With three out of the top five global social platforms being messenger apps and up to 85% of social traffic now occurring in ‘dark social’, audiences are shifting more and more of their conversations to private, inhibiting a brand’s ability to join in. Marketers need to master the art of harnessing messenger platforms, but without compromising user experience.

1. We Are Social @suzsha
Mastering the art of
Marketing through
Messaging Apps
May, 2018

2. We Are Social @suzsha 2
@suzsha

3. We Are Social @suzsha
WORLD’S LARGEST SOCIAL
SPECIALIST NETWORK
3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PARIS
Jan 2010
LONDON
June 2008
SINGAPORE
Sept 2011
SYDNEY
April 2010
MILAN
March 2010
MUNICH
April 2011
NEW YORK
August 2011
SHANGHAI
Jan 2015
BERLIN
Nov 2015
50
50
35
80
45
80
55
150
10
WORLD’S LARGEST SOCIAL
SPECIALIST NETWORK

4. We Are Social @suzsha 4
OUR CLIENTS

5. We Are Social @suzsha 5
What
we’ll
cover
today
1. What is dark
social?
1. What is dark
social?
2. Why is it growing?
3. How can
marketers make the
most of it?

6. We Are Social @suzsha
WHAT IS
DARK
SOCIAL?
6

7. We Are Social @suzsha 7

8. We Are Social @suzsha 8
Social sharing of content that occurs outside of what
can be measured by Web analytics programs. This
mostly occurs when a link is sent via online chat (or
email), rather than shared over a social media
platform, from which referrals can be measured.
Alexis C. Madrigal
Senior Editor - The Atlantic
DARK SOCIAL

9. We Are Social @suzsha 9

10. We Are Social @suzsha
CONTEXT
10

11. We Are Social @suzsha 11
bit.ly/digitalin2018

12. We Are Social @suzsha 12
HALF THE WORLD’S POP ON INTERNET
The number of people using digital, social and mobile media around the world.
Sources: See We Are Social’s Digital in 2018 Q2 Snapshot
Penetration: 41%Penetration: 66%Penetration: 43%Penetration: 54%Urbanisation: 55%
+7% +13% +13% +2% +14%
3.087 Billion5.061 Billion3.297 Billion4.087 Billion7.615 Billion
Active Mobile
Social Users
Total Population Active Internet
Users
Active Social
Media Users
Unique Mobile
Users

13. We Are Social @suzsha 13
70% OF AUSTRALIANS ON SOCIAL
The latest snapshot of regional digital, social and mobile use.
Total Population
Penetration: 61%Penetration: 78%Penetration: 69%Penetration: 88%Urbanisation: 90%
Active Mobile
Social Users
Active Internet
Users
Active Social
Media Users
Unique Mobile
Users
15 M19.16 M17 M21.74 M24.61 M
Sources: We Are Social’s Digital in Oceana West 2018 report

14. We Are Social @suzsha 14
4 OF TOP 6
PLATFORMS ARE
CHAT APPS
Latest reported monthly active
user figures for the world’s most
popular social platforms, in
millions.
1,300
1,300
980
843
800
794
568
376
330
FACEBOOK
WHATSAPP
FB MESSENGER
QQ
WECHAT
QZONE
TUMBLER
INSTAGRAM
TWITTER
SINA WEIBO
SOCIAL NETWORKS
MESSENGER/CHAT/VOIP
Sources: See We Are Social’s Digital in 2018 bit.ly/digitalin2018
2,167
YOUTUBE 1,500

15. We Are Social @suzsha
BUT SO
WHAT?
15

16. We Are Social @suzsha 16
Today, more
messages are sent via
messenger apps than
are sent via email.
Ω
Ω

17. We Are Social @suzsha 17
4,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
4Q11
4Q12
4Q13
4Q14
4Q15
4Q16
1Q12
1Q13
1Q14
1Q15
1Q16
1Q17
2Q12
2Q13
2Q14
2Q15
2Q16
3Q12
3Q13
3Q14
3Q15
3Q16
Messaging Apps
Have Surpassed
Social Networks
Global monthly active users for the
top 4 messaging apps and social
networks, in millions
Note: Big 4 messaging apps are WhatsApp, Messenger, WeChat, Viber.
Big 4 social networks are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn
Source: Companies, Apptopia, TechCrunch, BI Intelligence estimates, 2017
Big 4
Messaging Apps
Big 4 Social
Networking Apps

18. We Are Social @suzsha 18
It’s estimated 75-85% of all social
sharing happens in dark social, via
instant messenger, email and text.
Source: RadiumOne Report 2017

19. We Are Social @suzsha 19
The average
smartphone user
only accesses
4 - 6 apps per day.
4 of the top 10
apps are
messaging apps.
81%FACEBOOK
71%YOUTUBE
68%FB MESSENGER
61%GOOGLE SEARCH
57%GOGLE MAPS
50%INSTAGRAM
50%SNAPCHAT
47%GOOGLE PLAY
44%GMAIL
41%PANDORA
COMSCORE
SOCIAL NETWORKS
MESSENGER/CHAT/VOIP
*
*

20. We Are Social @suzsha 20
Chat apps have
substantially higher
retention rates. And
are launched 9x per
day v 2x of other
apps.
36%
29%
25%
18%
11%
68% 67%
65%
62% 62%
1st Month 2nd Month 3rd Month 6th Month 12th Month
Source: Flurry Analytics January 2014 - January 2015 new user cohorts
AVERAGE
MESSENGER APPS

21. We Are Social @suzsha 21
Messenger apps are the channel of
choice for Millennials, with 50% of
the average audience under 35.

