Mark Zuckerberg has announced that Facebook will be integrating the three major messaging services under their banner – Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger. 

The integration announcement has reported to cause some major movements internally, seeing Whatsapp founders, Brian Acton and Jan Koum as well as Instagram founders, Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom to unexpectedly leave Facebbook in 2018.

The apps are reported to continue to operate as stand-alone apps, while the underlying infrastructure will be unified according to four people who are working on the project. 

The move sees to unify some 2.6 billion users spread across all three platforms and connect all of them with one convenient way to message each other on different apps. 

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has commented that “to whatever term we end up doing this” — would likely not show up until 2020 and beyond.” Meaning, that it’s still a way off before we are able to Whatsapp our friends on Facebook or Instagram. 

However, what would the integration mean for users and more importantly to businesses? What can we expect after the integration is complete? 

We share with you 7 things you should know about the integration and what it could mean for you. 

1. Increased convenience through integrated chat 

Whatsapp is highly popular in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, it’s a pain to message people on Instagram and not everyone has an Instagram account to begin with, Facebook Messenger is less popular in the region but most of our friends and family are on Facebook. 
 
Integrating all three messaging platforms would make it easy for you to reach out to someone on another platform without having to create a separate account.  
 
This makes messaging all that much convenient and faster across the three major networks. 

2. Businesses are able to reach a massive and diverse audience 

Having a collective of 2.6 billion users, businesses on a single platform will easily have their market doubled or tripled with the integration. 
 
You as a business owner, will now have access to a larger international demographic, connecting to both new and returning customers on all three platforms. 
 
Reaching global markets couldn’t be easier, with Whatsapp’s largest user base spread across Asia, South America and Europe. The possibilities to grow your business online is unbelievable. 

3. Chatbot marketing will explode 

Chatbot marketing is the next step in online marketing, creating new possibilities to early adopters in the next few years. 
 
The automation chatbots offer to businesses allows you to connect better with your customers, provide better customer service, reduce conversion obstacles which will eventually lead to increased conversion rates. 
 
However, you would need to build three different chatbots to achieve all that today. With this integration, you can easily connect with customers globally using one single chatbot! 

4. A more effective marketing platform for businesses 

Although Facebook is already a global channel for marketing, the integration will provide an even bigger unified platform for businesses. 
 
The 2018 State of Chatbots Report indicates that 15% of respondents have used chatbots to communicate with businesses in the past 12 months.  
 
This is just based off a study conducted in the US. Imagine having access to half the world’s population who will potentially interact with your business via an integrated messaging platform, be it via chatbot or live personnel.  
 
The possibilities of growth are endless! 

5. Facebook to offer new paid services 

Let’s face it, Facebook needs revenue in order to continue operating. 
 
This integration will open up new avenues for Facebook to offer new business services, probably in the form of new advertising spaces or new forms of advertising. 
 
There are hints of a possibility of exclusive paid features that will be made available. Whatever it is, Facebook is expecting to bring in bigger profits and more business through the integration. 

6. WeChat will finally have a major competitor 

The popular Chinese app is a multipurpose platform which is unified compared to the fragmented user base elsewhere. 
 
The integration will finally unify all of Facebook’s fragmented user base to finally rival WeChat’s 1.08 billion active monthly users. 

7. Businesses who act fast will benefit the most 

If you are a business owner and still choose to ignore the progression of digital technology and the importance of integrating digital into your business, then soon you will be left in the dust. 

You need to act today and integrate every advantage you can get into your business. If you want to stay competitive in your market, then talk to us about chatbot solutions and how your can integrate chatbots into your marketing stack ASAP.