Platforms
2 mins read

4 reasons messaging apps are so important for publishers

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I’ve written before about why Facebook is still the king within the social media space, and why its reign will last for some time.

Having a strong presence on the world’s largest social network and across a range of networks is certainly essential for publishers wishing to optimize their reach and impact. But there is another great force in the world of social media that needs to be grappled with if publishers are to continue to maximize their impact – messaging apps. Chat apps aren’t a new phenomenon but as GlobalWebIndex’s data makes clear, they are an essential engagement channel to understand as the world of social media continues to evolve.

80% of online adults are using messaging apps

Despite being relatively new to the scene, messaging apps have already emphatically claimed mainstream status. 8 in 10 internet users now use a chat app, like WhatsApp, Snapchat or Facebook Messenger. Indeed, as our chart here shows, the rate at which digital consumers are signing up for messaging platforms is striking – in 2014 it was a little over 20% of internet users (outside China) who had started using Facebook Messenger. Flash forward to 2016 and the figure is close to 50%.

2 in 3 North American 16-24s are on Snapchat

The early adopters of messaging apps were young, digitally-engaged consumers and even as these platforms have entered the mainstream, some messaging apps have succeeded in maintaining demographic profiles the envy from many other platforms.

Take Snapchat for example: at a global level, usage figures for Snapchat may trail well behind its rival but focus only on 16-24s and the service boasts engagement rates about 40%.

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