Everything You Need To Know About Facebook Messenger Marketing

Facebook Messenger is one of the go-to marketing tools to grow your e-commerce businesses. Let’s find out more about Facebook Messenger marketing in this guide.
Angga Fernandi
Angga Fernandi

Customer Success Executive

Reading time: 5 minutes

As one of the most popular messaging apps in 2022, there’s no doubt that Facebook Messenger can be the best social media platform to engage your customers. Moreover, this tool can help e-commerce businesses to build brand awareness and generate sales through conversation. 

Around 40% of businesses are active on Messenger every month. Also, 65% of people across generations will be more likely to buy a product of a business they can message immediately. 

If you are curious about how to use Facebook Messenger marketing to drive conversions and provide better customer experiences, stick to the end of this guide! 😉

Contents

What is Facebook Messenger marketing?

Facebook Messenger marketing is the use of Messenger to reach out to both new and existing customers using promotional or informative content. 

Think of it like email marketing, but instead of sending promotional content via email, you do it using Messenger.

Since its launch in 2008, the platform has become the third most downloaded app worldwide. Also, it’s often used as a customer support channel for brands that have a huge online presence on Facebook. 

Most importantly, using Messenger to market your business is totally free! 😃

There are tons of features on Messenger to support your marketing tactics. Besides the personalized text message and images to answer customer inquiries, you can use this app to run ads, build automation with chatbots, and send drip campaigns. 

How does Messenger marketing work?

B2C communication has undergone a significant shift in the past few years. Customers now prefer a mobile-friendly, fast, and instant communication method from their smartphones. 

That said, using Messenger to craft an easy-to-read and on-point message will help catch your customers’ attention. Moreover, Messenger has better open rates of up to 80%, compared to email (33%). You can freely customize the content whether it is an announcement, newsletter, or promo. 

To add on, Messenger marketing also works with a bot. It happens in the conversation window of the messaging app itself. A chatbot responds automatically to guide and lead the conversation using predefined answers. 

Moreover, a bot usually reads customers’ inquiries and then provides relevant information before the sales or support reps help further. That way, businesses can save more time rather than going back and forth to talk with customers in the first place. 

Messenger marketing statistics you should know​

Messenger is a robust marketing tool — not just because of the sheer number of monthly active users. Here are some other statistics that will blow your mind:

  • Since 2014, Messenger has been downloaded 5.4 billion times
  • 82% of people aged 18-64 in the US said Facebook Messenger would be their most regularly used messaging app in 2022
  • More than 1 billion people use Messenger every month
  • As of now, there are  300,000 active bots on the Messenger platform
  • The total potential reach of ads on Messenger is around 1 billion people 
  • More than 20 billion messages are exchanged every month between customers and businesses
  • Messenger’s global users are 55.5% male and 45.5% female
  • The open rates and CTR of using Messenger bots are around 85% and 56% respectively

Why use Facebook Messenger to market your business?

1. A better channel to increase customer experience

The concept of Facebook Messenger is a bit different from email marketing. With this platform, businesses connect with leads and customers on a more personal level using conversational language and it may even happen in real-time. 

A Facebook research study showed that around 59% of people will use messaging platforms to make a purchase. 

This is where you can use Messenger to get them more interested in using your products or services. You can attempt to make them take an action by offering discounts, creating a FOMO trigger, or through a referral program. 

2. A more personal way for the customer journey and retention

Having a Messenger account means you’ll highly likely have a Facebook page as well. These two are interconnected since you have to add a message button on your Facebook page. This option helps visitors easily reach out to you and exchange information. 

40% of people stated that starting a conversation is the first step to shopping online. Also, they are more confident to connect with brands active on messaging apps. Therefore, providing 1-on-1 chat assistance using personalized QnA can build trust in your business. 

Further, there is a chance to create a follow-up message and re-engage with customers to build strong relationships. For example, sending updates about new products and services, special offers, product bundling, or surveys to anticipate their needs. 

3. A brand new method to campaign

With the help of Facebook, you can see the demographic of your audience. That way, you can determine relevant and valuable content to send to your customers. 

Besides, sending ads through Messenger will lead to a higher open rate and CTR. As a result, there will be big boats to boost customer engagement and generate leads

Moreover, running ads or campaigns on Facebook helps you interact with leads and customers directly either via comments or direct messages. What’s next? Implement your marketing strategy to influence their purchase intention.  

4. A budget-savvy option to expand reach

How will you reduce your marketing budget without sacrificing sales growth? Incorporating Facebook Messenger into your marketing effort is the best option. 

