If you thought the messaging lightweight application was your way to escape the ads on social platforms, you were right; ads are making their way to Facebook Messenger app, but not in the way you expect. Luckily, the way the messenger application looks and loads remains the same, allowing users to be able to chat in a low-memory consumption and fast loading manner.
However, it would appear that starting Q2 of 2016, the Messenger app will allow advertisements to come in the form of messages. As harrowing as that sounds, you shouldn’t despair thinking that your inbox will get flooded by all the weight loss and kitchen appliances ads on a daily basis.
Apparently, the way it will work is that businesses will be able to send advertisements as messages to users who have contacted a particular company. Think of it like businesses being allowed to ‘text’ you first, only after you texted them.
This will be able to be done by the user opening a message thread with a particular company, which will remain open as long as the user wishes for it. In that window, whenever the company has a new advertisement or piece of news, it will simply display it in the thread. Think of it as a replacement for newsletters; the kind that fills up your e-mail’s inbox and makes you wish there was a better, lighter way of handing it.
Well, there you have it, by allowing companies to ‘contact’ you in such a manner, without allowing them to feel invasive or overwhelming and sluggish, Facebook may have just found a way to make the entire concept a lot more acceptable for both the user and the businesses who want to advertise themselves to potential consumers. The only difference is that it only allows companies to advertise to already loyal public, but doesn’t give them a method of attracting new customers.
This was a very insightful and inspired move on behalf of Facebook. The company only recently released statistics pointing at Facebook Messenger as being one of the most used apps on the mobile platform. Just recently, it was reported of having 800 million monthly active users, which scores many more visits than the basic Facebook app. Using it as a platform that allows advertising was a clever method employed by the company in order to start monetizing Facebook Messenger.
The kind of ads that you should expect to see once the change hits our smartphones is news regarding product launches, flash sales, free gifts, promotions, videos, photos or posts of the business, follow-up reminders on availability and costs and so on.
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