Social media sites like Facebook are always developing new features for its users to stay relevant and interesting. As photo-centric sites like Snapchat and Instagram rise in popularity, sites like Facebook need to develop competitive features for users and marketers alike.

At the end of last year, Facebook launched Messenger’s new built-in camera .  This camera could be used with Messenger’s new visual tools, such as art and effects like floating hearts and recently, Mardi Gras frames.

 

At the same time, Facebook also began testing a way for you to share these photos and videos — as they happen — by adding to your Messenger Day, where many of your contacts can view and reply to them. You’re always in control of who can see your day — share it with everyone, or choose specific groups on Messenger. Everything you add disappears after 24 hours. 

Facebook globally launched Messenger Day, a new way to share photos and videos “as they happen” in the stand-alone Messenger app. Like with Snapchat Stories and Instagram Stories, Messenger Day allows users to customize their photos and videos with thousands of frames, effects, and stickers and each post disappears after 24 hours.

1. First make sure you’ve updated your Messenger app so you have the latest version.

2. Open Messenger, and tap on the camera highlighted with a sun to celebrate this launch. Doing so drops you right into the full-screen camera. Or, tap the “Add to your day” button at the top of your inbox to get started.

3. Snap a quick selfie or take a photo or video of what’s around you.

4. To add art and effects, tap the smiley face icon in the top right and then tap to add to your photo or video. You can also add text over your images by tapping the “Aa” icon, and you can overlay a drawing by tapping the squiggly line in the top right corner.

5. Once you have your photo or video the way you want it, tap the arrow in the bottom right corner. You can then add directly to your day, save it to your phone’s camera roll, and/or you can choose to send it to a specific person or group of people. The photo or video that you add to your day will be viewable for 24 hours.

It doesn’t appear that Facebook pages have access to this feature because they can’t access the Messenger app, which is available only to individual users. This makes the feature more accessible to small businesses, contractors, and public figures that have a large number of clients or interested users as Facebook friends.

We’ve talked before about the importance of personal brand building. As the Internet makes the world an increasingly more “intimate” place through social media, personal blogs, and video, customers expect a more personal experience from businesses. By putting a personal face on your brand, you are helping people buy from a person, and not just a logo, which can have a very positive impact on sales. (This is why celebrity endorsements are so important to big name brands.)

Messenger Day is another great way to build your personal brand by sharing your day, via image or video, to you network on Facebook. Whether you’re attending a tradeshow or conference, or just sharing a sneak peek of a new product, Facebook Messenger Day gives you an intimate connection with your audience.