Messaging is at the core of Facebook’s future according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who recently announced that the company is looking to build “a privacy-focused messaging and social networking platform” where people can communicate more privately and securely.
Notice how messaging takes the center stage here?
Essentially, this doubles down on another of Facebook’s recent announcements - the social networking giant is working to integrate Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp, another move where messaging stands at the heart of Facebook’s future.
Here is a quick breakdown of Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement, and why messaging will play a key part in your marketing.
People Like Facebook Messenger… and it’s Good for Business
Zuckerberg explained that “private messaging, ephemeral stories, and small groups are by far the fastest growing areas of online communication.”
Again, one-to-one messaging comes first.
People like Messenger, we use messaging apps these days more than we do open social networks, we prefer private messages to public posts, and more people are jumping onto messaging each day.
Private messaging is more intimate than other communication options. It allows for personalized, one-on-one conversations, a communication trend. And when privacy is the focus on an instant messaging system, it can also alleviate fears of privacy intrusions (historically a challenge for Facebook).
Facebook will be shifting toward private and encryption-protected messaging options, which people prefer.
As a marketer, taking advantage of Facebook Messenger marketing means you'll be where people want you to be, and speaking their language.
Facebook's leadership is clearly prioritizing better messaging, and marketers can follow their lead.
Businesses’ Reach on Messaging Apps Is Poised to Explode
As noted, back in January, we learned about the Facebook messaging merger, in which Facebook plans to integrate its three messaging services into a unified communications platform.
The ability for marketers to reach customers across platforms through a single chat marketing platform will be a boon for businesses. For example, you'll no longer have to maintain a separate presence on each service - instead, you'll be able to reach users on all three platforms from one management platform.
If you want to know what the future of social networking looks like, this announcement from Mark Zuckerberg is a great clue. As Facebook is dedicating more time, energy, and resources to messaging, you can too.
Although there’s a lot to do before his new vision becomes a reality, you can get started with Messenger and chatbot building now, and be at the forefront of each new and exciting new chapter in communication technology.
Fire up your Facebook Messenger marketing campaigns today, ensuring your marketing efforts meet expectations and that you can communicate with customers where they want, when they want, and how they want.
A version of this post was first published on the MobileMonkey blog.