing prospects are Instagram and Snapchat. These social media sites launched in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Snapchat has been giving Instagram a run for their money. They brought an array of new features to market that millennials especially were fond of such as filters that enable them to easily change the look of the images they share. That said, Instagram has clearly pulled ahead of Snapchat, and it’s hard to see Snapchat catching up anytime soon.
Advantages of Instagram Over Snapchat
- Instagram Has a Much Larger Audience
In advertising, you’re never going to get more than a small percentage of those who see your ad to click on it, and then there will be an even smaller percentage who end up buying from you. This is why advertising is all about the numbers. You have to reach as many people as you can for a given ad budget, and this is where Instagram has a clear advantage over Snapchat. Instagram has over 600 million active monthly users compared to a little over 300 million for Snapchat. - Stronger Financial Backing and Facebook Integration
Facebook purchased Instagram in 2012. Despite not seeing much growth lately, particularly in the U.S. Market, Facebook still has more traffic than any other social media site. By acquiring Instagram, Facebook now has a vested interest in the company succeeding and will do all they can to integrate Facebook and Instagram and encourage users of one site to get on the other. This can only help Instagram’s continued growth over the years. - Better Search Capability and Ad Targeting
Snapchat provides more of a one-on-one interface between private users, which can be fun and one of the reasons it’s popular with many people. Instagram, however, uses more traditional search and targeting features such as the use of hashtags initially popularized by Twitter. It’s easier for brands to target specific groups of prospects on Instagram, which makes it easier for you to reach those specifically interested in what you have to sell. - Instagram Has Replicated Some of Snapchat’s Popular Features
Probably the biggest advantage that Snapchat has over Instagram is its popularity with the younger crowd. However, one of the things that younger people like about Snapchat is its “stories” feature. However, Instagram came out with an update just last year in which they copied and, some would say, improved upon this feature. A significant percentage of Snapchat users say they would delete it if Instagram also came out with Snapchat’s Lens and Geofilter features. So, even this one edge that Snapchat has over Instagram may not last long.
Why Choose One or the Other?
Businesses in Bucks County have many marketing options available to them thanks to the top-notch services offered by a company like Planet 8 Digital. When it comes to the question of Instagram versus Snapchat, Instagram seems to have the edge unless you sell a product or service that is heavily skewed toward a younger demographic where Snapchat still currently has an advantage. That said, if you examine Snapchat’s pricing and they seem to compensate for any disadvantages, why not advertise in both venues?
I don’t know how many sales your business needs in a month to do well, but the 300 million active monthly users that Snapchat has is still a huge number of people to reach out to. Focus on Instagram first, but if your ad budget allows it, there’s no reason not to reach out to both platforms’ audiences, and expand your brand as widely as possible.
