Messenger has become one of the best places for people and companies to communicate. People are more likely to trust a business if there is a way to message them directly. Trust leads to more shopping and more revenue for you. Especially since it’s no longer a “nice to have” sort of thing. Businesses are expected to be responsive to all mediums.
Messenger offers numerous options, even more so after the last updates. Messenger now offers options for more open conversations, ad objectives, placement, and tools that can help you improve the way you communicate with your audience.
And even though these applications can improve the way you do business online, many people have yet to understand its power or how to use it. This is why we’ve come up with some helpful tips on using Messenger in 2021 for marketing purposes.
Here they are:
Begin with simple things
You should start your Messenger efforts by having a goal in mind. Starting without a goal could have you running around, doing a lot but achieving nothing. So, you should focus on a specific objective and try to do your best to reach it in the desired time frame. This will shape your actions and determine the specific actions that you will take.
Narrowing your focus means tailoring your message and this means that you’ll be able to communicate well with your audience and build a connection. Sephora, for instance, used a Messenger bot which was all about providing an easy way to book a makeover. They managed to increase the number of bookings. We can imagine that their goal was specifically that – increase the booking rate. Here’s a case study that explains more.
With that in mind, they probably wanted to create a simpler way to book appointments since more people prefer booking something online than by phone. The convenience and friendliness of Messenger made this easier.
Sephora later expanded their bot, obviously with different goals in mind, and it has worked well for them. So, keep that in mind when starting this journey – you have to begin knowing what you want to achieve.
Make it easy to discover
The entire journey that the customer takes, means having some organic entry points and some paid entry points. Both are equally valuable and meaningful for your engagement and your bottom line.
Here are some ways to grab attention and drive customers to your messenger account:
- Add plugins to your website that will lead people to your Messenger
- Add some visual codes if you have physical products which people can scan and enter your messenger chat
- Update your Facebook CTA button to lead customers to your chat
- Use ads which are available on Facebook and other social media that will lead your audience to your messenger
McDonald’s used Messenger to modernize its channels and they created some immersive experiences. Diners could scan the code and get a coupon by playing the game in the app. It was a fun campaign that worked really well for this company.
Be Clear
One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a business just starting with Messenger is not being clear enough about what your audience can use your Messenger for. This is confusing and it could result in a backlash that would hamper your chances of being successful with your strategy.
Make sure that your audience knows what is possible with the experience. For example, you could demonstrate it in the promo videos or articles, or let the bot tell them what it can do. If anything would require your audience to wait, then it would be a good idea for you to tell them that there is some waiting time. For instance, if they want the bot to search through the products based on some criteria.
Manage the expectations that your audience may have and make sure that you are honest about what they can do.
As an example, American Eagle Outfitters had videos that showed how to use their bot. It was themed and it explained exactly how people could use the bot and how they can interact with their business. Here’s the study: https://www.dmnews.com/marketing-channels/social/article/13035321/american-eagle-outfitters-and-aerie-give-customers-the-gift-of-chatbots-this-holiday-season
Responsiveness
Messenger is a form of instant messaging and people tend to expect an instant response. It’s crucial for your success on the platform. Your chatting should be alike a conversation. You shouldn’t allow for too many awkward silences and you should strive to make the customers feel comfortable.
You should have a community manager for messenger marketing or customer service to make sure that you are responsive. Ignored messages or messages which you respond to too late are not a good public image element. Collaborate with your entire team.
If the messages on chat are responded to by real team members, this means that you should set up a message that would tell your audience that you are away outside of the business hours. You should also provide training for your team on how to communicate with the audience. Otherwise, the service will deteriorate in quality as everyone will do a different thing.
If you want a more standardized approach, it would be best to get a chatbot.
KLM, an airline company, improved the experience their customers had by letting people talk to their agents through social media and they managed to increase the satisfaction of their customers.
Understand the platform
You need a skilled developer on your team or a contractor that can deal with all of this. They can help you build your brand. They will understand the policies of the platform and they will be able to build a user experience for your customers that will be memorable and interesting. For example, when a customer sends you a message, you have to respond within 24 hours. You can send one other message after that time expires. Other than that, you can send all sorts of content if it’s not promotional.
For example, Love Your Melon is a brand that engaged their customers through Messenger for their new product launch. They sent messages only to those people who already interacted with them and they increased the awareness this way.
