Instagram users joining Snapchat in mass
Instagrams Mass exodus for Snapchat?
If you use Instagram regularly, you may have noticed that there are a tonne of heavy-hitter Instagrammers advertising their Snapchat accounts on their Instagram. Heck, I've even jumped on the bandwagon. So some of you must be wondering, are Instagrammers leaving for Snapchat? Is Snapchat better than Instagram? Don't fret!
Snapchat is a "Behind the Scenes" tool of Instagram
Instagram has long been the King of the social media scene and this won't change anytime soon. The arrival of Snapchat in the Instagram scene actually acts more like a supplementary app for Instagrammers to take their loyal followers with them on their photo missions and adventures.
Snapchat has evolved quite a bit from when it first launched. It is no longer the controversial sexting app (at least, not entirely). They've actually built a very useful "Stories" feature into it where you can publicly share Snap photos & 15 second video clips which self destruct (delete) after 24 hours. When users view your Snap Story, your content will playback to them in the order than you've uploaded.
It's ephemeral nature eases the pressure off of the content creation side of things as you don't have to worry too much about what you're uploading since it'll be gone by tomorrow. It has a casual carefree feel to it that is pretty refreshing.
Surely you've always wondered how Instagrammers create their photos and what life is like being "Instafamous". Snapchat Stories provides a very intimate, engaging and quick-fire way for Instagrammers to take their followers along with them and give them a glimpse into their worlds.
I personally believe that this is the way forward as the video sharing feature Snapchat provides is a very intimate and engaging way to communicate, interact and connect with your audience. It enables a level of connection and tangible reality that feels as though you "know" the person on the other side. As a photographer, I love photographs, but they'll never be as easily engaging as videos have the potential to be.
Take YouTube "celebrities" for example. They have become bonafide celebrities in their own right, with some even on par with traditional celebs. I would be hard pressed to find a Instagram / Photographer-only powerhouse with the same level of pull and influence as one that engages their audience with a video component.
If by chance, you are Instafamous, and want your brand to outlive and possibly extend beyond the Instagram sphere, I would highly recommend getting involved with Snapchat. Before long, it will become inevitable, and your clients will demand it of you.
The differences between Snapchat and Instagram
Photography and Videography are two entirely different and separate disciplines. The fundamentals can be similar at times, but the creative process and skills it take's to master each skill vary quite wildly. Techniques such as story-telling, transitions, panning etc etc are all very important to getting it right in Snapchat.
To be honest with you, I only just posted my first Snap story a week ago. I don't have enough skills or knowledge to be able to teach you anything valuable.
So instead, I will recommend a few Snapchatter's that I like (usernames): caseyneistat, ioegreer, everlane, americangiant, funforlouis, mrbenbrown, therealverge, ravivora and of course: itchban (shameless self-plug).
When I feel I have learnt a bit more about Snapchat I will do another blog post. Please feel free to comment your own favourite Snapchatters in the comments below and even give me some tips!
For now, you can find me on Instagram @itchban & Snapchat: itchban