Scale matters: Advertisers are opting for Instagram over Snapchat

Full article from Digiday

With the buzz around Snapchat going public last month, there is lots of chatter whether Snap has "it" to make it against the other social media veterans: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. I am technically a millenial, on the older side, and I can already see the differences between myself and the younger crowd- Generation Z/ Centenials in terms of social media usage. The younger crowd loves Snap and has bought into the craze, however, I literally cannot figure out how to use it and get all the cool filters on my videos!

It seems that advertisers are opting for Instagram over Snapchat as well, for reasons other than not being able to figure out the filters :)
* Instagram has rolled out their stories feature only 8mos ago, and it has already surpassed the daily users of Snapchat- 200mm vs 180mm. In addition, since Instagram launched its stories in August, Snapchat's growth has slowed 82%.
* Because Instagram is embedded in Facebook's ecosystem, advertisers already know and understand how it works. In addition, Instagram provides advertisers the optimization, measurement & reporting aspects which make it easier for clients to target & track analytics in a concise dashboard.
* The Facebook ecosystem also provides advertisers with a more nuanced targeting by allowing brands to reach people with specific interests or match targeting to their own CRM lists, with all of Facebook's analytics at their disposal.

All in all, Instagram has a larger audience, better add measurement and better nuanced audience targeting than Snapchat. Snapchat needs to work on these details if it wants to keep up in the competitive landscape of social media.