In the bid to stay connected during the pandemic, people are communicating online now more than ever and whenever we think of social media connectivity, the Facebook family usually follow along the same thread of thought.
In a recent survey, Facebook found that on their apps alone, more than 100 billion messages are sent between family and friend every single day. As Zuckerberg explained in 2019,
“private messaging, ephemeral stories, and small groups are by far the fasted growing areas of online communication.”
Indulging in one of their biggest steps yet in order to enhance how we connect online, Facebook has unified their power duo – Facebook and Instagram – to offer a whole new cross-messaging service.
Now allowing you to access the best messaging experience – no matter which app you use – the new fusion will give users the opportunity to merge their Messenger inbox with Instagram Direct. An obvious development for use by family and friends, the new feature will also bring with it development in how users like social influencers, businesses and brands market to other businesses and consumers via their social platforms.
Privacy and security were the first concerns to be raised by users when the cross-messaging announcement came, but Facebook has reassured that this update will also set up an expanded set of privacy – with features such as allowing users to specify who can reach their main chats list, the ability to report full conversations on Instagram and to receive proactive blocking suggestions across Instagram and Messenger.
In a 2019 statement, Facebook commented on the upcoming cross-messaging service;
“[We want to] build the best messaging experiences we can; and people want messaging to be fast, simple, reliable and private.
We’re working on making more of our messaging products end-to-end encrypted and considering ways to make it easier to reach friends and family across networks.”
Some of the new features to look out for
Watch together
A feature that allows users to join or to host their own video viewing parties through video calls. Movie nights with friends, collaborating with colleagues and creating content together will now be possible even as you stay at home.
Custom emoji reactions
A quick and easy feature that provides you with a shortcut to reacting with you most used emojis – an easy way for those accounts with high following and messages to keep up interaction!
Control where you receive your messages
You will be able to control where you receive your messages and calls, such as in your chats, in your message requests or not at all. This will become a good way for businesses and influencers to control their influx of messages.
Vanish mode
Choose a mode where seen messages disappear after they’re seen or when you close the chat.
Direct replies
Respond directly to a specific message in your chat and keep the conversation flowing.
Boomerang features
An easy to use, personalised video editing tool, the new boomerang feature will add fun and creativity to both your personal and marketing interactions.
What does this mean for social media marketers?
This would mark the first time we are able to communicate across both platforms, with Facebook already suggesting that WhatsApp may soon be added to the list and between them, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp have more than 2.6 billion users.
The merging of both platforms for messaging will allow companies to reach and target a much wider audience than before. The new features will help accounts keep up consistent and personal interaction with existing and potential customers through messaging. They will also be able to create easy, creative gifs and boomerangs and keep track of all correspondence in one location, so nothing gets missed.
If you need a hand in developing effective social media marketing or need guidance on how to improve your digital marketing, get in touch with the team at Xanthos who would love to help.
