Facebook will soon let publishers distribute content through Messenger

Facebook Messenger will soon let publishers distribute their content automatically through the social network’s messaging service. Facebook plans to announce the move with a number of participating publishers in April at its annual F8 developer conference.

Facebook announced at last year’s F8 that they would be expanding Messenger beyond a chat app, and becoming more of a platform similar to the one similar to its parent company’s. This enabled apps such as Giphy to enable users to send GIFs through Messenger while enabling businesses to utilize Messenger for customer service needs.

Earlier this year, Facebook began testing a tool for other developers to build chat bots that plug into Messenger so that people could do new things, like requesting an Uber ride via conversation in their Messenger platform. The tech firm Imperson used this tool to build a chat for Miss Piggy during ABC’s “The Muppets,” allowing people to converse with the character during the show. The fictional character’s relevant responses were generated by computer algorithms and taken from a predefined list.

In early January, German newspaper Bild was one of the first publishers to use this still-private tool to distribute their articles. As users began a conversation in Messenger with the Bild Ticker, the chat bot would send them messages that described the news story while giving a link to Bild’s site to view the full article. Their use of the feature is an example of what many more publishers will be able to do through this new Messenger feature.

The Notify app, which Facebook introduced last fall, is another example of how publishers can use Messenger for their marketing purposes. The Notify application let users subscribe to receive push notifications from major publishers, including The New York Times, Fox Sports, People, Mashable, and more.

Being new to the social media marketing game, it’s still uncertain how exactly publishers will make money from this Messenger feature. According to some resources, Facebook is rumored to eventually let businesses pay to message people who have already started conversations with them on Messenger. This can enable publishers to sell brands on sponsored messages the publishers would distribute through Messenger.

Although, Facebook Messanger won’t be the first messaging app for publishers to utilize. Publishers such as the Washington Post have been getting positive results from Kik, while BBC has been experimenting with Viber and WhatsApp.

Facebook Messenger is one of the largest messaging apps, with over 800 million users worldwide each month. As we see more publishers incorporate this new Messenger feature, marketers and will get more creative with digital marketing strategies.

Here at Kraus Marketing, we keep up to date with new developments within the marketing industry. If you’re looking to update your marketing strategy for your business, contact us today by visit our website at www.KrausMarketing.com or by contacting us at 973-998-5742.