Everything You Need to Know about FB Messenger Marketing and Chatbots with Larry Kim

everything-you-need-to-know-about-facebook-messenger-marketing-and-chatbots

[[p]]Facebook Messenger marketing is one of the most influential tactics available to marketers today. Messenger marketing gains enormous scale when it&rsquo;s backed by powerful [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/2018-02-25-chatbots-will-80-of-companies-really-be-using-them-by-2020-chatb" target="_blank"]]chatbots[[/a]].[[/p]]

[[p]]In this article, I want to explain exactly how Facebook Messenger marketing works, what role chatbots play, and how you can use this tactic to improve and boost your marketing activities.[[/p]]

[[p]]First, the 30,000-foot view.[[/p]]

[[p]]Facebook Messenger Marketing is the use of Facebook Messenger as a conversational channel for reaching individuals at scale with targeted messages.[[/p]]

[[p]]The concept is about as simple as it gets. You use Facebook Messenger to send messages to individual users.[[/p]]

[[p]]But isn&rsquo;t that kind of like email marketing?[[/p]]

[[p]]Yes and no. Conceptually, it&rsquo;s the same thing &mdash; a contact receives digital communication from a business.[[/p]]

[[p]]But in practice, it&rsquo;s very different. Messenger is conversational, interactive, and instantaneous. Email marketing tends to be more detached, impersonal and delayed. The differentiator is the use of [[a href="https://www.uctoday.com/contact-centre/what-are-chatbots-and-why-are-they-becoming-so-popular/" target="_blank"]]chatbots[[/a]].[[/p]]

[[p]]Chatbots are automated messaging programs that simulate conversations, ask questions, gather feedback, send blasts, segment users, schedule appointments, make reservations, purchase items, track order status, provide feedback, provide 24/7 customer service, offer downloadable resources, drive traffic to landing pages, and &mdash;&nbsp;if a customer so desires &mdash;&nbsp;get in touch with a real human being.[[/p]]

[[p]]Chatbots aren&rsquo;t unique to Messenger, of course. But [[a href="https://medium.com/the-mission/11-best-uses-of-chatbots-right-now-1c27764b7e62" target="_blank"]]when it comes to Messenger marketing,[[/a]] they add atomic power to an otherwise average messaging experience.[[/p]]

[[p]]A well-designed Messenger chatbot can effectively do the work of an entire marketing department.[[/p]]

[[p]]Chatbots are what allow you to reach individuals in a messaging platform at scale.[[/p]]

[[p]]Listen to what the marketing community says about Messenger marketing.[[/p]]

[[p]][[a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/08/29/messenger-marketing-the-new-way-to-do-business/#5fed2e6d52d0" target="_blank"]]Forbes[[/a]] has referred to Messenger Marketing as &ldquo;the new way to do business.&rdquo; Cutting-edge marketing research predicts that Messenger marketing &ldquo;is set to become the world&rsquo;s single biggest marketing channel in the next 5-7 years.&rdquo; [[a href="https://www.inc.com/ben-parr/12-stats-that-show-why-facebook-messenger-is-so-important-to-your-business.html" target="_blank"]]Inc. fawns[[/a]] over the trend by stating, &ldquo;Messenger marketing has become so hot.&rdquo;[[/p]]

[[p]]Why all the giddiness?[[/p]]

[[p]]First off, we can point to some big numbers &mdash;&nbsp;like the fact that [[a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/258749/most-popular-global-mobile-messenger-apps/" target="_blank"]]according to Statista[[/a]], there are 1.3 billion Facebook Messenger users, not to mention millions more on Facebook&rsquo;s [[a href="https://mobilemonkey.com/blog/2019/01/facebook-integrating-messenger-whatsapp-instagram" target="_blank"]]other messaging platforms[[/a]][[/p]]

[[p]]Those 1.3 billion users are having [[a href="https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2017/12/messengers-2017-year-in-review/" target="_blank"]]7 billion conversations every day.[[/a]][[/p]]

[[p]]There&rsquo;s a lot of activity on Messenger because there&rsquo;s a lot of people on it. That&rsquo;s one reason why marketers are salivating over its potential.[[/p]]

[[p]]Beyond the statistics alone, there are two overarching reasons why Messenger is such a powerful marketing channel.[[/p]]

[[p]]One is strategic, the other is tactical.[[/p]]

[[p]]Strategically, it&rsquo;s all about [[a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-mover_advantage" target="_blank"]]first mover&rsquo;s advantage[[/a]]. Few businesses are using Facebook Messenger marketing or they aren&rsquo;t using it to maximum potential.[[/p]]

[[p]]For example, a business may have a contact button for Facebook Messenger. So what? Most businesses do. This is, at best, average.[[/p]]

[[p]]Most businesses [[em]]don&rsquo;t[[/em]] have a chatbot connected that replies instantly, guiding users towards a solution.[[/p]]

[[p]]Businesses who use Facebook messenger marketing with chatbots have a lot to gain right now while the arena is still uncrowded.[[/p]]

[[p]]The second set of advantages is tactical.[[/p]]

[[p]]Messenger marketing [[em]]crushes [[/em]]email when it comes to engagement. A competitive email marketer can expect to achieve 5-10% open rates.[[/p]]

[[p]]But with Messenger marketing, open rates skyrocket to 70-80% in the first [[em]]hour[[/em]].[[/p]]

[[p]]For example, one recent auto responder that we at MobileMonkey sent to new Messenger contacts gained a 78% open rate and an 11.6% response rate.[[/p]]

[[p]]These are the unicorn-level results that forward-thinking marketers can expect to achieve using Facebook Messenger marketing.[[/p]]

[[p]]Chatbot-driven Messenger marketing has tons of applications. Let&rsquo;s take a look at a few of them.[[/p]]

