Recent research has revealed that social media users are turning more to messaging features on social media platforms to share content and connect more deeply with brands, friends, and followers.
In light of these findings, Meta is preparing new tools to help businesses take full advantage of every direct message. Here’s what businesses can look forward to:
- Recurring Notifications via Messenger
- Cloud-based Customer Messaging Tool
- Click-to-message Ads
- Business Accelerator Program from Plug and Play
- Community Chats
Let’s dive in!
1. Recurring Notifications via Messenger
Whenever a consumer starts a direct message with a brand, it’s a rich opportunity for the business to nurture that lead more personally and specifically than any other online avenue. No matter what the initial chat was about, Recurring Notifications in the chat-thread can keep the conversation going and help continuously offer new value to the consumer.
Businesses and brands will be able to control what kinds of content social media users will be able to opt in and out of, exactly the type of content shared in the chat, and how often they’ll message the user.
Consumers typically start conversations with brands to learn more about a product or service be it price, sourcing, materials, shipping information or otherwise. Meta encourages business to not let the conversation end there, but to continually engage the user with helpful content related to their initial chat and the business in general.
2. Cloud-based Customer Messaging Tool
Meta is building out a cloud-based customer messaging tool that will integrate with WhatsApp Business services and allow businesses to more efficiently message their customers.
One of the main perks of this tool will be increasing business’s response time to customers' direct messages. As direct messaging continues to grow, offering businesses agile ways to leverage and handle that growth is top of mind for Meta.
3. Click-to-message Ads
Click-to-message ads are an ever quicker way for consumers to get in contact with businesses. Instead of creating ads with a contact form attached, digital marketers will be able to create ads that initiate a direct message with the business immediately.
For example, a restaurant can publish a click-to-message ad and a potential customer can click the ad to ask the business if they take reservations. The business will get the message right away in their direct messages and can respond immediately.
This new access to businesses offers new opportunities for businesses to close sales quickly, while posing new challenges such as brand messaging and staffing employees to field the messages.
4. Business Accelerator Program from Plug and Play
Meta is partnering with Plug and Play to offer businesses training on how to best leverage the growing direct messaging commerce space.
Plug and Play is a global company offering tech solutions to businesses in every industry. Meta decided to partner with Plug and Play to offer businesses valuable trainings that are already integrated with services and platforms businesses are used to.
Keep and eye out for this accelerator program and see how your business could benefit!
5. Community Chats
Mark Zuckerburg posted about creating Community Chats to continue to leverage the growing direct message commerce space. Groups and Pages have been community conversation spaces for like-minded users to discuss, learn and share about a specific topic or activity.
With Community Chats, individuals interested in the same things will be able to converse within a chat thread instead of needing to publicly post within the Group or on the Page.
The direct messages are expected to create more opportunities for businesses to answer the same questions all at one time and to pitch new products, services or sales directly to the chat thread!
The Community Chats are also designed to facilitate a greater sense of community and belonging surrounding a brand, where customers who love the brand (or are new to it) can discuss their favorite items and offer reviews.
Final thoughts…
Overall, these new business messaging features will equip businesses with valuable information about how consumers view their brand and their products, and will remove the guesswork about what needs to be improved.
Meaningful connections are the new currency in the social media business space and these direct messaging tools are designed to help businesses nurture these leads with care.
RevLocal handles digital marketing for small businesses and multi-location brands. To learn more about what it’s like to have RevLocal as your business’s trusted digital marketing partner, browse our resources or contact us for a free consultation.