People are s***ting their pants over the new Instagram stories.
But there are only two groups that really count:
1. Instagrammers
2. Snapchatters
That’s it.
This move by Instagram, obviously in response to the explosion of Snapchat the first half of 2016, is a game changer.
Is it the end of Snapchat?
No chance.
Is it a huge boost to Instagram and it’s users?
Absolutely.
Did They Copy Snapchat?
Yes and no.
The truth is, we don’t know yet.
One
glaring difference in the two platforms are the filters. I don’t mean
the lighting, I mean the dog face, and my favorite, the bee.
If Instagram develops similar filters, then yes they are copying Snapchat.
But who cares?
Winning
is winning. Snapchat knows that Instagram is gunning for them. May the
best man win. The market will decide who the real winners and losers are
depending on where we go from here. Just recognize that we have a game
now.
The Instagram Strategy
They obviously needed to stop the bleeding.
Numbers have been dropping for months.
Businesses
were realizing the consumer interactions were much stronger on
Snapchat. There has been a youth movement that may or may not revitalize
Twitter even with a general lack of innovations on their part.
So where did that leave Instagram? The place with cool pictures.
Not anymore.
It just got personal.
Oh snap.
Pun intended.
Keep
in mind that Snapchat’s popularity is relatively new. There is a huge
group of people that still think it is the app that allows you to show
your wiener and it disappears. They are uncomfortable with it. They
prefer what they know: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They are
comfortable with Instagram. They were intrigued by Snapchat, but weren’t
willing to bite, yet.
Now they don’t have to.
And
THAT’S where Instagram wins. Customer retention. They don’t have to go
anywhere and they can still partake in this new fangled “snap” culture.
Now It’s Personal
I can already see a huge upside to the stories.
The
people I follow don’t necessarily give you a glimpse in to their lives
through the pictures they post. They show you their art, their business,
their cars, but there is nothing personal. It may be beautiful, or
awesome, but there was nothing to emotionally connect to.
Now It Is Different
I
can see what my favorite photographers look like, talk like, where they
live, and their friends. It is changing everything. It’s huge. It is a
chance to interact in a completely different way on a platform that has a
huge foundation of users that are very comfortable in “their” space.
As
Instagram develops and grows the “story” abilities, it will only become
more fun, and more interactive, just like Snapchat, but with a built in
base.
Well done Instagram.
Well done.
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