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5 Tips to Drive Business Results on Messenger
Every month, 2 billion messages are sent between people and businesses on Messenger.1 And since 53% of people are more likely to shop with a business they can message directly, the expectation for businesses to be responsive in this medium is growing.2 Given all the recent Messenger updates, including a new ad objective to open conversations, a globally available ad placement and new tools to enrich conversations, we want to offer tips to successfully integrate Messenger into your marketing strategy.
As messaging apps become a bigger part of conversations between businesses and people, it's important for businesses to consider the role of Messenger as both a placement for promotion and a destination for communication. Here are our five tips for using Messenger as a destination to drive business results.
1. Start Simple
An effective Messenger presence starts with a clear objective in mind. Focus on a specific purpose or goal and consider the unique value that Messenger can provide. By narrowing your focus, you can clearly communicate your brand's message and build meaningful connections with your audience.
Sephora launched the Sephora Assistant, a bot for Messenger, to provide an easy and fun way for customers to book makeovers at standalone locations across the US. Using this specific objective, Sephora successfully increased its booking rate by 11%. Over time, Sephora has evolved its bot to incorporate new features to assist customers. Read the full Sephora case study.
2. Drive Discovery
Consider the entire customer journey including paid and organic entry points. To drive engagement, add plugins to your website that direct people to Messenger, include visual codes for people to scan at retail locations and update the call-to-action button on your Facebook Page. In addition, click to Messenger ads are available across Facebook, Instagram and Messenger to send people into a conversation right from your ads.
For over 20 years, the tray liner at McDonald’s in Brazil was the main channel of communication between restaurants and customers. To modernize this analog channel, McDonald’s used a bot for Messenger to create a series of immersive experiences where diners were invited to scan a Messenger code, play a game and receive a coupon.
3. Manage Expectations
Clearly communicate what people can do with your business in Messenger. Demonstrate what's possible in the promotion of your Messenger experience and provide instructions with your greeting text. If any of the actions you want people to take in Messenger require waiting time, such as searching for products based on specific criteria, be sure to include expectations for how long it will take.
American Eagle Outfitters used video ads to demonstrate their Gift Guide bot for Messenger in action. These holiday-inspired click to Messenger ads showed how people could interact with the brand in Messenger and explained that shoppers would be able to find the best gifts to give and get. Read the full case study.
4. Be Responsive
Messenger experiences should follow the flow of a conversation, so it's important that businesses don't go silent. If you have someone who manages community engagement or customer service on other social media platforms, make sure to collaborate on your responsiveness plan. Set up an away message outside of regular business hours, or automate your presence using a bot for Messenger to avoid lags in response time. Be sure to follow our design best practices when creating your bot.
Airline giant, KLM, wanted to improve its customer experience by making it easier for people to talk with its agents through social media. KLM added Messenger as a new platform for customers to ask questions and receive flight information, resulting in a 5-point higher average satisfaction score (Net Promoter Score) on Messenger than its goal. KLM also collaborated with Digital Genius to implement artificial intelligence (AI) for its social media channels—including Messenger—to respond to the growing number of messages. Read the full case study.
5. Know the Platform
The Messenger Platform is powered by the open Send/Receive API, so be sure your team includes a proficient developer, or work with a skilled platform development provider to build your brand's presence on Messenger. The platform is governed by a set of policies that maintain a high-quality user experience. Businesses have up to 24 hours to respond to a message sent by a person and may also send one additional message after the 24-hour time limit has expired. Outside of this window, non-promotional content such as shipping notifications can be sent using tags, and paid promotions can be delivered through sponsored messages.
Love Your Melon, a charitable, US apparel brand, used Messenger to re-engage customers for the launch of their newest product. The company sent sponsored messages to people who had already interacted with the brand through Messenger to increase awareness of its new cap collection, encouraging recipients to browse new colors of Melon Caps and make purchases. Read the full case study.
Discover more best practices for the Messenger Platform with our Design Resources, or find a platform development provider to help you build the right experience for your business and customers.
And keep learning about marketing on Messenger with Blueprint elearning courses.
