Instagram is integrating directly with FB messenger

A big change is coming to your Instagram DMs… Facebook (which owns Instagram) announced a redesign for Messenger that includes a direct integration between Insta DMs and FB’s Messenger app. This will bring new features to the private messaging experience on Instagram, such as emoji reactions and personalized chat colors, as well as making it possible to chat with users seamlessly between IG and FB.

An exciting aspect for businesses and social media marketers is that Facebook’s Messenger API has also been updated to include access across Instagram, which means third party tools should soon allow better management of Instagram’s private messages.

Here are a few more peaks at the redesign of the overall Messenger experience, which includes a new gradient logo, chat themes, and custom reactions.

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New Features:

On Instagram, users can opt-in or opt-out of the new Messenger integration. Those who opt-in will have these new features available:

  • Seamlessly communicate across the apps

  • “Watch Together” — Watch videos from Facebook, IGTV, Reels, movies and more with friends

  • Vanish Mode — Send messages that disappear

  • Selfie Stickers — “Create a series of boomerang stickers with your selfie to use in conversation”

  • Personalized chat colors

  • Custom emoji reactions

  • Forwarding

  • Threaded replies

  • Animated message effects

  • Privacy controls, including enhanced reporting and blocking

 
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Why it matters

Private social media messaging has been growing in usage for years, and Facebook is trying to make sure they stay on top of these trends by connecting their apps in ways that keep the audience using their platforms.

For businesses, these updates should provide some fun and helpful features for customer service and user engagement. This could be a great way to get creative when interacting with your audience one-on-one!

One potential downside—it seems that Instagram still enjoys a better reputation than its parent company, in light of the many privacy concerns and other scandals that have plagued Facebook in recent years. Could integrating Instagram at this point backfire by reminding ‘grammers that they are really using Facebook when they log into Insta?

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Social Media UpdatesMatthew DooleyOct 2020