Considering the prolific rise of Snapchat stories and the very controversial launch of Instagram stories this week, I felt it was the perfect time to write a post.
Interestingly, Facebook own Instragram and have tried to crack engagement in the past, does anyone remember the 'poke' button? Now, they have merged the areas of content sharing and engagement; the aesthetic/permanent (e.g. the classic Instagram layout) vs the ephemeral (Snaps/Snapchat stories).
Here are a few thoughts on the two platforms:
1. Layout
Instagram stories consist of the top bar of the Instagram homepage showing user icons and their stories. These are presented in a non-chronological order. Instagram selects via algorithms which orders posts that you are most interested in.
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| Image credit: Mashable |
Layouts is a controversial topic for Instagram, as they changed their feed layout from most recent posts, to most popular posts in April 2016. This is done through algorithmic feeds. Twitter also has this layout, but unlike Instagram, Twitter provides users with the option of switching back to most recent. However, this has meant that users with small followings i.e. the lay users, potentially have a lower reach across the platform.
This has the most impact for brands. Take Benefit cosmetics as an example, they have 4.5 million followers, they can now not only provide a beautifully presented profile, but also more candid shots of the brand through their story, e.g. new launches. The follower now gets a unique insight into the brand. If executed well this alludes exclusivity to the followers, making them feel more involved.
2. Candid vs. Coordinated
Every Instagram user is aware of the rise of perfection amongst profiles. No longer is it a platform for the odd awkward selfie, now it has become a place for cool, aesthetic, harmonious and carefully selected colour-coordinated images. So if Instagram is the place for perfection, does Instagram stories provide a place for the imperfect? Does this correlate with what users are expecting to see on Instagram? Perhaps not. But maybe change is a good thing?
One thing we do know is that Snapchat delivers on Augmented Reality. By that I mean filters. Snapchat has delivered on catering to many different age segments through the playfulness and uniqueness of their filters. Arguably, most importantly for the digital generations, it includes an airbrushing filter!
Snapchat conveys a level of participation, where users can share their experiences and images using filters with other users.
3. Engagement
Engagement is the pivot. Instagram engagement is much harder to sustain, a 'like' is easy to give away, however converting that into a follower is a complex process. Basically users are fickle, and it's a highly saturated platform.
But we're talking about two different origins of user engagement, with snapchat it's totally impermanent with images lasting only a few seconds. With Instagram, users can create permanent profiles and feeds, but now stories?
Snapchat holds 7bn video views per day vs Instagram 500 million active Instagram users. The question now is not just sustaining followers, but retaining them. So communication will change, brands will become more participative, opening up their doors to a more involved method of social communication.
4. Centralisation of followers
Followers is the key takeaway. Instagram stories centralizes followers replacing the need for swapping between apps for live updates. For brands with mass followings, this is perfect and aligns well with omni-channel ideas (that our online experiences are becoming more seamless).
This is a new movement for Omnichannel and Social Media; blurring the boundaries of Social media platforms and utilizing crowds of followers - becoming 'Omni-social'.
5. Evolution
Change is happening and will continue to. So as users we have to be open to this. As social media evolves, how we connect with each other evolves, and brands and influencers will have to evolve too.
What do you think?
Sophie Laura
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