In the next few years, the majority of customer-business interactions will be done through technology, particularly on messaging apps. With more than 1.3 billion users monthly, Facebook Messenger is one of the largest platforms of the same type in existence. For this reason, every serious business owner should start working on their marketing strategy, reaching out to their customers, and interacting with them personally through the app.
Facebook Messenger Tools for Business
Just like WhatsApp Business, Facebook Messenger comes with different tools that can help you as a business owner to keep your various threads under control.
Messenger Greetings
These are customizable messages that automatically show up when someone starts a chat with a seller/business for the first time.
Instant Replies
These are similar to Messenger Greetings. The only difference is that it is a quick reply to a user’s question. They are also automatically designed to provide a response to anyone that sends a message to your business. Instant replies are pre-made messages that you can program to give answers to common questions like contact information or business hours.
Customer Cards
Customer cards provide information about the consumer that contacted you in order to craft the best response by looking at the customer’s local time, location, etcetera.
Why You Should Use Facebook Messenger for Business
Facebook Messenger can be used by businesses, especially small companies, in different ways. When you communicate with customers through the app, the service becomes personalized, and they feel that you genuinely care about them. In time, it can lead to an increase in your profits.
A lot of consumers tend to contact customer service representatives through a written message than a phone call because the issues get resolved within a few seconds when communicated through Messenger. Also, people prefer doing businesses with businesses that they can contact directly; that’s why you need to be active on this platform. If you aren’t available for 24 hours, let people know about your working schedule or when you’ll come back to attend to their needs.
This way, they have an idea of when to and not to message you, as well as the date or time when they can expect to receive your response.
Facebook Messenger Ads
Using Facebook Messenger ads is a tremendous opportunity to get the most out of your advertising budget. Work on creating conversations that your customers can relate with and give them reasons to continue interacting with your business on the app.
For the mobile platform, click-to-Messenger ads can now be placed on the Messenger home screen or Facebook. The icon shows on your ad, which may be in the form of a video, image or carousel.
The proper CTA button for this type of ad should be “Send a Message” or “Learn More,” and you have the option of creating a greeting while producing your ad. So, when someone clicks the latter, a chat box will pop up, and the consumer can start sending questions about the merchandise you are promoting.
You can also create ads that will be placed directly on the home screen of your mobile Messenger so that, when people click on it, they’ll be sent to your landing page.
Furthermore, sponsored messages can be used on your Messenger to re-market and re-engage people who have interacted with your business before or those that have bought from you. They are great for last-minute sales updates and reminders as they are usually sent to existing threads.
The Future of Facebook Messenger for Business
Small businesses need to take advantage of Facebook Messenger marketing as technologies will continue to grow in the years to come. About 300,000 chatbots are available on the platform today, and they can act as your personal assistant and make use of artificial intelligence. Businesses can also incorporate them to their services and improve brand awareness and sales. As soon as small businesses can have their personal chatbot add-ons, they’ll be able to advertise their products and services through the app.