Marketers are constantly looking for new channels to reach their customers. And while new technologies like AI, blockchain, and augmented reality offer some exciting opportunities, sometimes, the most powerful marketing tools are right under our noses.
Facebook surpassed 2 billion users in 2017, a larger population than any single country on Earth. In Ireland, 44% of the entire population is active on Facebook.
Over half of the people using Facebook also use Messenger, at 1.3 billion users. That makes it an optimal platform to reach both consumers and business service customers.
But how do you leverage Facebook Messenger for marketing? What does Messenger marketing even look like? Find out the answers to all your Facebook Messenger questions below.
How to Use Messenger on Facebook for Marketing
Facebook Messenger is just one more digital communication tool you can use to reach your customers. By 2020, 85% of customer-business relationships will be conducted through technology. Whether it’s a chatbot or a simple online portal, the appeal of marketing technology is clear: It allows customers to help themselves.
Most importantly, this type of tech allows businesses to dramatically cut their marketing and customer service costs.
Marketing has also changed over the years. It’s no longer a one-sided game. Instead, the best type of marketing is personalized, targeted, and interactive.
There are numerous ways you can use Facebook Messenger for marketing. More will reveal themselves when more businesses commit to the platform. Here are just a few you should consider.
Install Messenger Chatbots
Facebook messages are meant to be conversational. Many people use the Facebook direct message app as a replacement for text messages. Often, it’s because they’re connected with someone via Facebook, but they don’t know (and maybe don’t want to ask for) that person’s phone number.
You can harness this form of low-stakes communication with chatbots.
A chatbot is a program that engages with a human to answer simple questions and provide basic information. They’re popping up on websites everywhere. But they can also be implemented on messaging services like SMS and Facebook Messenger.
You can develop your own chatbot, but many businesses rely on a chatbot provider to implement this service.
Before implementing a Facebook messenger chatbot, you should recognize the basic rules of using them for marketing and customer services:
- Have the bot introduce and declare itself
- Make it easy for the user to switch to human interaction
- Ensure the chatbot has a 100% reply rate
- Keep conversations as simple as possible
You should also have a thorough understanding of what you want your Messenger bot to do. Is it strictly for marketing purposes, or will it be used for customer service? Work with a provider to come up with the best options for your business.
Use Facebook Messenger Ads
Facebook Messenger ads are relatively new. Launched in 2017, they’re just one more component of Facebook’s ad suite. Businesses can also advertise on Instagram and some third-party sites through Facebook.
Messenger ads don’t appear in users’ conversations. Rather, they appear below them so as not to be disruptive. Just like ads on Facebook’s main platform, these ads can be configured to take advantage of Facebook’s powerful targeting algorithms.
This, of course, isn’t the first-time marketers have been able to use Messenger for advertising. You can still create ads for Facebook’s news feed that open a Messenger window when clicked. But the inclusion of messenger ads gives you one more ad opportunity on the global platform.
Use Facebook Messenger for Customer Service
Social customer service became a hot topic when companies began responding to their customers via Twitter and other social media apps. Today, it’s often viewed as one of the most important customer experience resources for younger and more tech-savvy consumers.
But social customer service will soon be an important resource in the B2B sphere. As younger generations rise in the ranks of the workforce, they’ll expect the same easy interactivity from B2B brands that they do from their favorite B2C brands.
Chatbots aren’t the only tool you can use on Messenger for customer service.
You can also use the app to open private conversations with customers who comment on your Facebook Business Page. Anyone who sends a message that goes into your Messenger inbox can also receive a response via Messenger. Facebook even has a comprehensive inbox that makes managing communications easy.
Both business customers and consumers get frustrated when they can’t get a direct line to one of your representatives. You can screen some messages with a chatbot, but let your customers reach you via Messenger so you can field their complaints and questions quickly and effectively.
Send Content Through Messenger
Any content marketer can tell you about the value of social media as a content aggregation tool. But you can go beyond simply posting the latest blog update to your business page.
Facebook Messenger provides an avenue to send content directly to your customers. There is a right way and a wrong way to do this, however.
If you blast everyone who likes your Facebook page with content, they may become frustrated. Instead, a good practice is to ask users if they’d like the content before sending it. If they agree, you’ve got a direct line to your prospects and customers.
If they don’t, they’ll at least appreciate that you asked.
This is a tactic that should be used sparingly. But when used correctly, it can dramatically increase your visitor and conversion rates.
Why You Need Facebook Messenger Marketing
If you don’t know how to use Messenger on Facebook, it’s as simple as sending a text message. But there’s much more businesses can do to engage prospects and customers.
Interactive technology will be a necessary addition to most businesses’ marketing toolsets moving forward. An enormous slice of customer-business interaction now occurs over technology. And let’s face it: most people just don’t like talking on the phone anymore.
Those businesses that leverage this new trend will have an undeniable advantage over their competitors. Instead of faceless ad campaigns, Messenger lets companies bridge the gap between advertising and human connection.
If your Irish business needs help with web design, Messenger marketing, SEO, or other marketing services, contact us at The Digital Agency today. We’ve been pursuing marketing innovations since 2012.
We have a passion for helping business find new and better ways of reaching their customers.
