In the last month so much has happened in the world that at times it seems hard to keep up. In our first ever Digital Marketing Round-up we are going to present the latest stories from the worlds of digital marketing and technology. Because of the rapidly evolving situation involving the Covid-19, we realise that these monthly blogs may go out of date fairly quickly. However, our goal is to ensure that you will benefit from our knowledge and expertise, so that you can make more informed business decisions.
As always, we welcome your contributions and ideas for content too. So if there is anything that you would like us to cover in future blogs, please do get in touch with us (see our email at the bottom of this blog post).
Digital Marketing Round-up: what do WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and the WHO have in common?
Huge increases in social media activity globally
Huge increases in social media activity globally
Over the last few weeks there have been vast increases in social media activity, as a result of the Coronavirus. Facebook alone has released its latest figures as a testimony of the popularity of its services. According to Facebook, the <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2020/03/keeping-our-apps-stable-during-covid-19/">total messaging</a> on its platform has increased by more than 50% over the last month. This percentage includes all of the statistics from Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram combined.
Total time spent across social media has risen by 70%
In addition to this, the <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2020/03/keeping-our-apps-stable-during-covid-19/">total time spent</a> across all of these apps since the crisis began has risen by 70%. The total time spent in group calls (which consist of three or more people), has grown by more than 1000% over the last month. Frankly, the numbers are staggering, although far from unsurprising given the circumstances.
WhatsApp has introduced limits on its message forwarding service
WhatsApp has initiated a programme to <a href="https://faq.whatsapp.com/en/general/26000253">reduce the number of times</a> someone can forward a message onto another person. This is in response to users who have claimed that they have been feeling overwhelmed by the amount of messages that they have been receiving. This measure has also been introduced to <a href="https://blog.whatsapp.com/Keeping-WhatsApp-Personal-and-Private">halt the spread of misinformation</a>.
WhatsApp are keeping it personal
WhatsApp’s primary goal is to ensure that as a platform it remains a place for <a href="https://blog.whatsapp.com/Keeping-WhatsApp-Personal-and-Private">personal conversations</a>. This ties in nicely with the <a href="https://canaryjammedia.co.uk/2020/03/09/digital-campfires/">digital campfires trend</a>, which we discussed in a previous blog post.
The all-new Coronavirus Information Hub
As we have seen on both Facebook and WhatsApp, their goal is to ensure that people always have access to the most reliable and up-to-date information regarding <a href="https://www.whatsapp.com/coronavirus">the virus</a>.
To this end, both companies have launched a <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2020/04/coronavirus/#coronavirus-info-center">Coronavirus Information Hub</a> to help their users to <a href="https://faq.whatsapp.com/126787958113983">identify reliable information</a>. There has been so much scaremongering in the media of late; that we think it is entirely refreshing to see that the social media companies are taking steps to help their users.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is partnering with social media companies
The WHO has recently announced a partnership with WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/who-health-alert-brings-covid-19-facts-to-billions-via-whatsapp">to create a helpline</a>. Their joint goal is to create a go-to resource for their users, so that they access the latest information about the virus. To date, the new WHO helpline on Messenger and WhatsApp has reached over 10M users within days of its launch.
WhatsApp have pledged to donate millions of dollars to the WHO
As a partner organisation, WhatsApp have committed to <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2020/04/coronavirus/#mark-post">donate millions of dollars to the WHO</a> and other not-for-profit organisations. This is to ensure that they reach about 2 billion people with their new messaging service.
And, finally
So the answer to our initial question: what do WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and the WHO all have in common is the Coronavirus. Do you think that their partnership is entirely altruistic, or is this a way for them to boost their reputations? Either way, it is certainly an excellent form of public relations, and a positive way to conquer the Covid-19. At any rate, we are very interested to hear your thoughts.
See you in two weeks time for our next Digital Marketing Round-up news summary. Remember you can submit your own ideas or make contributions via our email: <a href="mailto:hello@canaryjammedia.co.uk">hello@canaryjammedia.co.uk</a>.
Stay strong and keep well.
Lucy and the Team 🙂
