The Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp Integration – What does it Mean for Marketers?

Facebook has recently announced that they are working to take three major chat platforms (Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp) that they own and integrate them into one cross-communication platform. This new infrastructure would make sure to have the three apps be distinct, while simultaneously letting users be able to chat with each other no matter what platform they are using. This huge move is only possible after the social media powerhouse Facebook purchased Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014. These three applications would stay separate but will allow for communication between their platforms. This integration would be the first of its kind, and could definitely be a game-changer in the marketing world.

The merged messaging platform will also be more private, as it will be more encrypted on both ends. The idea of Facebook connecting three messaging apps into one place is extremely beneficial for the already somewhat decreasing engagement of advertisers using the application. After this merge, the advertiser’s engagement will go through the roof.

What does this mean for both marketers and businesses?

With the size of these three platforms, it is easy to see how much of a new audience you can reach with this integration. Collectively, there are 2.6 billion users between the three, meaning with one platform you can reach an audience of all three. This is a substantial amount, a large increase from the normal amount from one platform. It also creates a new opportunity to reach different age groups. Instagram and WhatsApp are mainly 16 to 24 year olds, while Facebook is mostly over 25 years old. It also brings an audience outside of North America – WhatsApp has the main audience based in Asia, South America, and Europe. This integration combines all of these into one place, making it simple and easy to reach completely new demographics.

Chatbots are the biggest marketing trend and will be for a few years, so this only helps marketers. The conversational interface has already been a huge success for Facebook Messenger, so it can only go up from here once it is integrated with Instagram and WhatsApp. It is instant customer service as well, making it simple and easy for customers using those applications. Chat marketing automation completes some valuable digital marketing trends like must user-centric and growth-critical trends. These include personalization, automation, artificial intelligence, and interactivity. All in one place, the same way it worked with Messenger but with two completely new channels to completely new audiences.

These chatbots are a great alternative to traditional email marketing. Email marketing has had horrible engagement rates recently, as part of a huge decline over the past few years. The average open rate for marketing emails is roughly around 20%, with the average click-through rate of those emails only at a measly 2.43%. But with chatbots, the open rate of messages can be anywhere from 60% to 80% — a whopping 4-10 times higher than that of emails. Not only are these numbers much higher and much more successful, but it will also all be integrated so that it will be one platform to use to send out messages on all three applications. Integration like this one will also provide companies with an international channel for direct communication that is both user-friendly and more engaging than traditional email marketing.

Conclusion

This is an incredible opportunity for all businesses, whether they already use chatbots or not. The time for chatbots is now, and this is a great start if your business has yet to use them. Chatbots will be a staple of the marketing world, so it makes sense to jump on the train now.

Here at YuzzBuzz we can help your business grow. Reach out to us and we can help set up your very own Chatbot as well as find the right package for you to gain even more digital visibility and more business online.

Question

Are there any concerns or questions you have about chatbots?