Timing is key to Meta's Product Marketing Strategy

Meta aren't necessarily good at social media marketing. Like Apple, they're masters at integrated product marketing.

Effective integration relies heavily on timing, blurring the lines between a convenient product and a user that's caught in the web.

From the brand side, Meta’s flurry of announcements are designed to benefit from the TikTok buzz even when its rival platform was switched back on. The stacked product updates aren't a coincidence, and they build on the smarts of a simple SEO strategy; one that’s supercharged when it coincides with chaotic counterparts.

Most crucially, integrated product marketing can deepen the users reliability on a brand. Meta benefits from its users’ lack of time. Not necessarily the lack of choice, as there are a wealth of social networking alternatives out there. Few however, are as integrated into our daily lives: how we chat, complain, research, shop, and transact. Even the dating game changes with Instagram's announcement. Cut to being served the Reels liked by a potential match. Things could get interesting.

And just when we think we're one step removed from the integration, a quick stock take of how many other platforms we've permitted to use our Facebook logins can quickly humble us.

The sheer volume of community adoption makes Meta increasingly hard to move away from. Even when the sense of community is fragmented. When the left side of our brain aches for us to shut down our social media profiles and retreat to nature, the right side pushes for connectivity, reminding us that even a disassociated form of connection feels non-negotiable in today’s difficult climate.

Ultimately, Meta’s new ‘Edits’ App for Instagram doesn’t need to be groundbreaking or actually any better than TikTok’s CapCut. Its integration to Instagram scores serious points for convenience.

Example use case: despite a strong working knowledge of Adobe Premiere, I often edit videos within Canva. It takes me longer and can be clunky on desktop. I daren’t try mobile. Yet, I consider the quality of output needed, not desired, and ultimately Canva gets me where I need to go. The benefits of the editing tool being in-app, where my final content is created, seals the deal.

With a time poor pandemic controlling much of Meta's demographic, integration is the commonality across the diverse consumer set.

If you're a brand or social media manager being asked to follow the trend, I'd urge you to put community at the heart of whatever you're planning. 🤝🏻

After sharing my thoughts on LinkedIn this week, I got nattering with MediaCat UK as they dug into the Meta updates. They asked me what I thought the opportunity could be for brands and content creators: “Meta puts the emphasis on follower activity to inform personalisation. Where TikTok serves you content based on your own activity, Meta will push content that’s been watched and liked by friends and folks you follow. Through a talent lens, this could bring fans closer and increase the connection between audience and creator.”

And I couldn’t help but hope for some positive co-creation: “‘We could see a shift towards more curated activity on Instagram, encouraging positive co-creation and community building.” Read the full article here.