In the Era of “Finstagram”, Snapchat Remains a Haven for Authentic Social Sharing
As marketers and brand strategists, we get a lot of questions about specific channels and how best to use them. Recently, we've been hearing the same set of questions quite frequently:
“What's the deal with Snapchat?”
“Is Snapchat dead?”
“Why are they still around – who is even using them?!”
Surprisingly, Snapchat is not dead.
Yes, you heard that right – the app is still alive and thriving.
53% of all internet users aged between 15 and 25 years still actively use Snapchat. More fascinatingly, among this population, Snapchat is their most popular app, closely followed by Instagram. The average daily active user opens the app's camera more than 30 times a day, spending at least 30 minutes on the app.
Users turn to the app for playful and silly content with their friends. 95% of Snapchatters say the app makes them feel happy, more than any other app tested.
This begs the question: How are so many people (in a coveted target demographic) using this platform and yet, so many people keep asking if it's dead?
The Answer: The reason people think it's dead is actually the reason people like using it. It's relatively free from advertisements and brands, it's harder to track people and it offers a more authentic place to be yourself with your friends.
So, Why Snap?
Think about the last time you were scrolling through Instagram. You see a post from your cousin, then one from your college friend, and then an ad about the shirt you were browsing 30 minutes ago. Nowadays, it seems like scrolling through social media has become a new form of never-ending advertising.
Now, enter Snapchat. Unlike other social platforms, Snapchat allows users an escape or ability to hide from targeted media, which is attractive to a subsection of consumers and, in our opinion, is the reason Snapchat is still very relevant for Gen Z and younger Millennials.
With Snapchat, users are able to directly share videos and images with their closest friends and choose how and when to share moments to a wider friends list. (Yes, we know Instragram added the close friends function in stories but it's somehow not the same). Unlike Instagram or Tiktok, Snapchat users don't appear to feel the pressure to look a certain way or feel a certain way about the amount of content they receive or share. Users are more likely to express their authentic self, not constantly comparing themselves to others based on post engagements or feed aesthetics. Snapchat also eliminates the surrounding influencer persona which surfaces on other platforms and removes the constant barrage of paid media. In other words, on Snapchat you don't feel like you're constantly being sold something.
A Refinery 29 article points out “A big part of Snapchat's appeal is the lack of commitment it takes to enjoy it: Stories fade after 24 hours, messages disappear, and, even if you leave Snapchat, you can always connect with people via at least three other platforms”- users do not have to feel pressured by the living content aspect of other platforms.
Essentially, Snap is a “cleaner” more authentic experience free from influencers and brands and that's exactly why people like it.
Does this mean brands should avoid Snap all together!?
By no means is Snapchat an untouched platform by brands. Brands do have targeted ads on Snapchat however, these don't interrupt the way users engage with the app. Users only see sponsored content when looking through the wider audience stories and they know that's the only place they'll see ads.
Brands that use Snapchat well have become skilled at hiding their ads amongst other organic stories so much so that users sometimes don't know they've clicked through a paid placement. TEVA, Sam Edelman and The New York Times are all currently running promotional campaigns on Snapchat in which users would briefly tap through the ad as if the brand had its own Snap story.
Additionally, through its filter feature, brands have been able to promote new products or promotions, however these filters can be seen as “tired” for Snap’s core consumers.
What Should a Brand Do? How Should They Think About Snapchat?
- Be Purposeful & Authentic – Snap requires a lot of attention, strategy and dedication to do it well.
- Think About One to One – Snap is all about direct interaction. Think about adjusting your brand voice to be personified – help people feel like they're talking to the people behind the brand, not a nameless faceless logo.
- Don't Copy & Paste Other Social Strategies – If you're thinking about getting involved with a Snapchat presence – be prepared for a slow, long road. You can't reuse your Instagram or TikTok strategy on this platform. Get to know how it works and then act accordingly.
- Community before Mass Reach: “Going Viral” isn't so much of a thing on Snapchat so it's less about mass appeal and more about relationship building with a passionate group of friends and fans.
- When in Doubt, Don't – If you're on the fence about jumping into Snapchat or reigniting your Snap presence, it's better to be smart than be fast. No one is going to fault you for not having a Snap presence but there could be negative consequences if you do Snap poorly.
A Parting Thought
From an advertising standpoint, brands can capitalize on the fast FOMO opportunities that Snap creates to promote new products or campaigns. At the same time, brands should strategically think about how to speak to consumers on the platform, especially when knowing most users turn to the app for playful and silly conversations with their closest friends.
As both a user and a strategist, Snap allows me to feel free of the social pressure felt across other platforms. However, if I were to advise a client interested in Snap, I would advise to proceed with caution as authentic social sharing seems to be harder and harder to replicate as for brands these days.
Brands are always welcomed to create a presence on Snapchat, although enticing to try to reach target audiences, the level of attention, dedicated resources, content curation and focus required to authentically join that space remains high.
Brands looking to engage may need to weigh the risks vs the possible rewards before launching campaigns on the platform or face potential blowback as consumers feel their “brand neutral space” becomes invaded.
