ROCKS DIGITAL  BLOG

The Pros and Cons of Social Media Sites for Telling Your Brand’s Story

Social Media Story Platform
Image Credit – Rawpixel.com/shutterstock.com

If you’ve been keeping an ear to the ground – and an eye on your social media apps – you may have noticed that Facebook and Instagram are both making moves into the space dominated by Snapchat. Facebook now delivers short-lived content (photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours) and both Facebook and Instagram offer you stickers and filters to spruce up your content. All these updates beg the question: If all social media sites are starting to offer the same content, which one is best for my client or business?

The Pros and Cons for Social Media Sites: Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram

Social Media Analysis: Snapchat

Snapchat Pro

Generation Z lives on Snapchat, and if your goal is to reach a younger audience, this is the channel that can pay off. Consider becoming a publisher and curate messages that can translate to the medium, which means getting creative.

Snapchat Con

Millennial audiences are shrinking on Snapchat (though the 45-to-54 share is growing), indicative of a shift of these viewers to other channels. With Millennials growing as a share of homeowners and buyers as well as decision-making parents, Snapchat may not be the best way to reach them.

Social Media Analysis: Instagram

Instagram Stories Pro

With its tie-in to Facebook and the addition of Snapchat-like features to the Stories, Instagram is primed to take over. Instagram has already surpassed Snapchat’s share of Millennials, according to The Next Web (200 million daily users on Instagram Stories versus 158 million on Snapchat).

Instagram Stories Con

The younger the user, the less utility they see in Instagram and its stories. Disappearing posts on Instagram are seen as a poor substitute for Snapchat, and Generation Z and some Millennials are loyal to the original. An Adweek survey asked 511 Instagram and Snapchat users between 13­­–34 how they felt about the two channels; 64 percent said that Snapchat was the “cooler” app.

Social Media Analysis: Facebook

Facebook Stories Pro

Facebook is a behemoth when it comes to the sheer number of users (1.23 billion worldwide monthly annual users as of December 2016), which translates to great potential reach and exposure for advertisers and publishers. For Facebook users who are not on Instagram or Snapchat, the Facebook Stories provide a fun feature that extends the amount of time that users are on the platform, a key measurement of usage.

Facebook Stories Con

As evidenced by the feedback from Snapchat users on Instagram Stories, imitation may not win over Generation Z and Millennial users who are loyal to the originator(s) of the 24-hour limit on content. While your Uncle Joe may love the ability to turn himself into a Power Ranger with facial overlays, his 12-year-old niece is likely to see it as an invasion of her Facebook timeline.

When deciding if Stories are of use to you personally, your business brand or your client, take into consideration the following:

  • Budget
  • Personality of your business, brand or client
  • Resources to interact with others on platforms
  • Ability to be consistent

Do you have experience with Snapchat, Instagram Stories, or Facebook Stories? Please share in the comments below!

Veleisa Burrell

Veleisa Burrell loves a good story, which inspired her career in communication. When she's not reading a Twitter thread or working on a customer relations project, she's teaching fitness classes.

More Posts

Download Our SEO Guide

Created in a joint partnership with Advice Local, this guide — What You Need to Know About SEO — provides an introduction to SEO concepts, strategies and best practices for optimizing a website. Complete the form below and get instant access.

    ROCKING DIGITAL SERVICES

    Web Design & Development

    Your website needs to be aesthetically pleasing and functional. We build websites for desktop and mobile that are both.

    LOCAL SEARCH & SEO

    Your website needs to attract search engines and consumers. We are experts in local search and SEO, and can make that happen.

    CONTENT CREATION & MARKETING

    Anybody can write words on a page, but can they write content that integrates SEO best practices and converts? We can.

    PPC & Paid Search

    PPC & Paid Search

    Need more customers? We create paid campaigns to reach your target audience and increase sales.

    Tracking & Optimization

    You need a solid foundation for success online, and our tracking & optimization services get it done.

    Graphic Design Services

    Graphic Design Services

    From logo design to your business card, brochures – and everything in-between for print & web – we can help!

    Here’s What Our Client's Have to Say

    Their Local Business Websites Rock

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital knows how to build local business websites that convert prospects to customers. Not only do I recommend them to work on my reputation management client’s websites, but they work on the Reputation Sensei brand, too.
    - Chris Snellgrove

    They Customize Their Solutions

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital customizes to meet their client’s needs. We needed our existing website optimized for search. We are now placing for more industry keywords and continue to improve. They consult with our in-house team on content optimization, manage our GMB listing & more.
    - Greta Valenti

    Highly Recommend

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital manages not only the Association of Directory Publishers website, but our Trusted Local Directory. From helping us get our event information on the website to producing guides, blogs and new content, they have what it takes.
    - Cindi Aldrich

    Rocks Digital Is the Best Choice

    ★★★★★
    As a long-term client, when it was time to change the primary focus of my real estate business, and my website, I knew Rocks Digital was the way to go. They took my existing website, gave it a complete new look, and still managed to keep my existing content.
    - David Dorum

    Brought My Ideas to Fruition

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital came highly recommended. Once I started working with them I knew why. They took my ideas for a beautiful website and brought them to the screen. From the design phase to content creation, each component was thoughtfully considered and addressed.
    - Clay Adams

    Conversions Are on the Rise

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital manages two of my websites. They produce our blogs, our service pages and manage our paid search campaigns. Conversions are up and new patients are coming in the door. I highly recommend their digital marketing services.
    - Dr. Thomas Chacko

    Agency Services Are Top Notch

    ★★★★★
    We shifted to Rocks Digital agency services earlier in the year. We are so glad we did. Our website sessions are up, page views are up, and bounce rate is down. Now we can easily see how many form fills we have had at any given time through their real-time reporting.
    - Kristin Schafer

    Their Local Business Websites Rock

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital knows how to build local business websites that convert prospects to customers. Not only do I recommend them to work on my reputation management client’s websites, but they work on the Reputation Sensei brand, too.
    - Chris Snellgrove

    They Customize Their Solutions

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital customizes to meet their client’s needs. We needed our existing website optimized for search. We are now placing for more industry keywords and continue to improve. They consult with our in-house team on content optimization, manage our GMB listing & more.
    - Greta Valenti

    Highly Recommend

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital manages not only the Association of Directory Publishers website, but our Trusted Local Directory. From helping us get our event information on the website to producing guides, blogs and new content, they have what it takes.
    - Cindi Aldrich
    Name
    Email
    Review Title
    Rating
    Review Content

    LATEST BLOG POSTS

    LOCAL VISIBILITY REPORT

    Is your Google My Business listing helping or hurting you? Is bad data causing consumers and search engines to lose trust in your business? This is information you simply must know.

    To get these answers right now, just enter your business name below to run our FREE
    visibility report.


    Need a facelift
    for your website? More search traffic? Need to blog, but don’t have time?

    Our Digital Services Could Be For You
    Get a Free Local Visibility Report Now