Sales funnels and sales tunnels in instant messengers are becoming more and more popular. Why?
Printed 2019-09-20
About why the modern social networks are bad and why advertising flows into messengers, our SMM agency was told by the development director of Viber Sally Burtt-Jones.
Several major privacy scandals in the United States reveal the problem of many popular social networks - they do not really satisfy the interests of users, instead offering intrusive and distracting ads and annoying with more and more sticky targeting. This is bad for both marketers and consumers. Social networks as an advertising channel do not learn the lessons of online advertising: in that area they took user experience more seriously and are trying to solve the problem of poor advertising. Ultimately, this led to the massive use of AdBlock, lower CPM and revenue for advertising platforms, and also created fertile ground for SMM, where a part of advertising budgets flowed.
Targeting level, available on social networks is unprecedented, and the possibilities of attracting subscribers through the development of platforms and social networks are unique. Obviously, social media should be part of a great digital marketing strategy. But does SMM really provide significant marketing opportunities for companies? Here are three reasons why this is not entirely true.
Less communication
We no longer spend so much time communicating on social networks - most users spend less time on Instagram, Facebook and Vkontakte than before.
People now have an average of more than 20 applications on their phone, but only a few use them on an ongoing basis. And more and more often these are not familiar social networks, but instant messengers.
Think about what this means in terms of engagement and activity on these social networks. Yes, companies can receive targeted clicks and impressions on social networks at a certain price, but (in a broader sense) how interested is the audience there? It is important to understand whether a product or brand is perceived as “proven”, reliable.
Talking with strangers
The main reason for the reduction in time we spend on social networks is probably due to a change in our habits due to technology. Mobile phone communication itself has become different: in fact, through it we are now “embedded” in society.
In social networks, we share information with a community of other users. Initially, it was like some kind of friendly team. However, now our accounts have grown: instead of a small group of people with whom we studied at a university or school, now the circle of subscribers includes every passing acquaintance. All this has become much less personal.
... Unlike messengers, where you communicate only with those people with whom you want to communicate, and, therefore, are more likely to do it just like that, during the day, and not at those specific moments when you "want to lay out something."
Again, there are a lot of questions to the main social networks in terms of involvement: it is rapidly falling.
No purchases
People hardly buy on social networks - in general, purchases within each platform somehow quietly disappeared, despite the fact that they really did not take root. Twitter disbanded the sales team and canceled the buy button. Facebook struggled to lure major brands to sell directly through the platform. However, Instagram seems to be the exception, and so far is stepping up its efforts to leave purchases on the social network.
Yes, you can use social networks to direct traffic to your application or to an external site, but the fact that there are no real purchases on social networks indicates the shortcomings that should make a business think about its SMM -strategies and at least do not go all-in with them.
SMM will remain part of most digital marketing strategies, however, companies should look for opportunities to develop long-term relationships with customers and increase loyalty, as well as increase opportunities for profit. A holistic marketing strategy is content, communication and sales. These components work best when the cones user and his interests are in the first place. Advertisers, as well as social networks themselves, need to carefully think through and update the mechanics and UI of their mobile applications, and not just adjust the top CPM and CPM.
© Sally Burtt-Jones, Director of Global Development, Viber.