In the vast world of social media, trends are constantly shifting and changing. Snapchat was once an incredibly popular (and unique!) app, but in recent years, the platform has seen some decline in user engagement and usage. So, what happened with Snapchat? Is Snapchat still relevant or is it dead? Let’s explore the current state of Snapchat and what businesses should know before investing in the platform.
Popularity Decline
Snapchat first gained traction in 2011 with its disappearing messages feature. The app quickly grew and had over 161 million daily active users by 2018. However, since then there’s been a steady decline in user engagement on the platform. In 2019, Snapchat reported that its daily active users had dropped to 190 million—a decrease of about 13%.
The drop could be attributed to a number of factors. One reason for the decline is that Instagram has become a more popular choice for younger users who are looking for an easy way to stay connected with friends online. With its stories feature being very similar to snapchat’s disappearing messages, many young users have found Instagram to be more appealing than Snapchat since they can do everything they need within one app—post pictures, follow their favorite brands and celebrities, watch videos, and more. Another factor could be that Snapchat recently changed its design which frustrated many users who were already familiar with how things worked on the app prior to the update.
Business Use Cases
Despite this decline in popularity among users, Snapchat is still a viable option for businesses looking to reach a younger demographic. Younger generations still use the app regularly—especially Generation Z (those born between 1997-2012). This generation makes up 40% of all U.S. consumers and accounts for around $143 billion in annual spending power so it’s important for businesses to consider if this demographic is part of their target audience when deciding whether or not they should invest time and money into Snapchat marketing campaigns.
Despite the decline in user numbers, Snapchat is still a very popular app with users who are highly engaged and use it regularly. Snapchatters love Snapchat over and above any other platform. In fact, it is often their primary messaging app.
While Instagram may be more popular among younger users, Snapchat is still the most popular social media app among those aged 18-24.
This means that businesses looking to reach a younger demographic should consider investing time and money into Snapchat marketing campaigns, as there is still a large population of users who are very engaged with the platform.
Businesses should consider using Snapchat Ads to tap into the large population of highly engaged users on the platform. Compared to other platforms, Snapchat Ads have low cost entry points. CPMs are very competitive compared to other similar platforms.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while there has been some decline in user engagement on Snapchat over the past year or two, it is still relevant as a marketing tool for businesses looking to reach younger audiences—especially Gen Zers who are increasingly becoming a major force behind consumer spending decisions today. If your business wants to successfully engage with this demographic then considering investing in Snapchat ads or content marketing campaigns is definitely something you should look into!