In the social media arena, Twitter and Snapchat stand out as heavyweight contenders. But their differing features and primary uses appeal to distinct needs.
So how should marketers decide whether to invest in one platform over the other? This comprehensive guide examines the core contrasts between the two to help inform your strategy.
Key User Base Differences
Understanding primary audience demographics provides the foundation for determining which platform best matches your target market.
While estimates vary slightly across studies, below is a comparison of key user statistics.
Twitter User Breakdown
- 27% between ages 18-29
- 25% between 30-49
- 48% 50+ years old
- 42% female, 58% male
- 73% make over $30k per year
- Top interests: news, politics, sports
Snapchat User Breakdown
- 60% between 18-24 years old
- 26% between 25-34 years old
- 55% female, 45% male
- 60% make under $50k per year
- Top interests: friendship, celebrities, music
As evidenced above, Snapchat appeals more to a millennial, female audience – those under 35 seeking connections around pop culture and entertainment.
Twitter conversely draws in an older crowd – majority over 30, interested in current events, politics, and news commentary.
This informs marketing strategy and content creation when selecting platforms. Advertisers with products targeted to a young female demographic may see better returns spending ad dollars on Snapchat over Twitter.
But the context of the product itself also matters…
Variations in Content Style and Formats
Beyond surface level demographic differences lies a deeper exploration of the types of content, communication styles, and use case scenarios common on each platform.
Twitter Formats
- Tweets: 280 character text updates, often with links, hashtags, images
- Threads: Series of connected tweets to circumvent character limits
- Moments: Curated tweet collections around specific events or topics
- Newsletters: Opt-in subscriber email publications driving traffic to profiles
- Twitter Cards: Preview attachments like images, video, audio, polls added to tweets
- Twitter Spaces: Live audio chat rooms allowing audiences to call in
Snapchat Capabilities
- Stories: 10 second photo or video segments, embellished with creative tools
- Spotlight: Public story feed allowing content to go viral based on views
- Lenses/Filters: Augmented reality special effects overlaying photos or videos
- Maps: Ability to share location-specific moments on a shareable map
- Chat: Direct messaging friends with ephemeral photo, video, audio, Bitmojis
As shown above, Twitter accommodates more text-based sharing – particularly around news and events. Snapchat skews visual, encouraging users to augment photos and videos with creative tools.
This affects marketing campaign design. Twitter better supports driving traffic to articles, sites. Snapchat builds branding through arty, eye-catching videos and images.
Use Case Scenario Variations
Not just formats, but common use cases also vary:
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Politics: Twitter dominates here as the platform for debating current events and public policy issues. Politicians flock to Twitter to rally their bases.
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Influencer Marketing: Snapchat partners directly with celebrities via its Snap Star program. But Twitter also hosts plenty of famous figures thanks to its public, viral nature.
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Crisis Communications: Twitter‘s open access and trending features make it conducive for broadcasting emerging threats and safety notices in real-time during crisis events.
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Local Business Marketing: Snapchat’s customizable filters tied to specific locations build local brand awareness for venues, restaurants, stores, and city sites.
Best Practices for Success
Now that we‘ve compared the core differences in user bases and use cases, what are some best practices for standing out on each platform?
Twitter Tips and Tricks
- Keep tweets concise yet impactful. The 280 characters demand brevity but don’t lose personality.
- Add images, GIFs, and videos. Enhance appeal and click-through rates.
- Use hashtags strategically. Research volume before adopting and integrate into natural language.
- Tag influential accounts. Doing so increases visibility and the likelihood of shares.
- Retweet and comment on trending topics. Insert your voice into existing conversations.
- Respond to follower replies and mentions. Building connections leads to growth.
- Schedule around high traffic intervals. Check analytics to identify when your audience is most active.
Snapchat Optimization Approaches
- Post daily. Share spontaneity to in order to build a habit with friends.
- Adopt vertical formatting. Holding phones vertically is natural on Snapchat.
- Use creative tools and AR. Filters, lenses, Bitmoji avatars, etc. keep things fun.
- Add text/emoji overlays. Not only visuals tell the story.
- Save content as needed. Download memories before they disappear if they have ongoing value.
- Review analytics regularly. Use Snapchat’s metrics to assess viewer demographics and preferences to refine your approach over time.
While other best practices apply across both platforms, keeping these differences in mind allows you to tailor content style and strategy to find success.
Monitoring Performance Through Metrics
Speaking of analytics – digging into the data also reveals variations between Twitter and Snapchat.
Twitter Analytics Include:
- Tweet impressions
- Engagement rates
- Link clicks
- Audience demographics
- Top content
- Follower growth
Plus more powerful analytics through third-party integrations with solutions like Sprout Social, Google Analytics, and Brandwatch.
Snapchat Metrics Show:
- View counts on public Stories and private conversations
- Average view durations
- Screenshot counts
- Viewer demographics
For advertisers specifically, Snapchat also provides campaign performance tracking similar to other social platforms through its Ad Manager backend.
While Twitter unveils more volume based on broader content reach – especially around owned media performance – Snapchat displays qualitative engagement. Its ephemeral content style means less focus on hard metrics. Value comes from creating shareable, entertaining Stories rather than optimized click funnel conversion.
Which Platform Should You Prioritize?
We‘ve explored differentiators across users, content, and analytics. Where does this leave us when deciding where to invest time and resources?
Prioritize Twitter If You:
- Want to reach a broader, more professional demographic
- Have a news, politics, or events related focus
- Seek to insert your brand into trending topics
- Possess significant text or article-based content to promote
- Value audience interactivity like retweets and comments
Prioritize Snapchat If You:
- Specifically target 13-24 year old demographic segments
- Take an extremely visual-forward creative approach
- Build campaigns around ephemeral, entertaining video content
- Can dedicate resources to daily content creation
- Have geofilters or lenses that would attract local audiences
As with most platforms, benefits come from presence on both to reach multiple audience groups. But leading with the one that aligns closest to product market fit and content specialties proves most prudent.
Let user base interests, campaign content formats, and metrics guide you. Welcome to the arena – may the savviest social media marketing strategy win!