Start creating Facebook pages for free and utilize their marketing and analytics features. 

Additionally, you can start posting educational or promotional content to increase brand awareness and generate more qualified leads.

Furthermore, try to make use of Facebook ads to expand your reach at once. 

7 best practices for Facebook Messenger marketing

1. Learn more about your audience

Knowing your Facebook audience is the first step to achieving your business goal. You can take advantage of Facebook Page Audience Insights to understand and identify who your ideal customers are. That way, it will be much easier to run your marketing strategy. 

Besides, determining your target market gives you a clearer idea about what content to deliver. Thus, it is not just content to populate your business page, but content that engages with your audience.  

2. Always greet everyone reaching out to your business

To begin a conversation, a greeting or welcome message is essential. This indicates that you’re available to respond to customers and that they can comfortably reach out to you if needed.

In Messenger, you can create personalized automated messages to welcome customers. Here’s how to set it up:

  1. Go to your Facebook page.
  2. Click [Settings] on the left menu.
  3. Next, select [Messaging].
  4. Scroll down till you find [Show a greeting] and switch ON the toggle button
  5. Click the [Change] button to customise your Messenger greeting.

3. Let customers know during non-business hours

Whenever customers send messages outside of working hours, it is best to inform them. Setting up an automated message is crucial when your business is closed. Customers receive this message as an out-of-office notification when they can expect a response. This is how you set it up:

  1. From your page’s settings, click [Messaging].
  2. Scroll down to find the automated response section. 
  3. Choose ‘Away Messages’.
  4. Next, edit your away message content if needed.
  5. After that, set your non-business hours and hit the [Save] button.
  6. Don’t forget to turn on the away message.

4. Create predefined answers for FAQs

Preparing responses for frequently asked questions can save you time to do other tasks. Also, this helps your customers have a better understanding of what your business has to offer. Follow these steps to set it up:

  1. From your page, go to [Settings] and click [Messaging].
  2. Next, click the [Set Up] button for automated responses.
  3. Under the automated responses, turn on the [Frequently Asked Questions] option. 
  4. Type your questions and automated responses. You can add more than one FAQ on your page.
  5. Do not forget to click the [Save] button. 

💡 Do note that mobile users need to click the menu button to see the FAQs. Also, make sure the FAQs are succinct, readable, and to the point for mobile UI.

5. Use Meta Pixel to measure your ads performance

Meta pixel or formerly known as Facebook pixel is a piece of code to track visitors’ activities on your site. This code will collect data that provide insight on how to optimize and retarget your ads, drive more sales, and build target audiences. 

Here is how to set up Meta Pixel:

  1. Sign in to Facebook Events Manager and click [Connect data sources]. 
  2. Select Web as the data source and click [Connect].
  3. Name the pixel and insert your website URL. 
  4. Create the events to track by clicking [Add Events] and choose [From the Pixel].
  5. Set your URL and click [Open website]. With the Pixel, you can select buttons on your website that will be tracked as an event. Further, you are able to assign each button a role like Purchase, Shop, Add, or Subscribe. 

6. Be responsive and have a human touch

Responsiveness is the key when using messenger as customers are looking forward to a quick reply.

Although there are AI tools like chatbots and VCAs (virtual customer assistants), your customers still need human interactions

You can take advantage of a chatbot or automation to cope with customer inquiries every day. However, there are certain situations and conditions where empathy is needed to employ. For example, you have to calm angry customers and solve their issues using active listening and tone to craft your message. 

Giving a human touch in your conversation can even establish a deeper customer connection. When they are heard and appreciated, they will stick to your brand and become loyal customers. 

7. Add Facebook Messenger chat widget

Have you been thinking of directing your website visitors to your contact list? Then adding a chat widget or plugin is the answer.

Also, this contributes to a smooth customer journey since all of them aren’t solely based on social media. 

There are lots of chat widget builders you can make use of, NovoChat for instance! NovoChat offers a single chat button to put on your site or particular pages. It is highly customizable and can be installed with just a copy and paste! 😃

How will you use Facebook Messenger marketing?

Don’t turn a blind eye to the power of Facebook Messenger marketing in driving more sales. As one of the most-used social media messaging platforms, there are a bunch of opportunities you can unlock with Facebook Messenger to market your business. 

Now that you have been familiar with Facebook Messenger and its best practices, it’s time to start with any of those tips to generate more traffic and build your customer base.

No matter what size and type of your business, messenger marketing is a new way to continue competing in the e-commerce space. 

Make use of it and see how your business grows! 

Try NovoChat for free! 🚀

An e-commerce chat marketing platform to grow your sales. 

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