You have probably heard, or even seen for yourself, that the Facebook Messenger app has now fully integrated SMS into the chat app. This might even take you by surprise after the disastrous foray Facebook took into this area in 2014 but pulled due to lack of uptake. Compared to the last attempt though, the clever people over in Facebook HQ have done a good job this time around in ensuring most Facebook Messenger features are still enabled.

The premise is simple; texts will be sent as usual at the cost of your normal network rate or inclusive if you have bundled credits. As per regular Facebook messages, chat heads will pop up when an SMS is received and you can even use stickers and send voice clips. Chat heads for SMS will be purple, to differentiate between the blue colour of regular Facebook messages. As well as this, Facebook insists that SMS will not be saved on its servers but all SMS will be sent and received locally on the device, alleviating any privacy fears.

So the question you may be asking is why have Facebook gone to such lengths to do this? The answer can be found in the rise of messaging apps that keep have the ability to keep users engaged. Asian messaging apps like WeChat and LINE have built extremely successful methods of monetizing the services they provide and Facebook Messenger is looking to follow in their profitable footsteps. Integrating SMS is just one more way of annihilating the competition as users move from their native SMS apps to using Facebook Messenger as a one stop shop for all messaging needs.

For SMS marketing this news is huge. The point that is always argued is why use SMS marketing when chat apps such as Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp are on the rise? Now this point is moot, as where Facebook goes others are soon to follow. We are already expecting SMS integration with the next version of Skype for Windows 10 as discussed in the Windows Team’s latest release notes. The merging of SMS and web chat apps means that there are more platforms for businesses to market to using SMS, with Facebook Messenger having 11 billion downloads on Google Play. Statistics also show that 72% of Facebook Messenger users purchase products online, meaning a huge portion of users are engaging with content via the app.

Marketing departments and agencies are still focusing on social media marketing but the revolution in chat apps will soon see marketers flooding to take advantage of what they have to offer. To get in early and take advantage of direct SMS messaging before competitors, get in touch with us to find out how we can help you improve your marketing strategy.

Contact VoodooSMS today on 0800 971 7111

 

 
Cyber Essentials and IASME Standard Certifcation

VoodooSMS are proud to be awarded Cyber Essentials certification, a government-backed scheme to assist businesses in maintaining cyber security standards.

Cyber Essentials is a requirement for government contracts awarded through the GCloud framework and has been developed as part of the UK’s National Cyber Security Programme. Through this, VoodooSMS have also been awarded certification of IASME Security Standards. Both certificates ensure that security is at the forefront of VoodooSMS’ best practice policy throughout the company.

More information can be found here: https://www.cyberstreetwise.com/cyberessentials/