Another debate has erupted among small business, and I’m sure big business, owners everywhere and this could be as big as the Myspace/Facebook take-over of 2007! Now that Instagram has added on their new “stories” feature, many people think that this is the end of snapchat as we know it, I don’t think this is necessarily true, but I think that it might be a good switch to make if you are concerned with profitability with your business!
I have to be honest, we got really excited about our snapchat, starting to implement strategies and felt like we had something good going on there and to say that we were skeptical about this new Instagram stories thing, is an understatement! But after 1 day, heck, after the first 2 hours of using Instagram stories, we were HOOKED!
We think that Instagram isn’t just copying snapchat, like everyone thinks they are doing, but they are taking the ideas that snapchat has executed so well and taken it to the next level. The next step is understanding the difference between Snapchat and Instagram and learning how to leverage that difference to its maximum potential for your business! Here are a few way we think you can instantly do that.
1) Profitability over Popularity.
Here is the great thing about Instagram. You can strategically follow, like and and comment on peoples pictures and it isn’t weird. Think about trying to do that anywhere else.
- Facebook – Its a little weird for someone to add you as a friend then start liking and commenting on your pictures.
- Snapchat – Its weird if you randomly get someone’s snapchat name and then start responding to them. With snapchat, engagement is minimal but entertainment is high.
- But with Instagram, we live in such a narcissistic age, people crave getting followed, having their pictures liked and commented on.
Instagram is THE BEST social media outlet to actively engage with potential clients and reach a new clientele.
Now, here is the key to doing this correctly. You need to be strategically following and engaging with potential clients because the only thing that beats Instagram’s algorithm is consistent engagement. The proof is in the pudding, Here are the stats:
- We have just under 5K followers but we get more likes and more comments than people with 15-20K followers.
- In the past year we have made $50K from instagram..
- In the past year we have gotten 47 wedding inquiries from Instagram alone
- On snapchat we average about 150 people that see our videos.
- On instagram video we average almost 1K people that see each video.
- In 2 days of posting on Instagram video, we have accumulated more views than all of our snapchat views in the past 2 month of using Snapchat!
This is a FREE resource! Who cares how many people we are following, or what the following/follower ratio is when the results speak for themselves.
Not only are more people viewing them, but they are people that aren’t liking or commenting on our pictures because the algorithm doesn’t reach them. Instagram Video is the best way to beat the algorithm.
Thanks Instagram!
2) Portfolio + Personality
Here is the great thing about snapchat, and I believe the biggest draw to it, it is ALL personality! You can’t get away from displaying your personality on snapchat, and they have done an amazing job creating a platform that has attracted the masses for that reason. Now, that comes with its limitations. What if you are boring (or think you are), or what if you just don’t have the personality for snapchat, then you think it probably isn’t for you and you abandon another free marketing tool altogether. I have always said as far as social media is concerned,
Instagram is our handshake, snapchat is our voice. People go to instagram to like your pictures and snapchat to fall in love with you.
Now with Instagram story, you have the best of both worlds, and all in one app. You have your portfolio where you can display your images and keep with the theme or flow without having to break for a really personal picture or post that doesn’t fit your feed. At the same time, you can display your personality and stories throughout your day, it’s so easy! It’s a no brainer, no more two apps, no more telling people to follow you on another social outlet, it is easy here!
3) Post for the People
The most amazing thing about this transition is that you already have the people’s attention, now you get the opportunity to make the most of it. It isn’t just the few people that came over from one app to another, its a following from people that you have already engaged and created relationships with over time. Now you can take advantage of an audience that is already captivated by your work and want to connect with you! Our strongest tool is our personality especially with each other, so people fall in love with the way that we interact with each other. Find your strongest tool and use Instagram to leverage it! You also need to make sure that people are feeling valued and if you can continue to give them something, that is EVEN better! Use the video aspect to give to your audience. Show behind the scenes, give tips, connect and ask questions, Gary Vaynderchuk, in his book “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook,” speaks on the premise that
You need to give give give then ask and people almost feel obligated to give back, not out of guilt but out of gratitude!
This is a HUGE tool for gaining trust and building a following that will rave about you! Instagram is by far the best tool for this, although you have Facebook Live now, nothing beats the simplicity of watching the 10 second clips at the top of your Instagram feed!
4) Please, not too much
There is NOTHING more annoying than watching someone share something that isn’t super interesting for 6-7 videos. I have surveyed the land and asked around and people say that the threshold for the amount of videos someone would want to watch on a certain subject. By popular consensus, the answer is 3. The thing that snapchat has done, as well as the rest of technology, is shorten our attention spans, because of this,
You should keep individual stories to no more than 3 videos unless your content is engaging and captivated.
I have to admit myself, I get BORED and swipe on when someone just stares at a camera and talks in a monotone voice for more than 3 videos, try to keep it short and concise. That will actually yield better results than a long, drawn out rant.
Instagram vs. Snapchat Conclusion
In writing this, I am not saying that Instagram is better than snapchat, I think they both have their places. Snapchat has grown and gotten really good at what they do and Instagram video has a lot to improve on, but for now, I think that it’s a no brainer to make the switch! The fact that you have exponentially more people seeing your posts than on snapchat makes it an easy decision! If you guys have any questions about snapchat or instagram video or social media in general, please comment below or message us and we will get back to you! Thanks so much for reading!
Please, like always, don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions by emailing us! Also set sign up for our mailing list to stay updated and get weekly reports of whats going on!
