There are so many social apps that could create opportunities for event attendees to connect with each other and share their experiences via dedicated event accounts. It can be difficult to decide which ones are going to best suit your brand, your event, your goals, and of course, your audience. After all, you don’t want to spread yourself too thin and divide your efforts by providing too many options for attendees to choose from.
Says Annie Fernandez, Director of Marketing at AMI, “Utilizing Facebook is pretty much a given, and many companies still incorporate Twitter, as well. If you want to add another trending platform, you might find yourself torn between Snapchat and Instagram. Adding an image-sharing forum, especially one that encourages creativity and personalization, is a great way to facilitate engagement and allow attendees to contribute in social and experiential ways.”
Really, though, you might have some trouble telling the difference between the two photo-sharing platforms these days. Snapchat had a novel idea when they started thanks to photos that self-delete, generating near-instantaneous FOMO. To compete, Instagram, already a powerhouse in its own right has seized upon some of Snapchat’s desirable features and developed its own version.
Is Snapchat nearing expiration, or does it still have something to offer? Does Instagram do it best, or have their efforts to clone Snapchat’s successes fallen short? Which one is better for your event and your audience? Here are a few things you’ll want to discuss with corporate event planning companies before you decide.
What’s the Skinny on Snapchat?
Snapchat’s 16 million daily active users are nothing to sniff at, especially since they tend to fall into the tech-savvy and socially influential millennial group (the majority of users are in the 12-24 age range). This can be a difficult group to engage at events, but connecting is made easier with an app they already use and enjoy, especially since the average user is engaged 25-30 minutes per day. This means you have ample opportunity to increase visibility and connection with users.
Of course, Snapchat isn’t just for youngsters. It turns out more than half of new users are 25 and older, which could mean this social app is simply catching on later with a more mature audience.
What features recommend Snapchat? The photo deletion feature may not be particularly appealing for brands that want their content in front of users as long as possible, but the fleeting nature of the content means users are likely to look at it sooner rather than later for fear of missing out, and this can work to your advantage if you string out narratives through pictures and videos via Snapchat Stories. You and your event management services team can also create geofilters unique to your location and your event, creating further exclusivity and FOMO.
Corporate Event Planning Companies Like Insta Gratification
There’s no denying Instagram has the upper hand in this race with exponentially more users, numbering 500 million. The average age of users is slightly higher at 19-29, which means for the most part, they’re old enough to attend your events. However, only about 20% of those users are in the U.S. – not necessarily a problem if you cater to an international audience.
If you and your event management services team are interested in opting for Instagram, there’s a lot to love, starting with the fact that Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, allows for cross-posting, so that you can post pics to Instagram and Facebook simultaneously. This time-saving bonus is great for harried hosts and corporate event planning companies.
Instagram also blatantly snaked the stories feature from Snapchat and made it their own with Instagram Stories, where photos and videos can be posted for 24 hours (with no option for likes or comments, unlike other Instagram posts). Geofilters aren’t available, but geotagging is, and this can make your posts easier for a target audience to find.
Of course, the thing that really pushes Instagram over the top is hashtags, which make content more shareable and searchable. The use of trending and event-specific hashtags can expand your reach and increase engagement.
Ask Event Management Services Pros Which Platform Suits Your Event
Experienced corporate event planning companies can help you to determine whether Snapchat or Instagram is better suited to your upcoming event by considering your audience and what you hope to accomplish. Even better, these event management services professionals have the know-how and connections to help you implement effective marketing and engagement strategies on your social platform of choice.
