6.5 Ways to Get Started With Facebook Messenger Chatbot Marketing Before Your Competition Does

Imagine for a moment…

The next time you’re creating an ad campaign or sitting down for a sales meeting with a prospect, you could know exactly…

• • What kind of information your prospects are looking for.
• • What keeps them awake at night.
• • How close they are to making a decision.
• • How they want to be sold.

You could give them exactly what they want, when and how they wanted it.

And you could discover all this in an intimate conversation that happens (for the most part) AUTOMATICALLY.

The good news? You can.

Because right now, there’s a revolution going on in your pocket.

Take a look at this chart:

At the beginning of 2015, the monthly usage of the top four messaging apps surpassed usage of the big four social networks. Facebook Messenger alone has over 1.2 billion active users. People already exchange 1 billion messages with businesses on messenger every month.

What does all this mean?

Messaging has gone mainstream. 

In August of 2016, Facebook reported that 53% people say they’re more likely to shop with a business they can message. A whopping 67% of people expect to message more with businesses in the next two years.

Beerud Sheth, founder, and CEO of Gupshup, recently said in VentureBeat,

“We’re in the midst of a once-in-a-decade paradigm shift. Messaging is the new platform, and bots are the new apps. The shift radically changes end-user experiences and developer frameworks and inevitably will change business models, how we monetize, and how we advertise.”

What does all this have to do with you and your business?

Here is the key point to remember:

Because messaging is how we communicate with family and friends, we have an expectation of a fast response. Think about it. When you message someone, you expect them to respond quickly. When someone sends you a message, you probably feel the need to answer them (At least most of the time ;)) No wonder why FB reports that 56% of people would rather use messenger than call or email customer service.

• This is why Facebook Messenger marketing is so powerful. It taps into a channel that 1+ billion people use and it allows you to communicate with them in a way that they crave.

So What exactly is Facebook Messenger and What’s a Chatbot?

Messenger is an instant messaging service that does way more than just text. You can make free calls through it, send videos, book rides through Uber, and even send money. Best of all it’s a stand-alone product. You don't have to be on Facebook's website or even have a Facebook account, to use it.

Haven’t heard about Messenger yet?

Even though Messenger has been around since 2011, it wasn't until 2016 that Facebook started incorporating chatbots. When they did, they announced that it was specifically to allow customers to communicate with businesses.

So what is a chatbot or bot?

The funny thing is you’ve probably been using bots for a while.

If you’ve ever used the live chat feature on a website or a help desk chat, you probably experienced a chatbot.

A simple definition of a bot is an application that automates a task. Now the kinds of tasks that you can automate in your business are endless. But what we are talking about automating here are Facebook messenger conversations. Specifically, we’re focusing on just two kinds of conversations.

Lead generation and sales.

Now before you get too excited, remember one thing.

The idea with bots is not to take humans out of the sales process. That’s not possible -at least right now. 

Your goal is to use bots to engage with your prospects. You do this by using natural sounding conversations, in a sequence that pulls them through your sales process, yet allows them to move at their own pace. Because the prospect feels in control, you can quickly build trust and gather the right informationto qualify them.

Once qualified, you can be more relevant in your marketing. You can send prospects the information they need to move to the next step of your sales process.

So the ultimate job of your bot is to take strangers to the point where they know who you are and how you can help them and you know who they are and what they need to know to move to the next step.

Aren’t Bots Just a Fad?

NOT! Remember messaging has become the #1-way people communicate. Look again at the chart above. Business will need to find ways to engage with prospects and customers on these platforms. Just like they needed to do when social media hit.

Ready for something shocking?

Many experts predict that bots will replace apps and even websites. Why you ask Because…

•    1) Bots load faster than websites or apps. Everyone knows that the site that loads the fastest, wins.
•    2) Mobile apps need to be downloaded and take up valuable space on your phone. Bots don’t need to be downloaded. All you need to do is start chatting and you’re in.
•    3) Most importantly, bots use natural language. Which means you don’t have to learn a whole new interface every time you download a new one.   
•    4) Businesses are already increasing sales with messenger bots. Sephora has seen an 11 percent increase in booking rates and an average in-store spend of over $50 from clients using their bot. Tommy Hilfiger reported that 3.5 times more was spent through messenger than ANY other digital channel.

        

• So How Do You Get Started With Facebook Messenger?

• Because this is automated, you need a solid strategy...

• Here are 6 questions to ask when developing your bot strategy:

• 1) Who is your target market?
•     -What is their problem or pain point?
•     -What goal are they trying to achieve?
•     -How aware of your brand are they?
• 2) What is the purpose of your bot?
•     -To generate awareness
•     -To generate leads?
•     -To remind your customers of something- an upcoming webinar, that you haven’t heard from them in a while? that their order has processed?
• 3) What kind of questions will you ask to qualify them?
•     -What is their level of problem awareness?
•     -What is their level of solution awareness?
• 4) What sequence do you need to ask the questions in to move them to the next step in your sales process?
•     -Do they need more information to make a decision?
•     -Could you send them engaging content to help inform and move them to the next step?
• 5) What is your brand’s voice or tone?
• 6) How will you follow up after you qualify them?
•     -With additional content?
•     -On a phone call?
•     -Have them schedule an appointment?
• 6.5) Use a mind map or a Google draw sheet to outline your bot strategy before you build it.
  This will help you see the whole process and identify any gaps.
• Remember, the big advantage of bots is your ability to rapidly respond.
• There are several tools to help you build your Facebook Messenger bot. Our current favorite is ManyChat. It’s simple to use and has very advanced features, like “Growth Tools”
• Want to see an example of a bot in action?
• Here is the beginning of our Bruckner Chatbot:

• Click here to check out the Bruckner Design bot.

Posted by Taylor on September 18th