Back in 2005, Facebook introduced its own advertising option, and changed the advertising game from then on out. Reports showed social media advertising reaching an estimated $8.4 billion in 2015. So, what does this large number mean for communication professionals looking to be successful in advertising today? It simply means for communication professionals to stay up-to-date with changes in social media platforms to ensure growth and awareness in the company’s social media branding.
A big discussion in the digital communications world has to do with Instagram introducing their version of the self-deleting “Stories” feature, just like Snapchat. This update has sparked questions such as, “Do people use Instagram or Snapchat now?” “Will users abandon Snapchat?” “What platform is best for social media branding?”
Top platforms for social media branding
In a recent article from The Drum, Snapchat is projected to pull in as much as $366.69m in ad revenues from just this year, and predicted to jump to $935.46m in 2017. Based on the numbers that Snapchat is pulling in from advertisements, one can come to two conclusions, 1.) Snapchat is useful and not going away, and 2.) BOTH Snapchat and Instagram are good for branding.
It is important to understand that just because both apps have this feature, each platform is still to be utilized differently.
Instagram is a solid platform to reach a targeted audience by tracking likes and comments. Also, it is a great app for visual imagery which is key to tell a brand’s story. Lastly, it allows brands to show their creative side by coming up with clever captions.
Snapchat, on the other hand, is the platform that takes the audience directly to the scene. It allows a company to take their social media branding to a personal level.
Both apps take visual storytelling to a new extreme. Each platform uses different techniques to aid the success of advertisements.
So to ease the minds of communication professionals, there is room for both in the brands social media arsenal, and neither platform is going anywhere.
For further knowledge on how Instagram and Snapchat boost branding:
- https://www.fastcompany.com/3032848/the-future-of-work/nofilter-necessary-why-any-brand-can-and-should-harness-the-power-of-inst
- https://adespresso.com/academy/blog/ultimate-guide-marketing-snapchat/
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