By Chris Lee

In November last year Facebook announced its latest evolution in its Messages system, which the company said would enable people to communicate in real time in whichever format – SMS, instant message(chat), email or Facebook Message – that they preferred over whichever platform they desired.

The site’s blog also announced the availability of @facebook.com email addresses for its users. Currently, around four billion messages are sent each day which, according to Simon Mansell, CEO of TBG Digital - a global marketing and technology company specialising in Facebook and social media advertising campaigns – contrasts with the decline in number of people signing up for accounts with email providers.

Messages versus Email

So what are the major difference between email and Facebook’s revamped Messages system? Mansell explained that Facebook Messages operates within the confines of the Facebook environment.

“The appeal lies in the fact that users do not have to exit their Facebook account to open an email application or instant messaging service in order to send a message,” he told NMK. “Instead they can send a message to their friends or colleagues, who are able to access it via their mobile, SMS or email. The emphasis is less about the delivery medium and more about the integration of different messaging services.”

According to Mansell, Facebook Messages is remarkably similar to Google Wave, which was an attempt at real-time communication and collaboration. Whilst Google Wave is no longer being actively developed, Messages benefits from its association with the Facebook brand and the continued popularity of social networking generally, Mansell believes.

“The challenge lies in creating enough of a momentum so that the majority of the 600 million active Facebook users adopt and actively use messages. Then and only then can we start to consider what the impact may be,” he said. “What is clear is that Facebook messages is a natural extension of the way individuals chose to communicate – namely through online social networks.”

Marketing mix

With such an emphasis now amongst marketing managers to target Facebook, what do they need to consider with the advent of Messages?

“The medium is no longer the focus, it’s the fact that people want to communicate quickly, simply and instantly,” Mansell advised. “For advertisers, Facebook Messages offers a way to develop and build a rapport with individuals based on their communications however relevancy, immediacy and respecting an individual’s privacy are all issues that have to be factored in. It’s still early days as far as Facebook Messages is concerned and the jury is still out on whether this will catch the imagination of Facebook users.”

Successfully exploiting Facebook

Marketing managers keen to leverage Facebook as a marketing tool constantly look for solid precedents of where the channel has been successfully exploited. Mansell cited one such project his company led for an international telecom brand over a holiday season period.

“The product that we were asked to promote was a pink mobile phone on a SIM-only tariff. We like a challenge but this put the spotlight on the skills and capabilities of our creative teams and our overall approach,” Mansell explained.

TBG Digital used its proprietary technology platform to test eight different product offers with layers of demographic and geographic targeting to very quickly establish what product offers worked and which ones did not.

“Our creative teams were able to build on this information to develop unique offers, such as an ‘Only for Girls’ one and our technology platform ensured the campaign was optimised against the conversion rate. The pink phones flew off the shelves with 4,000 new customers signed up each month.  This was for a product line that was considered unsalable,” he added.

The telecom brand saw a reduction in the cost-per-acquisition by 50 per cent, Mansell claimed, and a 20-fold increase in volume of sales.  

“By creating a specialised product offer aimed at relevant target audiences the campaign became so effective it caught the attention of other product managers and we have expanded the concept of specialised handsets for specific groups considerably.  By applying technology, we can create and simultaneously place over 27,000 adverts, each of which is tailored to a unique audience and drive revenue and sales,” he said.

So what are Mansell’s top tips for firms looking to engage via Facebook?

“Getting face-time from a Facebook audience can be incredibly difficult but an approach based on a solid, flexible technology platform can deliver incredible results,” he concluded. “The key lies in personalising the message in way that resonates with the individual and adapting your message and pitch hundreds of times a minute so that you genuinely appeal to the aspirations, needs and interests on the individual.”