To what extent has Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, managed to keep new technology advances for the Facebook messenger app to maintain its leadership position in the social media market?
Introduction
Since the Facebook messenger application’s first release in 2011, they have managed to maintain their leadership in the social media market by keeping up with the new technology. Facebook Messenger has developed many new aspects and continues to grow and innovate. For several years now Facebook has become a household name and the company has aimed at maintaining the title for the best social media networking site. To do this M ark Zucheberg is constantly updating this app, and learning from the mistakes of other social media sites like MySpace. Facebook has, therefore, added features and changes to the site layout to stay ahead of the curve. Facebook has framed the way other social media should work. Facebook is a way of life it is uncommon to hear or meet a person who doesn’t have a Facebook account (Hartung, 2011).
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The launch of Facebook Messenger in 2011 created a new look towards social media. The application enabled Facebook users to send messages one on one to friends and groups. The application has constantly evolved through the addition of new features to create a new experience for Facebook users making the social site relevant all the time. To date, Facebook Messenger has over 600 million users. I will be using the Ansoff Matrix, which is a tool that helps a business plan its growth strategies. I will be looking at Product Development and how Facebook Messenger has developed and kept up with new technology; the reason for this is because Facebook Messenger wants to maintain its leading position in the social media market. I will also be looking at the market size, market leader, competitive advantage while the companies that are rigid to changes are left behind. This eventually can lead to drastic losses in profit and market share, and market growth of the App from its initial release, three years ago. This paper will focus on how the technological advances in Facebook Messenger keep Facebook on top of the social media market. Some of the technological advances the paper shall focus on including the launch of Facebook Messenger for Business, video calling feature for both androids and Computers, and the launch of Facebook Messenger that allows users to send money in the United States.
Since its launch, the number of users has constantly increased. For one to acquire and use the Facebook messenger app, they are required to have a Facebook account. As a result, this means a high number of users of the app, hence a larger market size. It’s the data from the many users that Facebook uses to convince many businesses to establish their presence in the Messenger. The data and ads placed on Facebook help the giant app to decide on what appeals more to its users. This results in high-price ads and a better experience for the users of the app. Zuckerberg aims at constantly improving the app, especially through the games and location services to attract more game developers (Chowdhry, 2015).
In 2015, the application was updated to allow users to locate the exact location of other users or any location around the globe. Stan Chudnovsky explains that a user can choose to send explicitly a map of their location. Facebook users who have the updated app, can tap on the ‘More’ icon at the bottom of their screens to access the location function (Sinha, 2015). Then they can share their location or even search for restaurants or other places on the map and send it to others. Facebook considers the privacy of its users and has created this feature to be optional, and users who wish not to have their location known can disable the location services on the app (Chowdhry, 2015).
Zuckerberg has focused on developing a market penetration strategy that would keep it at the top of the social media market. Apart from the constant update of its features to attract more users Zuckerberg has used a strategy that would assist Facebook Messenger market it’s both the existing and new products of Facebook. Understanding that there are risks involved in all market strategies due to products that exist in such a market. Therefore, there exists much competition for a company to gain a greater share to maintain a lead in that particular market. The market strategy involves selling similar products a company has to adopt the following strategies. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are one of the easiest ways of penetrating a mature market. It involves the competitor’s products or merging with the competitor for the companies benefit. One market strategy adopted by Facebook is buying off Whatsapp one of its major competitors. One would question why Facebook would invest in a messaging app when it has its own. Buying WhatsApp however has helped Facebook market its Messenger. Apart from making Facebook even more popular, WhatsApp analysis shows that the project was entirely beneficial. The major areas of expenditure for the project were on transport, acquisition has helped generate revenue that is used to market Facebook Messenger.
Facebook is focused on what its competitors are doing to keep them on top. In 2013, Facebook reported a decline in teen engagement in the app. Through its research, Facebook realized that Instagram was becoming one of its main competitors. It, therefore, focused on how people are using the internet. Zuckerberg admits that if Facebook sees a new trend its first reaction is to buy it, replicate or do both. Facebook is in constant review of its market goals and is focused on developing the next computing platform for its users. Facebook purchased Oculus for over $2 billion to spearhead this development goal. This acquisition is targeted at making Facebook stay relevant through working towards virtual reality.
Facebook is preparing itself to stay relevant when Virtual reality kicks in (Garun, 2015). For example, a feature has been added to the App to allow users to upload and share videos with the world and friends. Previously videos uploaded to Facebook could only be shared by posting a link to it. However, the feature is intended to make it attractive to post videos on Facebook instead of YouTube. The feature is also being developed to support videos shot in 360 degrees camera technology. Since it is very important for Facebook status since video sharing has become the most common means of communication in social media. Also, users can comment on articles and stories outside Facebook, but this article with appearing as a notification on Facebook. It has allowed companies such as Huffington Post, Fox Sports, and BuzzFeed to stay engaged with the content posted (VincosBlog).
