A Marketer’s Guide: Instagram VS Snapchat Stories

How to Maximize Engagement with the “Millenials” and Beyond

EDIT: This article is updated to reflect the addition of links in Snapchat Stories.

Can you tell the difference? Me neither.

It was a warm autumn day, August 8th, 2016, when Instagram released its “Stories” competition to Snapchat. Many scoffed (myself included) thinking, “Wow, what a ripoff, they’ll lose their target audience” but then I began to think… this is genius. Instagram didn’t need to appeal to their existing audience—that audience already used Instagram religiously. They weren’t going anywhere, so why cater even more to them? It was time to expand.

So, Instagram introduced 24 hour snapshots of the day, which grew to include text overlays, timers, colour filters, geofilters, and (most recently) facial recognition filters. Essentially, they incorporated Snapchat Stories directly into their app.

They call this—wait for it—Instagram Stories. (So creative and original!)

This was not made by me, but I wish it was.

The strategy? Provide an outlet for all forms of photo-sharing: from the polished snapshots to the everyday selfies. Cover all bases, and Instagram would become the go-to place for all forms of photo sharing.

I’m going to explain how these seemingly identical “Stories” can be used for radically different marketing purposes.

1. Instagram is the prime Photo Sharing hub

While “Stories” are entertaining, they’re more for advertising.

Stories are still a growing feature on Instagram, and as such, have a small, but fast-evolving consumer-base. This means there’s little competition, particularly for brands and businesses.

To encourage people to contribute to Stories, Instagram showcases those of friends and followed accounts at the top of the screen every time a user opens the app. The most frequently-viewed and highest-valued Stories are placed first in the list. This is based on the amount of personal interaction a user has with that account. (i.e. the more likes/comments from users on your account’s regular photos, the higher priority your Story gets placed in their list.)
(i.e.i.e. Post more photos, drive more engagement, acquire more leads.)

Marketing Suggestion:

Have several regular posts keyed up per week ahead of time, so the social media marketer can focus on creating quality Stories content every day.

Types of Content to Consider:

To a business, Instagram is all about marketing — using the platform to drive sales, inquiries, or web traffic. Stories offer a clear call-to-action button—this is the main reason Instagram Stories are more brand-friendly than Snapchat. This call-to-action links to a customizable web page, opened within Instagram, so the user is never removed from the Story experience and can easily move back and forth between product and Story.

09/15/2017 — As of this edit, Snapchat has rolled out their own “call-to-action” button. Unfortunately, it’s not as customizable or noticeable as Instagram’s. There is no text associated with the call-to-action, and it is easily overlooked. Specific attention must be cast to the link in order to drive views.
Conclusion: Instagram is still more optimal for call-to-action marketing within Stories, although it is now possible to do so within Snapchat.

Some types of Stories include:

• Redirecting users to their website/online store (with a call-to-action)
• Advertising a sale, offering an exclusive Promo code (with a call-to-action)
• Advertising headlines for longer blog posts (with a call-to-action)
• Behind-the-scenes look at the latest Instagram feed posts
• Culture/lifestyle of the company, usually in the form of a tour or an interview with a certain department
• Encouraging customer feedback (with Send Message button)
• Storytelling—birth of a product, how meetings are conducted

For more examples: “8 Ways Brands Are Killing It with Instagram Stories”.

Don’t cram too much into your Stories, there’s only so much time!

Marketing Suggestion:

Plan Stories ahead of time, gathering images, drafting headlines, and considering the flow from page to page. Storyboard it out. Remember, there are time limits on individual Story posts, so keep the copy concise!

2. Snapchat is the prime Storytelling hub

Snapchat is for real authenticity. Act casual!

Due to limitations with the Call-to-Action on Stories, it’s difficult to advertise effectively on Snapchat. Treat this drawback as an advantage.

While Instagram is all about business, business, business, Snapchat embraces a different mantra—focus on the users. Companies can use Snapchat Stories to build trust and a positive brand image without everything feeling like a hard sell, thereby driving loyalty and customer appreciation towards the brand. Snapchat is the place for personality, a hint of cheekiness, and unscripted material. So let loose and relax!

Users go to Snapchat to see their friends and favourite celebrities in their most vulnerable, personal form. This is the pinnacle of storytelling—seeing people’s truest selves, not some dolled-up, polished animation.

Users expect the following from Snapchat Stories:

• Personality, inside and out (Cut the suit-and-tie approach, and embrace the t-shirt-and-khaki personality)
• Relatable humour (Use ALL the memes!, interview employees with funny, even work-unrelated questions)
• Interesting/fascinating things (“Did you Know” facts, business culture secrets, behind-the-scenes)
• Simple, quick delivery (Try to explain your point in 1 or 2 Snaps)
• Variety (Avoid 10 snaps from the same angle talking to the same person)

Marketing Suggestion:

Turn off the gimmicky marketing jargon, and get more personal. Acting professional isn’t what Snapchat is made for, so feel free to be more relatable, social, swear if you really want to! The goal of this platform isn’t to create a professional-sounding brand, but to showcase a relatable, trustworthy brand with real people behind it.

A Bitmoji of me in Game of Thrones.

One of Snapchat’s most prized, exclusive features is Bitmoji integration. For those unaware, Bitmoji is an enhanced, full-body emoji designed to look like the user, which can be used in hundreds of different poses and situations (dressed as a chef, mimicking the Evil Kermit meme). Bitmoji adds a nice personal touch to Snapchat—it plays off viral sensations to create a wide variety of relatable messages and poses. And, it includes you.

Marketing Suggestion:

Incorporate Bitmoji into different Snaps, particularly those where the creator isn’t seen directly. This will supply a human face to all Snaps, maintaining personality even when the creator isn’t the subject.

3. Use Both Platforms To Your Advantage

Both Instagram and Snapchat have their strengths and weaknesses, and due to simplicity and similarity in product, it’s easy to choose just one to reach your audience and ignore the other.

If you can do it, then why not?

Don’t use one, use BOTH.

Instagram can generate leads, showcase the most glamorous aspects of the company, and drive traffic. Snapchat can show personality, individuality, and build brand trust. Each are very important aspects of a social media brand.

At the end of the day, a brand isn’t decided by its actions on one account, it’s decided by the sum of its parts, the synergy of all its social media. Create a lively, trustworthy brand across all platforms, and each will play a role in maximizing your company’s social media presence.

A Quick Example:

Barkbox stood out to me when they made a whole Instagram story interviewing a pug. It was adorable.

Although this kind of story could easily be posted on Snapchat as well, the creator’s choice of using Instagram is still appropriate.

To explain, this story felt like a campaign to get more people watching their product. Interviewing a pug with prepared questions, and pulling this kind of stunt is useful for Instagram because it’s so easy to discover trending accounts. The influx of people flocking to watch a nervous pug would certainly send barkbox to the top of the Discover page, where in contrast, if it were on Snapchat, the user base simply wouldn’t be big enough to warrant it.

In short, if you want to post a viral campaign, do it on Instagram. The platform is better suited for virality.

“When did you first realize you were a pug?

What have we learned?

1. Instagram is for posting quality images and furthering business goals.
2. Snapchat is for personality, being genuine, and interacting with users.
3. Call-to-actions are essential to completing the marketing loop.
4. Stories are prioritized over all other posts, use it to your advantage.
5. Social campaigns and viral marketing efforts are best focused on Instagram.
6. If you want people to love your product, feature a pug.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more tips on Marketing to Millennials!