Hey Bosses! You know we only tackle the most serious of topics on the Sunny Show, and I have kept quiet on this topic for long enough! So today, I’m weighing in on all the pros and cons of Instagram Stories vs Snapchat stories!
Let’s start with the similarities, because let’s face it, there’s a lot of them! There’s a ton of similarities in how each of them operate:
- They both rely on photos and video
- They both have a “story”
- You can compile as many photos and videos into your story as you would like
- And they both only last for 24 hours
Now, let’s talk about why I like Instagram stories. There’s great things about both of these platforms!
- It keeps you relevant on Instagram: The engagement rate has fallen a little bit on Instagram for photos and videos that you post to your feed, so if you’re posting to Instagram stories, it keeps you top of mind. The Instagram story stays at the top of your feed on the home page, so users will see you more frequently and automatically think to check you and your profile out. This also humanizes you! It takes users behind the scenes of your static photos and shows you as a real human being. So make sure to use this platform to humanize your brand to your audience and really start connecting with your audience on another level!
- It drives traffic: Whether you want to drive traffic to your latest Instagram post or your conversion site, you can let users know through your Instagram story.
- Great for users who have never tried Snapchat: I know that there’s a lot of you out there who haven’t even tried snapchat yet, so if you already have an audience on Instagram, this is a great way to engage with them even further.
Okay..so of course, where there’s good, there’s also bad. My main con with Instagram stories is that it’s not quantifiable. Snapchat allows you to view when users screenshot one of your snaps, so you’re actually able to measure your engagement and conversions from your snapchat story. There is, however, one way to quantify your engagement on Instagram stories, and that’s by using custom links. You can use a custom bitly link on your Instagram story and then be able to track how many users went to your conversion site from this platform.
The other aspect of Instagram stories, that I’m not a huge fan of, is that you’re having to fight against a lot of other different variables. Since users natively go to Instagram to scroll through a feed, they are not quite used to going there just to view stories yet. This can make trying to get attention on your story a little more difficult. Whereas on snapchat, people are strictly there to watch your stories, so the attention and engagement rate is a lot higher on snapchat than it is on Instagram.
Now on to snapchat. The reason I love snapchat so much is that is really is easier to quantify your success, engagement and conversion rates. Yes, you are able to take a look at how many people viewed your story on Instagram, however, you can’t see how many people are taking screen shots of your content to see where the traffic is actually going. On snapchat, businesses like Taco Bell are seeing 88% engagement rates on snapchat, whereas on other social media platforms, Instagram is 3-5% and Facebook is 1-2%. These kind of conversion rates aren’t seen anywhere else other than Snapchat. The reason why this happens on snapchat, is because users are strictly there to view your stories, and it’s not necessarily an easy process to find users and follow them. SO if someone is following you on snapchat it means that their going to be super engaged in what you’re saying. This does, however, mean that you must be providing good content to your snapchat audience because they really are the kind of audience who will take action.
The main con of using snapchat is that if you haven’t started building a following yet, it’s a little more difficult now than it ever was before. On the plus with snapchat, it really isn’t about the quantity of followers, but more about the quality!
So how do I use both of these platforms? I use Instagram stories as a highlight reel that tells a story about my static photos or videos on my feed. Then, I use my instagram audience that I’ve built in and tell them to go and watch my full story on snapchat! I’ll provide users with my snapcode and I’ll also show them where to go on snapchat to see the full story. So I’m literally building my snapchat following by leveraging off of my instagram following.
Make sure to watch my video above, as I demonstrate a step-by-step tutorial on how to download your snapchat content and re-upload it to instagram and vice versa!
My final bonus tip: Keep in mind, that in order for your content to work on either platform and actually drive any kind of action for your business, you need to keep it relevant to your target audience, entertaining, inspiring AND educational. These keys to good content always apply, and they still apply here in telling your stories on instagram and snapchat.
If you want more clarity on either of these platforms here’s another video on How to Break the Instagram Algorithm. This video goes over my top tips for getting more exposure and growing your following a lot faster than your used to!
AND on snapchat, here’s the Top 10 Ways to Grow Your Snapchat Audience!
Positive vibes,
-S
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