Every few years a social media platform will expand its reach and add new features.
At first, everyone laughs and jokes how so and so “should just stay in their lane.”
The first time I thought this was when Facebook Messenger was introduced (way back when). “Hah, why do I need Facebook Messenger if I have AIM and texting?”
Fast forward to today, and right now I have six Facebook Messenger chats going at the same time. It’s an incredibly easy way to stay in contact with friends all over the globe. Who woulda thought.
The same thing happened when Instagram and Facebook added Stories. “Hah, why do i need Instagram Stories, when I have Snapchat?” The memes were everywhere:
At the time the jokes were funny, and we thought stories would be the next fad to come and go…boy were we wrong!
Take a look at the graphic below. Five months after release, Instagram Stories eclipsed number of Snapchat users. After a year of use, Instagram Stories is on track to double this number.
Why do I mention stories in a post about food? Good question.
The reason why is that when it comes to social media (or anything, really) people will pick the easiest option 99% of the time.
Using Snapchat and Instagram Stories provides the same user experience. The difference? Snapchat requires an entire app, doesn’t DM, and doesn’t keep your profile all pretty like IG does.
Instagram provides a comfortable and familiar platform..PLUS stories.
Another example is news articles. Why download the CNN app, when you can Like their page and instantly get every article straight to your newsfeed? Easy.
Following this same reasoning, we see that Facebook has announced that you can now order food on Facebook.
I can hear the critics now…”hah, stay in your lane Facebook, we already have UberEats and Postmates.”
Not so fast. People increasingly go to Facebook for local recommendations. How many times have you gone to a business’ Facebook page before ordering?
Now – Facebook has made the user experience that much easier, by allowing you to purchase food right there on your phone, without switching apps.
Zuckerberg – great job, bro. This constant innovation is what keeps people on your platform.
Facebook knows the more people can do on their platform, the more people will use it. Why do you think they push videos so much these days?
If your business isn’t active on Facebook, now is the best time to start. Your page will become more and more important everyday, for creating and nurturing your online reputation.