Why Zuck’s "Close Friends" Invite is Marketing Genius

Picture yourself in the midst of an Instagram Story when all of a sudden you notice one of your friends has a very unique green circle around their profile picture. You click on it and instead of seeing your college roommate or cousin, you see Mark Zuckerberg sending you a direct message.

That is what just happened to a number of creators as the famous Zuck sent out invites to his MetaConnect conference using the Close Friends feature of his own platform rather than using an expensive glossy printed invitation or a simple standard email.

So why do we care? Because this is incredibly smart! It speaks volumes about how marketing will be done in the future as well as where the world is headed in general.

Drowning in a Sea of Content:

There have been countless articles written on "content fatigue," where high-profile influencers receive thousands of dollars in "PR boxes" each month, and their email inboxes are filled with requests for "collabs." In an attempt to outdo everyone else in the room by sending the biggest gift possible, the most powerful thing you can do as a marketer is to be quiet and speak softly.

Meta was able to take a large corporate event and make it into a more intimate conversation via their use of the Close Friends list. The Close Friends list is, by nature, a closed community and is perceived as exclusive because it is a "walled garden" that bypasses the normal channels for sending messages to influencers. Instead, it gets sent directly into the creator’s most private online space.

Creativity is essential to Founding Companies

At the upper echelons of companies with trillions of dollars in revenue Many leaders don't see creative thinking as part of their identity (they may believe that their skills are purely technical) or that their skills will have an impact on their organizations, but this decision illustrates that to be at the highest level (the business world) you must also be creative.

Ask "What is my way of reaching the people I want to reach uniquely to those individuals?"

Sending someone a box of equal value versus sending a request for someone to follow you on social media; logistics would be costs and shipping, while a personalized video story would be how to build a relationship with someone, and these two examples illustrate the notion that we all value something that feels unique, different, and unusual (the rarity of the experience). Therefore, a green-circled video invitation feels much more unique and special than a generic invitation.

Utilizing One's Product

A CEO using their own product as if he is a normal person is so real. It is the epitome of dogfooding. Mark is not only the man who owns the platform; he is a user! When a founder utilizes their features that they built to communicate with their customers, it creates a connection; it transitions the company as an entity from a faceless corporation to a community-based ecosystem. Lastly, it reminds people that social networks have always been about socializing!

The Transition of the Invite System

As part of the evolution of the Creator Economy, where the aim was previously to have as many people as possible view your content, the new goal is to create "High-Intent" Engagements. Meta wants individuals who have a meaningful connection with their brand to be included in this event; they don't just want anyone to come to MetaConnect.

In selecting this specific group of people to attend, they are creating a "Vibe" for the attendees and saying to the attendees, "You are not just another number in our analytics; you are now part of our Inner Circle."