22. We Are Social @suzsha
WHY ARE
CHAT APPS SO
POPULAR?
22

23. We Are Social @suzsha 23
Mobile First
UI designed to be
mobile-first
No need to post
regular updatesLess demanding on
data plans
No annoying
interruptions
Conversations flow
more naturally
More Natural Fewer Adverts Cheaper
To Use
Less Pressure
FUNCTIONAL
PREFERENCE

24. We Are Social @suzsha 24
Stickers/Emojis Integrated
payment
VOIP Gaming
ENHANCED UTILITY

25. We Are Social @suzsha
CULTURAL
DRIVERS
25

26. We Are Social @suzsha 26
Keep me connected.

27. We Are Social @suzsha 27
Now means now, now!

28. We Are Social @suzsha 28
I need to be culturally relevant.

29. We Are Social @suzsha 29
From deference to reference.

30. We Are Social @suzsha 30
Consumers love them, but this
shift to mobile messengers has
serious implications for marketers

31. We Are Social @suzsha 31
Private
Conversations
Limited ways for
brands to track or join
people’s social
discussions
Harder to
Advertise
Limited opportunities
for brands to pay to
“insert” themselves
New Metrics
Of Success
Likes and followers
matter much less than
organic word-of-mouth
MOBILE MESSENGERS CHANGE
THE RULES OF SOCIAL

32. We Are Social @suzsha 32
Critically, a “boosted content”
approach won’t work in a
messenger-centric model.

33. We Are Social @suzsha
THEY DO
PRESENT NEW
OPPORTUNITIES
33

34. We Are Social @suzsha 34
Unique functionality
enables more sophisticated
service and selling
Improved Utility Sharper Context
Provides opportunity to
directly address consumers
True 1-to-1
Enabling service and
experiences in real time
and at scale
AI Assisted
BENEFITS FOR BRANDS
By leveraging user insight
brands can deliver contextually
relevant experiences and
service

35. We Are Social @suzsha 35
10WAYS MARKETERS
CAN MAKE THE
MOST OF
MESSENGER APPS

36. We Are Social @suzsha
FIRST, A
WORD FROM
THE WISE…
36

37. We Are Social @suzsha 37
- Tom Goodwin, Futurist, Zenith
We have spent years and many millions of
dollars trying to drive direct engagement with
customers, and to think that we’re now hiving
them off to machines is madness. Why do we
think talking to people (advertising) is an
investment to maximize and listening to people
(customer service) is a cost (to be reduced).
“
”

38. We Are Social @suzsha 38
CUSTOMER
SERVICE
V
MARKETING

39. We Are Social @suzsha 39
AIM TO
ENHANCE
CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE

40. We Are Social @suzsha 40

41. We Are Social @suzsha 41

42. We Are Social @suzsha 42
LEAD WITH
UTILITY

43. We Are Social @suzsha 43

44. We Are Social @suzsha 44
CONSIDER
THE ROLE
OF AI

45. We Are Social @suzsha 45
There are over 100k chat bots on
Facebook Messenger. 3x more than
this time last year.

46. We Are Social @suzsha 46
NAB predicted they will save
$16M and gain +15NPS thanks
to their chatbot

47. We Are Social @suzsha 47
Facebook has stated that bots on
their Messenger platform have a
70% fail rate meaning only 30% of
interactions were handled without
human intervention.

48. We Are Social @suzsha 48
But it’s not all about
customer service
and utility

49. We Are Social @suzsha 49
LEVERAGE
NATIVE
BEHAVIOUR AND
CONVERSATION
INSIGHT

50. We Are Social @suzsha 50

51. We Are Social @suzsha 51
UNDERSTAND
NETWORKS
AND FOSTER
COMMUNITY

52. We Are Social @suzsha 52

53. We Are Social @suzsha 53
ENSURE THE
BRAND’S VOICE
IS NOT, ERM,
ROBOTIC

54. We Are Social @suzsha 54

55. We Are Social @suzsha 55
DESIGN A TRULY
MOBILE-FIRST
EXPERIENCE

56. We Are Social @suzsha 56
v=MNapCDYvOfM

57. We Are Social @suzsha 57
LEVERAGE PAID
FORMATS

58. We Are Social @suzsha 58

59. We Are Social @suzsha 59

60. We Are Social @suzsha 60
PROMOTE
AND DRIVE
TRAFFIC TO
YOUR
CHANNEL

61. We Are Social @suzsha 61
UTILISE
TRACKABLE
LINKS

62. We Are Social @suzsha
IN SUMMARY
62

63. We Are Social @suzsha 63
Bricks and Mortar Website Apps
THE EMERGING MARKETPLACE
Messenger Apps

64. We Are Social @suzsha
IF YOU HAVEN’T GOT
A MESSAGING APP
STRATEGY, YOU’RE
AT RISK OF CEDING
GROUND TO NEW
ENTRANTS 64

65. We Are Social @suzsha
THANK YOU
65