First off, I am a social media manager. I love it. It doesn’t only take creativity and the ability to strategize. I think it’s PRETTY clear at this point that you need to stay on top of your game – because this s%$^ changes fast!
So, besides originality and being able to craft targeted plans and know what they heck you are doing, you need to be flexible. You never know what platform is going to pull what next. It keeps things interesting when algorithms change and the like.
So never mind the Donald and Hillary debates, where do we all stand on the Great Instagram vs. Snapchat Deliberation?
I took a little time to really consider this because they are my two personal fav platforms.
The best part about this whole thing is that they’re called the same thing. STORIES. At their cores, there are really no differences.
Once you’re done rolling your eyes at Instagram, take a closer look. It’s genius.
How Instagram’s Stories Work
To add content to your Instagram story, simply tap the newly added “plus” icon on the top left corner of the app. Users can share photos or videos up to 10 seconds, and draw on them/add emojis.
Users can also share from their photo library and save to their stories, like Snapchat just added with Memories. Stories disappear after 24 hours. You’ll notice that when someone adds content to their Instagram story, their profile picture will have an Instagram-branded color ring around it. Content is shown in the order it was taken, and if content is added throughout the day, viewers can see the newest content (from where they left off).
Instagram users can see who has seen their stories, but not if someone has taken a screenshot of it, unlike Snapchat.
Both platforms allow private messaging from Stories. Instagram doesn’t have the fun filters that Snapchat has (but we’ll let that slide, since Instagram invented the filter concept in the first place!) Unlike Snapchat, Instagram stories can be seen by anyone if a user’s profile is public.
Insights from Instagram’s CEO
From this great article from Kevin Systrom), my favorite points include:
– “When you are an innovator, that’s awesome. Just like Instagram deserves all the credit for bringing filters to the forefront. This isn’t about who invented something. This is about a format, and how you take it to a network and put your own spin on it.”
– “Facebook invented feed, LinkedIn took on feed, Twitter took on feed, Instagram took on feed, and they all feel very different now and they serve very different purposes. But no one looks down at someone for adopting something that is so obviously great for presenting a certain type of information.”
– “You can’t just recreate another product. But you can say ‘what’s really awesome about a format? And does it apply to our network?’
Good stuff. I thought it was funny that he gave Snapchat all the credit, hands down. Also, Instagram was never an intrusive platform like Snapchat is. But now Instagram is asking people to interrupt their daily lives to stream, or “lifecast” what they’re doing, instead of taking the occasional photo, admiring it, and posting it for likes.
Insights from The CRUSH Agency’s Social Media Manager
As a social media manager, when it comes to using it for my job, I honestly love Instagram stories.
While I adore Snapchat for being private and quick, I love that anyone can see my content on Instagram.
For my clients, our profiles are public, so anyone can see them, I don’t have to add anyone.
Snapchat is still pretty behind with not being able to switch through accounts easily, but as more and more publishers/celebrities/influencers start to utilize Snapchat, I see this happening fairly soon (fingers crossed). Instagram is very user-friendly when it comes to switching between accounts (5 maximum).
If you want more info about the latest, email me at media@thecrushagency.com, tweet me @TheCRUSHAgency – we’re everywhere, just reach out.
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