Facebook Advertising Grows as Ads Come To Messenger

As of this week, TechCrunch has confirmed that the leaked document regarding Facebook Messenger Ads is in fact true. While they have chosen to keep the identity of their inside source confidential, all details regarding changes to Messenger have been released, many of them have been confirmed.

So what exactly are Facebook Messenger Ads? Essentially, they are a way for companies to contact consumers directly. It’s an alternate solution to the 1-800 numbers we call here and again for customer service. Some respond to this chance with a concern for privacy, as it appears that Facebook gleans and distributes more and more of our information to Facebook advertising agencies as the days go on. However, it has been revealed that only those who have previously interacted with a companies’ public page will be receiving messages as a method of following up or coming to a solution for an expressed problem. In other words, messages will only be distributed when warranted. In a recent interview, Facebook ensures that their “aim with Messenger is to create a high quality, engaging experience for 800 million people around the world, and that includes ensuring people do not experience unwanted messages of any type.”

Another change coming is a link which consumers can use to directly message companies. This is where we see Facebook beginning to try and replace customer service numbers. Opening links such as fb.com/msg/BrightAge will now instantly enable a chat window with a business; this has been doubly confirmed in an interview with Facebook. They are calling it “Businesses on Messenger”. If a company’s link yields a 90{bfa23e0adf5035fdfa71191ffe91e54dd073cdba85c1f10af47dda85ac37f507} response rate within a 24-hour period over the course of a week, Facebook will enable the link to be searchable. While the content of these messages remains uncertain, there are many opportunities. From personally delivering ad-content to announcing sales and promotional offers to informing consumers of price adjustments, the possibilities are endless. What’s important to remember is that it appears Facebook is approaching the launch of this new service cautiously, keeping customer service a huge priority. As a Facebook advertising agency, we have widely recognized Facebook as one of the most cost effective advertising methods that yields some of the best results. However, seeing as this service has the potential to be the most effective and immediate method for businesses to reach their audience ever, rates for “Business in Messenger” could potentially be extremely expensive.

What are your thoughts? Is this Facebook trying to enhance their seamless communication or is it just another subtle form of them giving away our private information for their own monetary gain? Is Facebook becoming more of an advertising platform than it is a social media platform? As a social media marketing agency we are constantly in the know about updates and want to know what social media users prefer.

Author: Hannah Prater

Hannah is currently studying Advertising and Multimedia design at Pepperdine University, with an undying fascination for the creative side of advertising. Her experience with social media has only multiplied since she downloaded Instagram the very month it came out in 2010. In response to Beyonce’s famed question “Who run the world?”, Hannah also rejoins “Girls” but only secondary to “Facebook”. You can connect with Hannah on Twitter @hanprater.