Facebook’s latest announcement has come as a bit of a shock to it’s users. Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp in February made me think about the future of Facebook Messenger and I wasn’t wrong to think that they would separate Facebook’s iOS and Android app from it’s messaging feature. What does this mean for Facebook? Mobile Marketing.
There are 1.3 billion smartphone users worldwide… That’s one in seven people with a smartphone. I am the first to admit dependency on my beloved iPhone and I am sure most of you are the same as me. My calendar, music, contacts, apps and photo’s are all stored on my phone (backed up of course) and I would probably be lost without it. My point is that we are all so attached to our mobile phones and because of this, we make it much easier for the likes of Facebook to advertise at us on mobile as opposed to web.
Facebook has already started notifying users of the change to the Facebook iOS and Android app, letting users know that they will only be able to send messages through the Messenger app.
Facebook are clever, they are “THE” Social Network and will probably never be overtaken by another social network in terms of users. Because of this, they understand how mobile marketing is the future. Facebook controlled almost 16% of the Global Ad Market in 2013 and this is sure to increase this year with their messenger changes.
What does this change mean for users? We are now forced to have two different Facebook apps on our smartphone device which gives Facebook double the opportunity to advertise.
Facebook aren’t the first and they won’t be the last to put more focus on mobile marketing and it’s safe to say that if their mobile strategy is strong enough, they may be a force to be reckoned with on Mobile.
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