Last week, BlackBerry announced an update to BBM, which added several fantastic new features for all users, including BBM Channels to the Android and iPhone subscriber base. BlackBerry users have had access to a BBM Channels beta for several months now. In those months, channel owners have already seen enthusiastic engagement from their subscribers.
BBM Channels lets users chat with other BBM users about topics that interest them. Customers can join channels about a range of topics from products, hobbies and sports to entertainment, fashion, cars and more. Channels can be created by brands, businesses and BBM customers alike and are a great way to communicate directly and immediately with people who share common interests in the broader BBM community.
By posting to their channel, channel owners immediately reach their subscribers with a message that can spark discussions.
“Scheduled chat hours” allow BBM customers to have live chats with the channel owner – a great way to engage directly with their favorite channels one-on-one.
For brands and businesses, BBM Channels provides a new way to interact and connect with a highly engaged and targeted mobile audience and build a community around their channel.
Thousands of major brands and businesses are already using BBM Channels to engage with their customers, including:
- Coca-Cola – C001241E0
- Disney – C002AB885
- Toronto Maple Leafs : C0009053A
- Toronto Raptors – C000171E7
- InsideHook- C00120A1A
- Mercedes Petronas – C00011785
- Toronto International Film Festival: C000A033C
- Shaun the Sheep: C00124C49
- TELUS Business: C001338C9
- Red Bull – C00155F87
- Orange – C00123A83
- E! – C00123A79
Here’s what one of our Channel owners had to say after using BBM Channels in Beta with BlackBerry users:
“The Desigual BBM Channel set-up was very simple and instantaneous. The interaction with our followers is nearly real-time, and the engagement level is high compared to traditional social networks. We’re seeing followers participate from all over the world and they are truly enjoying the direct contact with our brand. Our channel is also easy to manage as it is well-integrated with the rest of our social networks – in fact, the real-time feedback we get via our BBM Channel helps us to improve our content planning on the other social networks we manage. In just two weeks we had a strong and really engaged community of more than 10,000 followers. Our BBM Channel is currently in the top five of our social media networks that drive traffic to our e-commerce site, so we’re already seeing that it is generating sales.”
Boris Mercier
Global Social Media Manager
Desigual – C0006E26C
Check out this video to watch BBM Channels in action.