How To Use Facebook Messenger Like A Pro
Statistics show that chatbots will likely power 85% of customer service in 2020. On top of that, Mindshare states that 63% of people prefer messaging an online bot to communicate with a business or brand.
The world is becoming more automated and your audience is ready for it. Have you shied away from automating some of your communication, for fear of not being personal enough? Are you responding manually to every Facebook inquiry?
Save resources and gain leads when you learn how to use Facebook Messenger like a pro to expertly connect with your audience.
Check out three Facebook Messenger features below that will be your game-changers.
1. Make it easier for your audience to access your Messenger account.
Whether you set up auto-responses or personally man your Facebook account, embrace some of the offered bells and whistles on your organization’s Facebook page. Give your audience more opportunities to contact you and get their questions answered through Messenger. Find some easy examples below.
Buttons make you reachable.
Add a “Send Message” button to your page. From the page edit mode, select “Add a Button” and choose accordingly. This link will be featured right below your profile picture and will allow page visitors to easily send an inquiry directly to you.
Use automated questions and answers.
Chances are you see a lot of the same questions, so choosing which inquiries to feed your Messenger autoresponder will be intuitive. Here’s how you start:
- Go to Settings at the top of your page.
- Select Messaging and find several options, including the ability to set up auto-feeding FAQs.
- Write a common question or two in the text area, which will be displayed when a contact opens your Messenger link. The contact can select that question and read your pre-written answer, or write their own question or comment in the Messenger window.
Pro Tip: Are you planning an event or conducting a promotional? Use the automated FAQ feature to suggest timely questions like:
- Where can I register for the event?
- What is the cost and where do I pay?
- I saw your ad on Facebook—where can I get more information on products like these?
Understand more about Facebook marketing with The New Facebook Algorithm Demystified.
2. Connect a chatbot to auto-respond for you.
As described by Larry Kim on the WordStream blog, the feature known as Comment Guard automatically responds via Messenger to individuals who comment on your Facebook posts.
This lead-generation feature does require the connection of a chatbot to your page, which is available from multiple providers (all free!), like Chatfuel and MobileMonkey. Here’s how it works:
Imagine a customer comments on your recent post. Immediately after submitting the comment, a Messenger window opens with a pre-written statement from your organization’s page. This statement asks if they would like more information or if you have their permission to send information their way. If they reply “yes,” the loop is closed and you have a solid lead, and you can add this contact to your list.
This is an effective method for gaining leads, which you can then communicate with via subscription messaging, which we’ll cover next.
3. Set up subscription messaging.
Once you have a list of opt-ins, you can set up subscription messaging. This feature, sometimes referred to as a Chat Blasting, allows you to make contact with numerous individuals at once by sending the same message to the entire list (think of it as an email blast via Messenger).
Want the details for making this happen?
Head to Settings / Advanced Messaging / Subscription Messaging. You have to apply for this functionality, which includes providing samples of the kind of messages you might be sending from your page. It requires manual approval, so the process can take up to 5 business days.
Did we mention that promotional content is forbidden? This functionality exists to allow pages to send non-promotional content on a recurring basis through the Messenger platform.
Pro Tip: Do you already have a Facebook ad strategy in place? Get the most return on your investment when you employ the use of Chatbots in Messenger.
Need to improve your email marketing game? Check out 5 Insider Tips To Boost Your Email Marketing.
Save yourself time and energy, and save your organization’s bottom line, when you embrace the often-overlooked but sophisticated features built into Facebook and Messenger. Connect with your audience like a pro, even while you sleep.
We’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below and share with us your tips for using Messenger’s automated responses to grow your business.