The Future Is Private

Private interactions, encryption, reduced permanence, safety, interoperability, secure data storage.

It’s news to no one that Facebook has been under a lot of scrutiny for privacy issues in the last 2 years. So it’s no surprise that the company is taking user concerns very seriously, and taking action to protect their privacy like never before. Here’s what we have to look forward to in 2019 and our predictions of what it means for advertisers.

  1. This will start with updating the messenger app where 2 billion+ communicate via encrypted messages 
    • What’s it mean for advertisers: If you haven’t dipped your toes into Messenger tests, you should. New beta tests are on the rise, testing automated chat in response to campaigns & even new launches to lead generation & appointment bookings via messenger, where you can capture their info casually in conversation & integrate into your CRM. Studies show that 75% of users prefer to message a brand. WOW! 
  2. Adding the ability to call and message people on WhatsApp, Messenger, and IG DM

    • This universal messaging platform could be the next hot ad placement. And with the future being private, being able to talk to more people on one platform with an automated chat could be really, really, cool for advertisers. 
  3. 400 million people in Facebook groups 
    • What’s it mean for advertisers: No official updates yet, but we can’t help but wonder if this is going to become a very viable way to hypertarget your audience to their group. 
  4. Rewriting the Facebook desktop app that’s rolling out this year 
    • What will this do to ad performance? Currently, we see 80%-90% of traffic on mobile placements for the majority of our clients. We’ll have to wait & see if the new face lift brings more desktop traffic.
  5. Improving IG shopping and the ability to shop from creators 
    • What’s it mean for advertisers: Now more than ever, people are converting off of Instagram and we expect this trend to continue. 
  6. Rolling out Facebook Dating & Secret Crush to help people find that special someone 
    • What’s it mean for advertisers: Dating profiles can tell a lot about a person- interests, hobbies, favorite foods, job… you get the point. Just think of all that targeting potential. Could this also be a new ad placement to come? We’ll find out! 
  7. Facebook & Amazon combine powers for Portal by Facebook 
    • What’s it mean for advertisers: Facebook’s vowing to not listen to, view or keep any contents of conversations carried over video calls on Portal— however, with the integration of Alexa & the smart device’s ability to communicate with users, this could present an opportunity to gather data about users to help out advertisers, while also respecting privacy of calls.

In spite of all the scandal & breaking-news stories, Facebook continues to grow. And adding in additional products & placements, while taking extra measures to protect the privacy of it’s users should prove beneficial to regaining user trust, which brings in more daily users, and that is very beneficial for advertisers.