Could the future of Facebook marketing be through Messenger instead of the News Feed?

Big moves are taking place over at Facebook. With changes to the way that content is displayed in the News Feed, the social media behemoth has made it clear that it’s now prioritising user experience over the companies that are trying to use the platform for marketing purposes. It’s a big shift for Facebook and one that many people are understandably nervous about. But if the key to Facebook marketing is no longer the News Feed, could Messenger become the place to be instead?

What’s happening at Facebook right now?

They are changing the algorithm to focus more on user-to-user interaction so that Facebook users can feel closer together. What this means for businesses currently using Facebook for marketing purposes is that news articles from Facebook Pages are going to get less airtime in the News Feed. Rather than marketing videos and adverts, Facebook is going to prioritise content from other users, such as holiday snaps or any post that is receiving meaningful comments. Effectively, Page-to-User posts are going to be minimised and those posts that ask users to like and comment may be penalised.

How can businesses respond?

It’s clear that the free marketing methods that used to work for businesses on Facebook are being marginalised. So, simply creating content, posting it to a business Page and then looking to achieve reach via the News Feed isn’t going to work anymore. For many companies the only alternative may seem to be purchasing a high volume of Facebook ads to promote the business. However, there is potentially another option: Messenger.

Facebook marketing via Messenger

Messenger is already a great tool for customer service and many businesses currently use it to deal quickly and efficiently with questions or queries. However, the potential of Messenger goes far beyond this capacity – it could be a very effective platform for marketing campaigns. From product releases to newsletters, there is not much that Messenger can’t accommodate when it comes to content. What makes this a particularly powerful tool is the opportunity for brands to start automating via Messenger. This is easy to do and could give marketing campaigns a great deal more volume and reach. It’s also worth noting the interactive element of Messenger – this could move marketing content into a new realm with users actually interacting with it, as opposed to just liking or commenting.

The Messenger merger

Another reason to consider Messenger for marketing purposes is the much discussed merger that is slated to take place between WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram in the near future. This would give brands marketing via Messenger the opportunity to reach a huge audience across all three platforms.

Facebook is constantly changing the rules when it comes to marketing but there are ways to stay ahead of the curve. If you’d like to discuss Facebook and any other areas of Social Media for your marketing, please get in touch with Iconic Digital on 020 100 0726..