Top 5 Messaging Apps and How You Can Use Them In Your Business [PH]

07/08/2020 09:00 AM By Angela

Top 5 Messaging Apps and How You Can Use Them In Your Business [PH]
Messaging apps are one of the most-used apps in the world today. It connects us to other people, especially in this time of change and uncertainty. It is a significant market that is starting to be tapped by businesses now, though only 28.6% of businesses have done so.




It is also important to take into consideration the recent shifts away from traditional marketing to a more personalized approach. Gmail has since implemented a separate Promotions tab, making it more difficult for email marketing to be seen by subscribers. Facebook has changed its Feed algorithm and brands' organic reach is declining through that platform.


In fact, messaging apps have started to gain more traction than social media in terms of global active monthly users.




In addition to that, the investment into messaging solutions is growing. Many businesses are moving towards harnessing conversational marketing tools like chatbots, from news outlets to non-profit organizations. It's a good time to re-assess utilizing this tool for your marketing solutions.


But how does one actually use messaging apps for businesses?

Top Three Ways To Harness Messaging Apps for Business

#1 Create a community


Many businesses now are starting to create communities within messaging apps. Slack is a popular choice for businesses, as many business-oriented individuals are already on Slack. Many companies are creating a place for potential clients to contact them on the platform.


Even locally, there are many Viber groups opening up for businesses to reach others, from a takeout and delivery services guide from SMDC Malls to DOH to disseminate COVID-19 information.




#2 Engage with customers on chat

Customers--whether they are consumers or businesses themselves--love that personal touch. Knowing you can reach out to a brand or company easily is an attraction, due to heightening desires for authenticity in the market.

More people are also more open to conversing with chatbots now than ever before. Customers as yet do not have the same "email fatigue" that makes it more difficult to reach them through traditional email marketing.

#3 Get people to participate

If you've got that giant all-hands meeting in your business, chances are a subset of your employees are already on their phones anyway. Getting these people to participate can be as simple as opening up a channel for them to message their questions and comments during the event itself, or even streaming responses so they can see their stamp on your event in real time.

Which App To Choose: The Top 5 Players

The Philippines is one of the most active users of social media and internet in the world. In fact, in the Digital 2020 report, the Philippines is at the very top:




But it's important to make sure that your business efforts are targeted towards the messaging platform that has the biggest reach locally. Line and Kik may be interesting platforms, but if your potential customers aren't there, you're better off focusing on a different platform.


As of July 5, the top 5 messaging applications in the Philippines are:


  1. Messenger
  2. Telegram
  3. WhatsApp Messenger
  4. Viber Messenger
  5. Discord


This is according to SimilarWeb's numbers on Android and iOS usage, shown below. They are similar across both platforms, with the exception of WhatsApp and Viber switching ranks.





Conclusion

This is a rapidly changing environment and the digital world is moving faster than ever before. Being on the forefront of this shift to messaging apps can be beneficial to your business, directly or indirectly.


Traditional marketing methods should not be abandoned. But conversational marketing, messaging apps, and chatbots are only going to rise in usage and effectiveness. Taking the time now to assess how you can utilize this shift will help you prepare your business for the future.