Facebook Messenger
Don’t know if you have heard of the F8 conference – the F8 conference is an annual Facebook conference where the latest development, updates, and future of Facebook is discussed.
Last year, Facebook announced a number of improvements to its Messaging platform and the new marketing-focused features.
These changes and additions to the Facebook Messenger App are important to examine, particularly with regards to how they’ll impact our existing marketing efforts and how we can adapt to the changes in other not be obsolete in the market.
Facebook Messenger Desktop App
Facebook is currently developing a desktop app for Messenger.
This might not be a big change – seeing that Facebook messenger can be easily accessed on a desktop device.
However, Facebook did mention that one of the primary functions and goals behind this desktop version of Messenger would be as a collaboration tool for users. In the sense that it will come with collaborative features like team video calls, projects collaboration and multitasking even while chatting, idea sharing and group meetings.
The LightSpeed Update
Facebook is redesigning its Messenger app to be faster and less strenuous on the device storage. The goal is to develop and release a Messenger app that launches in under 2 seconds and requires only 30MB to install. Which has been released?
The major reason for this recent development is for users with low storage on their devices to be able to still install the app. And reasons for businesses to take a look into Messenger bots and funnels as more marketing strategy.
Close Friends & Family Groups
Though in the past Users have been able to designate a close friend and family list and even see a feed of only content posted by members of this group. The difference with this new feature is privacy.
Privacy in the sense that Facebook wants its users to be able to share content with close friends & family without the fear that others will see what is shared, or that it could be held against them in the future by an unknown user.
Enhanced Group Video
Video or visual content is a growing trend. The evidence is in the success of streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube.
The switch from text content to video content is in demand and Facebook is looking on ways to engage its users with video content as well as the content creator and other viewers.
For Facebook, the logical next step for Watch Party and communal video watching is Messenger. According to Facebook, users will, “be able to seamlessly share a video from the Facebook app on Messenger and invite others to watch together while messaging or on a video chat.”
As of now, you can add six people to a messenger group video chat, but up to an additional 50 people can tune in to the chat. While they won’t be able to talk, they’ll be able to absorb the video content with the group and see the conversations taking place.
Messenger Lead Ads Templates & Appointment Booking
This update has the most immediate marketing potential for businesses. Here’s what the update entails from Facebook very own words:
“We’re making it even easier for businesses to connect with potential customers by adding lead generation templates to Ads Manager. There, businesses can easily create an ad which drives people to a simple Q&A in Messenger to learn more about their customers. And to make it easier to book an appointment with businesses like car dealerships, stylists, or cleaning services, we’ve created an appointment experience so people can book appointments within a Messenger conversation.”
This means that businesses can easily use Facebook and Messenger to qualify leads through the Q&A, and then convert them via an appointment booking.
The process is largely automated and Facebook has added more templates and responses to help give the illusion of a real customer service agent.
Facebook is slowly rolling out the appointment booking features to different business types.
Over To You
What you need to know is that – Facebook is putting a lot of emphasis on privacy and enhancing connections between “closest friends” and the entire World Wide Web.
Superficially, this may sound challenging to businesses and may seem as if they will be cut off from the activities of massager users thereby reducing the business potentials of marketers that are leveraging Facebook messenger.
The interesting thing is – these features open up new marketing opportunities and with many more channels for potential impact.
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