While WhatsApp – the cross-platform, real-time messaging service developed by former Yahoo employees – has yet to catch on with many publishers, Digiday is reporting that its social sharing possibilities could soon capture their imagination.
The platform currently boasts more than 400 million users trafficking 50 billion messages daily, according to Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers analyst Mary Meeker. And while USA Today and BuzzFeed, who are using WhatsApp, have reported a spike in sharing, Digiday points out that the service doesn’t integrate with third-party apps, which complicates potential implementation.
In addition, some publishers are skeptical of what WhatsApp can truly deliver, as visitor metrics are murky.
“In order for WhatsApp to begin generating meaningful referrals for publishers, publishers need to think of WhatsApp as a platform for distribution and readers must regularly want to share things with their friends on WhatsApp,” Shareaholic’s Danny Wong told Digiday.
To read more about WhatsApp’s advantages for publishers, visit Digiday.
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