[[p]]One of the best ways to begin using Messenger marketing is to add a widget to your website.[[/p]]

[[p]]Once you add the widget, contacts can send Messenger chats to you without even leaving your website. Those messages aren&rsquo;t lost, either. They&rsquo;re updated in Facebook Messenger both on desktop and mobile.[[/p]]

[[p]]If you integrate a Messenger chatbot on your website, you can auto-respond and help the user through your conversion funnel. Plus, that user is now a lead.[[/p]]

[[p]]As you collect contacts on Messenger, you can send them messages. Here&rsquo;s an example of a message, [[a href="https://mobilemonkey.com/blog/2018/12/what-is-a-chat-blast" target="_blank"]]called a chat blast[[/a]].[[/p]]

[[p]]This chat blast initiated a [[a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drip_marketing" target="_blank"]]drip sequence [[/a]]that I shared with opted-in contacts over the next few days.[[/p]]

[[p]]One major advantage of chatbots is their [[a href="https://www.marketo.com/lead-generation/" target="_blank"]]usefulness for lead generation[[/a]]. Lead gen sequences can be as simple as offering people a download, a virtual event ticket, or some other offer.[[/p]]

[[p]]Here is a screenshot of what this kind of chatbot looks like:[[/p]]

[[p]]Chatbots are outstanding customer service agents. They work tirelessly around the clock, and if someone wants a human to step in, it&rsquo;s easy for them to request it.[[/p]]

[[p]]Facebook Messenger chatbots are incredibly versatile &mdash;&nbsp;lead generation, lead scoring, customer service, placing orders, requesting help, getting information, offering upgrades, setting appointments.[[/p]]

[[p]]From the mundane (ordering pizza) to the marvelous (finding true love), chatbots make it happen.[[/p]]

[[p]]As with any online communication, it&rsquo;s important to be aware of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) stipulations.[[/p]]

[[p]]Facebook explains their responsibility regarding GDPR and the Messenger platform [[a href="https://www.facebook.com/business/m/messenger-and-the-gdpr" target="_blank"]]in depth on their website[[/a]]. When using Messenger marketing with chatbots, there are three guidelines to be aware of[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]First, you must provide a clear opt-in for the contact to consent to you sending them messages.[[/li]]
	[[li]]In the opt-in, you should also provide a clear opt-out. For example, &ldquo;Type STOP to unsubscribe at anytime.&rdquo;[[/li]]
	[[li]]Finally, you should know how to remove a user from your chatbot platform. Anyone who wants should be able to be removed from your contact database. If you&rsquo;re using a platform like MobileMonkey, for example, you would simply click &ldquo;delete&rdquo; next to the user&rsquo;s name in the contact list.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]As with any new marketing channel, you&rsquo;ll need to select a platform to use and start learning it.[[/p]]

[[p]]Facebook Messenger marketing has a shorter learning curve than most platforms for three reasons:[[/p]]

[[ol]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Familiarity with the medium. [[/strong]]Most of us know Facebook Messenger already, so it&rsquo;s relatively straightforward to learn how to use it for marketing.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Easy-to-use tools.[[/strong]] Most [[a href="https://medium.com/marketing-and-entrepreneurship/facebook-messenger-chatbot-marketing-the-definitive-guide-2018-e839e2888e62" target="_blank"]]chatbot builders are simple[[/a]], involving drag-and-drop interfaces with zero coding.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Strategically similar.[[/strong]] Messenger marketing tactics have familiar marketing counterparts. If you&rsquo;ve created an email drip sequence, then learning how to create a chat drip sequence will be easy. If you&rsquo;ve handled customer service, you&rsquo;ll understand chatbot-powered customer service.[[/li]]
[[/ol]]

[[p]]Here is your four-step, quick start guide to using Facebook Messenger marketing.[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]1. You must have a Facebook business page. [[/strong]][[/p]]

[[p]]If you don&rsquo;t yet have one, [[a href="https://www.facebook.com/business/pages/set-up" target="_blank"]]get started here[[/a]].[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]2.&nbsp; Select a [[/strong]][[a href="https://mobilemonkey.com/" target="_blank"]][[strong]]chatbot builder[[/strong]][[/a]][[strong]]. [[/strong]][[/p]]

[[p]]It is possible to use Facebook&rsquo;s native tools to run some very limited chatbot functionality, but anything beyond the basics is impossible without a chatbot builder. Some chatbot builders like MobileMonkey have free plans, so you don&rsquo;t have to spend any money to get started.[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]3.&nbsp; Build your first chatbot. [[/strong]][[/p]]

[[p]]The process of building a Messenger chatbot depends on which tool you&rsquo;ve selected. Some tools allow you to be up-and-running with a simple chatbot in ten minutes.[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]4. Add a Facebook Messenger widget to your website.[[/strong]][[/p]]

[[p]]Adding a Messenger chat widget to your website allows you to easily gain leads. It&rsquo;s far easier to gain a Messenger contact than it is to earn an email address.[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]5. Build, learn, grow. [[/strong]][[/p]]

[[p]][[a href="https://www.inc.com/larry-kim/3-growth-marketing-principles-you-need-to-create-your-unicorn.html" target="_blank"]]Creating a unicorn[[/a]] involves being delusional, finding your growth hacks, and repeating what&rsquo;s successful.[[/p]]

[[p]]The more you experiment with Facebook Messenger marketing, the more opportunities you&rsquo;ll discover for growing your audience and increasing the effectiveness of [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/students/courses/professional-diploma-in-social-media-marketing-2" target="_blank"]]your marketing[[/a]].[[/p]]

Everything You Need to Know about FB Messenger Marketing and Chatbots with Larry Kim

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