Facebook has worked on improving its features in the app to keep it as a market leader. This seems to be working since the company has maintained to stay relevant for over ten years. Several features have been integrated to maintain its lead. First is the has the integration of a feature that enables business people to interact with its customers on Facebook. Many companies are now using Facebook to market and sell their products. Mark Zuckerberg the C.E.O of Facebook introduced Messenger Business, which will allow users to communicate with businesses directly through the Messenger app. Companies, therefore, can integrate Messenger to provide their clientele with purchase information, shipment tracking, and general product information (Garun, 2015). The feature also favors users because they can shop directly through the Messenger app within the thread of e-commerce sites. If one makes a companies had been involved in a never ending business deal. BHP made annual offers to purchase online, they can choose to connect to their Facebook account so that the notifications from the company are sent directly to the Messenger app. It is especially important for people who hate getting multiple notifications for their orders (King, 2015).
Facebook Messenger introduced a video calling feature creating a totally new and easy way of child development. Ordinarily mothers express positive characteristics towards their infants. When there is no communication to its users. In 2011, Facebook introduced video calling in partnership with Skype. However, the company launched its Video calling Feature on the Messenger app showed that Facebook and Skype have parted ways. The app offers to people the ability to make voice calls around the world, and the introduction of video Calling means a major expansion to real-time communication features. The feature is available for both computer and smartphone users. The feature is simple to use, and one needs only to tap the camera icon and start video calling. The app adjusts the quality of the video according to management an area of the industry. A SWOT research of the company indicates that it has much durability. For example, it has highly effective on the internet connectivity. The user is also notified if the connectivity is weak, and one can then switch to audio. The good main advantage of the feature is that it is free to access. What keeps Facebook on top with this app is its ability to allow the users to turn off video feeds to increase the other person’s video quality. To add on, Facebook is experimenting with the feature to allow group video calling for its users. Mark Zuckerberg acknowledges that Facebook Messenger calls account for 10% of the total video calls. This feature makes Facebook Messenger a worthy opponent against the services of Apple and Google (Chowdhry, 2015).
Facebook Messenger introduced a feature that helps its users to read and reply to messages using other apps integrated into the Messenger app. For instance, one can open third-party apps such as GIF within Messenger and send a message. Before one was required to close the Messenger app and open the GIF app to send a Messenger. David Marcus head of the Messenger Communication team on Facebook acknowledges that the app allows third parties to prompt Messenger users to download their apps directly through the messenger app (IBN,2015).
Through the Facebook Messenger app, users in the United States can send money to their friends. For one to send money, they will need to message the friend then tap on the dollar Icon and enter the amount they wish to send, then tap on pay and enter the debit card number and the money is transferred. For one to receive the money they will be required to open the conversation with the friend the tap add card in the message and add their debit card number and accept money. Once transferred the money is received after two or three days just like other bank deposits. This system is secure and free to use. Facebook has created a fraud monitor system that makes sure all transactions are carried out genuinely. The financial information of its users is also secured through the use of software that meets international standards. It is this new invention that is intended to keep Facebook as a top social media market (Grover, 2015).
Conclusion
The technological features and development of Facebook Messenger have boosted the status of Facebook as a social media site. It is because of development like the inclusion of video calls, ease of uploading and sharing videos, integration of Facebook and Business and allowing sending of money through the app has contributed majorly to Facebook maintaining its leadership position in the social market.
References
Chowdhry, A.(2015). Facebook Messenger App Now Has Free Video Calling. Forbes Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2015/04/28/facebook-messenger-app-now-has-free-video-calling/ on 3rd September 2015.
Grover, K. (2015). Facebook Messenger: Changing the Game. Medium Corporation. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@kshithappens/businesses-on-facebook-7908e3997bc0 on 3rd September 2015
Garun, N. (2015). Facebook announces Messenger Business to let users chat directly with companies. TNW NEWS. Retrieved from http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2015/03/25/facebook-messenger-business/ on 3rd September 2015.
Hartung, A. (2011). How Facebook beat MySpace. Forbes Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2011/01/14/why-facebook-beat-myspace/ On 3rd September 2015
IBN(2015). Facebook’s Messenger app evolving into a multitasking tool that mixes business with more pleasure. IBN Live. Retrieved from http://www.ibnlive.com/news/tech/facebooks-messenger-app-evolving-into-a-multitasking-tool-that-mixes-business-with-more-pleasure-977406.html on 3rd September 2015.
Sinha, R. (2015). Facebook Messenger Update Changes How Users Can Share Location Info. NDGTV Gadgets. Retrieved from http://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/news/facebook-messenger-update-changes-how-users-can-share-location-info-700072 on 3rd September 2015.
Vincosblog (2014). World Map of Social Networks. Retrieved from http://vincos.it/world-map-of-social-networks/ on 3rd September 2015.
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