Instant messaging apps are truly on the rise. It's been predicted that in 2019 more than 25% of the world population will be using them for communication. Given its current trajection, it’s easy to see that these apps are here to stay.
In recent years, messaging apps have evolved as platforms purely dedicated to communication into networks that can provide brands with extensive global reach. While only 20% of surveyed companies have admittedly invested in messaging platforms, experts predict this movement to become mainstream as more marketers see the potential of messaging apps.
Consumer interest might just be the most significant driving factor: In response to a survey, 59% of people said they had turned to these apps to connect with friends and family.
Interestingly, 67% revealed that they expect to use these very platforms to communicate with businesses in the coming years. With more consumers thinking that businesses should be available 24/7, the immediacy messaging apps offer can pave the way for improved customer support, sales, and brand reach.
Diversification: Why You Need More Than One App
There are tons of messaging apps on the market and knowing the best one for your business isn’t going to be an easy task, especially since these apps have different features and user bases. To get the most out of your marketing strategy, it’s best to use two or more messaging apps to really diversify your target audience.
What do we mean by diversification? Just take a look at WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. These platforms are the two biggest messaging apps in the world, with billions of monthly active users. However, their user bases are pretty different.
According to Hubspot, using WhatsApp will give you audiences in Europe, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, while Facebook Messenger will give you a more global reach. Whereas WhatsApp’s average user base is 25 to 44 years old, Facebook Messenger’s is a lot more accessible for younger generations, with users from ages 16 to 44 using the app on a regular basis.
The bottom line is that apps are used by unique demographics. Knowing which one would suit your business best based on their users’ age, location, and gender will help you improve your marketing strategies and increase customer reach.
Choosing The Right Apps For Your Marketing Strategy
It’s not enough that you know what audiences you can reach with different apps. As discussed in the infographic by TextMagic below, different apps can be leveraged for various marketing purposes. Real-time customer support is the fundamental benefit messaging apps offer to businesses, but that’s pretty much where their resemblance stops.
Some apps offer cool features like chatbot integration, content creation through stickers and other shareable material, among others. These platforms are a goldmine for growing sales as well.
For instance, Facebook Messenger allows you to start a conversation with a customer after they have interacted with a Click-to-Messenger ad on their Facebook news feed. This person receives a message from a chatbot with different options to choose from as an answer. This can be a good way to help a customer pick a product and even pay for it.
These features offer plenty of opportunities to the savvy marketer; all it takes is just some creativity.
Experimenting With More Than One App
In order to reach your brand’s full potential, using more than one app to promote an event or hype up a sale might just be the tactic to drive more customers to your website or store.
For example, you can go on WeChat to advertise your 50% off coupons. As your customers share this with friends and family, you can set up a bot on Facebook Messenger to automate the stream of messages you will be receiving about the promo.
In a world where people are glued to their phones and prefer having everything online, messaging apps help not only your customers, but also your business.
Don’t know where to start? We compiled some info on the leading messaging apps in the infographic below to help you understand how you can use these platforms to your advantage. Start off with what you’re comfortable with and see how successful your campaign becomes. As time goes on, you’ll be able to use these apps confidently.
Courtesy: TextMagic
Rob Steffens
I am the Director of Marketing here at Bluleadz. I'm a huge baseball fan (Go Yankees!). I love spending time with friends and getting some exercise on the Racquetball court.