If you’re one of the millions of people using social messaging platforms Tango (200+ million) or Kik (240+ million) these days, you may have come across some cool tips and tricks around summer vacation planning or cookouts – or even go-to guides on the latest vintage fashion and sneaker trends – provided on behalf of eBay.
Tango and Kik Messenger are both part of a rapidly growing segment in the social industry. In fact, a recent Business Insider report found that the combined user base of the top four chat apps is larger than the combined user base of the top four social networks.
“We see a massive opportunity to extend eBay’s reach through the world of messaging,” said Llibert Argerich, eBay’s Global Director of Social & Content. “We want to be active on platforms that our current and potential customers spend their time on, and offer up content that is timely and relevant to them.”
Over the last few years, eBay has made it a priority to be active on a variety of social channels. The company’s recent launch on Tango marks the 16th different social platform the company is utilizing to reach new audiences. This past April, eBay announced a pilot with Facebook Messenger that allowed users the ability to opt-in to automated Facebook Messenger notifications thanks to a new integration between Facebook and eBay.
Whether it’s having a presence on the more solidified platforms like Facebook, Pinterest or YouTube – or being one of the first major brands to drive engaging campaigns on channels like Reddit, Imgur, We Heart It and Snapchat – eBay’s emerging social channels team prides itself on creating relevant content that caters to the specific audiences of each unique channel.
“We know that nearly half of all millennials use social channels in their shopping journey,” said Argerich. “And many of the social channels we have a presence on attract unique subsets of audiences. For instance, We Heart It is a great platform to engage with millennial females, while Imgur attracts a more male-oriented audience. By creating content that aligns best with these different population segments, we’ve been able to drive some great engagement results.”
In terms of Tango and Kik Messenger, the results thus far have been promising as eBay’s native ads, influencer guides and premium content been well received. On Kik Messenger in particular, users are incentivized to click through on the promoted link in order to earn a “Kik Points” that they can use in the platform to purchase stickers. Moving forward, eBay is exploring new features in the world of messaging that will further enhance the customer experience, while also looking for different avenues to expand its overall social presence. Stay tuned.