In an interesting turn of events, Instagram updated their app this week to include a new feature called “Stories”. This new functionality allows customers to post a temporary image to their follower’s timeline which will be wiped clean within 24 hours. Furthermore, users can update their photo by overlaying drawings and text to further color their video or image commentary.
Sound familiar? It should.
This new feature mirrors the user experience of Snapchat down to the finest detail. The look, feel, and fonts are even similar. So why would an already successful social media platform (discussed in our article here) make such a concerted effort to copycat a social media newcomer?
Well, simply put…Instagram has identified an emerging market that prefers the temporary status of Snapchat to traditional evergreen posts. This market is typically younger and privacy-sensitive. In order to grow their user base for the long term, Instagram realized that this shift was significant enough that they needed to adapt…or die. This shot fired is a direct signal that social media usage will drastically change in the near future.
Consumers are beginning to crave timely and relevant content. They view social media as a perpetually running stream in which they occasionally dip their bucket to collect a small sample of what is happening in-the-now. Despite Facebook’s best attempt to prompt users to post cutesy Facebook anniversary videos featuring old posts…customers are looking for something different. They are no longer leveraging social media as a digital yearbook to revisit old memories and archive major life events.
As marketers, we should digest this signal and plan for the road that lies ahead. Firms should focus on brand-relevance and generate posts that either relate to current events or make a play on latest trends. These in-the-moment posts will play nicely when trying to compete with friends’ stories that are providing more timely and relevant updates that the customer genuinely cares about. The goal is such that the brand is talking about the same subjects that a customer’s friends are discussing. For example, can you imagine a viral response to a surprise selection on the Bachelorette? A user may scroll through all of their friends reactions on the story feed…but will immediately stop if they see an in-the-moment reaction from one of their favorite brands. This not only could give the customer a positive pause, but also humanizes the brand in that moment. That isn’t to say that the need for evergreen content should completely fade away, however, the context of that content should have a voice that reflects recency and in-the-moment messaging.
So what does this mean for Snapchat moving forward? Time will tell if Instagram is able to steal their user base. But at a bare-minimum, it has validated Snapchat’s strategic direction. Brands should leverage similar strategies on both platforms until a clear winner emerges.
…it is worth mentioning, however, that Snapchat has a proprietary augmented reality filter engine that is unparalleled. If Snapchat does not continue in the same capacity as a social media platform…look for their technology to be copied or acquired for future purposes. After all, we all know that augmented reality applications are knocking on the door, and could be a major disrupter in the digital marketing space (referenced here).
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