In April 2020, Facebook launched the first product that integrates all “by Facebook” services into one. “Messenger Rooms” give us a peek into the (near) future of Facebook and where social media as a whole will develop.
Facebook has not had an easy year. Numerous data management scandals have made it hard for the press and users alike to trust Zuckerberg’s masterpiece.
But Facebook is still one of the most used social media platforms in the world. And with the platform concepts it has started to roll out, it does not look like it will be going anywhere, anytime soon.
Has Facebook had its moment of glory
The magic of social media has fainted a little. New social media platforms have emerged and stolen some of Facebook’s youthfulness.
Facebook has become a place for parents, older millennial and the silver surfer generation.
But the network has grown. With clever the acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram, Facebook has remained at the top of the social media food chain. It is still the undisputed king of social.
Which platforms belong to Facebook
Facebook owns Instagram, WhatsApp, it’s own Messenger service and a hardware line under the name Facebook Portal.
Whereas Mark Zuckerberg tried to acquire Snapchat on numerous occasions, it never actually managed to do so.
Each service has its own distinct product qualities and serves a single purpose.
- Facebook, is the central community and communications hub
- Facebook’s Messenger, is a stand alone app and service that can be used to chat and video call
- Instagram by Facebook, arguably the most promising, up and coming service, focuses its attention on visual media (video and images)
- WhatsApp by Facebook, is the power-messenger of the group. With apps on both Android and iOS devices and state of the art end-to-end encryption techniques, it is the messenger to beat
- Facebook Portal, a high quality tablet, capable of far more than its software allows it to – great for video calling and conferencing.
Facebook’s future is in video
The COVID-19 pandemic might have sped up some product releases. One of which is most probably the release of Messenger Rooms. The (new) messenger service will be part of each and every social media platform, owned by Facebook.
It allows users to video call and live stream their conversations, with a single login.
Anyone with an Instagram-, Facebook-, or WhatsApp-Account can invite friends, colleagues or family to join a video call; regardless of whether they have one of the other apps or services.
A conversation can thus be held between someone on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp at the same time.
This type of deep integration has never been done before. And it is not without reason that Facebook has launched its first integrated service as a video messenger.
How smart retailer use the Facebook platform
This integration will make it increasingly easy for (small businesses and) retailer to communicate with their customers. Whatever the client would like to use, the Facebook Messenger Rooms enable a seamless connection.
Hence,
- A barbershop or dentist, alike, could take on appointments through either one of the messenger tools
- Customer video support can be done on Instagram or WhatsApp messenger
- There will be no need for retailer to communicate all social media channels they have
- It will become easier to go all-in on one channel for retailer
At this point in time it is unclear how quickly these features will become part of the Facebook Business Manager. However, if there is money to be made, Facebook will certainly not wait long to deploy new features soon (USA-first of course).
Do not underestimate Facebook
For all of those who thought FB has had its best days, think again. Mark has just gotten started. The introduction of Facebook Messenger Rooms is a glimpse into the future.
It is exciting to see that the platform integration has finally started. Soon, we’ll be able to try it out for ourselves – and we cannot wait to try out the new business manager features, as soon as they are released.
How can you do CRM using Facebook Messenger (Rooms)? Contact one of our social media specialists.
Facebook’s Messenger Rooms in our GANDT Fireside Chat #006
In our Fireside Chat #006 we discussed the Facebook Messenger Rooms in our GANDT team. Interested to learn more and join the discussion? Have a look at the video below. You don’t need to go through the entire video to find it – the discussion starts after 19:15 min. Have fun.
The video is in German, we are working on English captions. If you are fine with Google’s auto-translation, or speak German of course, you’re all set.
UPDATE: Facebook’s Messenger Rooms was rolled out worldwide tonight
Date: 15.05.2020
In a post on your website, Facebook announced today that it has unlocked Messenger Rooms worldwide.
We have recently announced the launch of Messenger Rooms and are pleased to announce that we are rolling out this feature globally starting today. With Messenger Rooms you can set up a room where you can make free video calls with up to 50 people without time limit.
It’s an easy way to spend quality time with friends, loved ones, and people who share your interests. Rooms can be created directly from Messenger or Facebook and give you the ability to share links to invite people to join, even if they don’t have a Facebook account. (Source)
A first test in our team showed that the tool works perfectly. However, it is unclear how you can log in WITHOUT a Facebook login.
Furthermore, it would be great if you could chat in a room directly via Messenger.
It could well be that further functionalities will be added bit by bit. Once the Instagram and WhatsApp integrations are live, we will do an in-depth review of the possibilities.
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