Instagram recently released its own version of “stories” a feature that was once exclusive to the social app, Snapchat.

Instagram stories, like Snapchat stories, allow users to share multiple photos and videos in a slideshow or “story” format. The story lasts only 24 hours and is deleted after this time frame.

Even though both the “story” platforms are extremely similar, Snapchat stories have dipped between 15 to 40 percent since Instagram stories launched.

This is definitely a big blow for Snapchat, which is currently one of the top social media platforms that are not owned by Facebook.

While Snapchat stories dropped drastically, Instagram stories have been doing extremely well.

In fact, influencers on Instagram report that their engagement rates are 3-5 times higher on Instagram stories as compared to Snapchat stories.

In just 6 months, Instagram stories also reached 150 million daily users, which is only slightly under Snapchat, and this number is continuing to rise.

Many people have stated that the emergence of Instagram stories has caused the imminent death of Snapchat and that the social media app is going to struggle in the future.

While it remains to be seen what the future of Snapchat holds, the platform is still used by many, particularly in a younger demographic.

But, is it worth marketing on Snapchat or Instagram?

With so many different social platforms emerging, there is only so much content that can be created and shared, which is why choosing the most effective social platforms is so important.

As a business or marketer, it may be important to work out which platform is more effective and will yield the highest return of investment.

One way to determine this is to see how users are interacting with the platform. While Instagram is definitely yielding higher engagement rates, it is interesting to note that many users are simply browsing.

On Snapchat however, users are more likely to create content and spend an average of 15 minutes more on the app than compared to Instagram.

It is also interesting to note that Snapchat is more popular with those aged 18 to 24, and 60 percent of their users are under the age of 25. Snapchat is also predominantly used by females.

It has also been discovered that brands that have a strong personality and marketing message tend to perform well on Snapchat.

This is because the platform itself is extremely creative and quirky. It also has a spontaneous feel and is a great way to showcase the personality of your brand.

Instagram by contrast, attracts an older audience and majority of users are aged 18 to 29. An additional 33 percent of users are also aged 30 to 49.

Content on Instagram is also more stylised, which means that it is great for showcasing products, and professional looking images.

Instagram stories has also been considered easier to use, which is why it is currently appealing to marketers and business owners.

The bottom line when it comes to working out whether Instagram or Snapchat is the better fit for your business is understanding your customers.

Neither platform is better or worse than the other, they all just offer something different.