Eight billion is the number of messages that are sent over Facebook Messenger every month. 1.3 billion, on the other hand, is the number of active Messenger users each month. With these numbers, it’s hard to deny the potential that a messenger chat bot has as a marketing tool. This is a new tactic called “messenger marketing,” where businesses use a mobile chat app to connect with customers. Messenger marketing is not just limited to Facebook Messenger, but its also available to other platforms like Telegram, Viber, WeChat, etc. It provides users easy access when subscribing to business campaigns, updates via widgets like chat bots.
The use of messenger chat bots today is in full swing. You don’t need to pay someone to deliver messages as chat bots are everywhere. Its use is highly valued in the labor market for its ability to engage in conversation without the supervision of a human agent. Since it’s automated, it saves time for both the customer and the business. This time-efficient feature is what makes customers subscribe to the brand faster and what keeps company resources. Marketing professionals and tech experts agree that in a few years from now, chat bots will handle customer inquiries completely.
To add, messenger chat bots are no longer simple input-output machines. While they are still great information collectors and organizers, they have evolved to do so much more. This is due to the integration of artificial intelligence or AI, which expanded chat bot functions exponentially. Newer, AI-powered bots can now engage in small-talk and learn from past user interactions. Hence, this opens up new opportunities to utilize them in digital marketing strategies.
Choose Your Fighter: Messenger Marketing vs. Email Marketing
Choosing between the two seems absurd since both have their specific purposes. Messenger marketing is useful in terms of growing the brand’s audience and service awareness through social media apps. Email marketing is prominent for sharing things like news, brand updates, and promotional offers right into a user’s inbox. But since people are unlikely to open their email inbox, they cannot respond urgently to messages. In short, it’s one-way communication most of the time, unlike messenger marketing that encourages real-time two-way communication. Whenever customers have questions regarding the brand, they are likely to ask via messenger instead of email.
Meanwhile, combining these two is not a bad idea. Using both channels can help you address customer demands quickly. Utilize this as much as possible to increase engagement with your audience. The only limitation here is the internet connectivity. In this way, you will be updated with the progress of your business as well as with your customers. Generate FAQs not only increase engagement and traffic to your site but also to gain the trust of prospected customers.
Why Messenger Chat Bots?
Messenger chat bots are now essential to improving sales. Aside from cutting down on routine tasks, they help gain customer loyalty due to the speedy replies in processing customer requests. These bots are also a convenient widget that can deliver content as they have a higher response rate, unlike traditional marketing channels. They can send relevant information and notifications regarding upcoming events. These chat bots can also offer excellent opportunities to re-engage prospects.
Traffic and lead generation are the two things to consider when talking about online marketing. The truth is, it is the biggest challenge among online marketers. Knowing the benefits of marketing methods alone is not sufficient to reach target customers. While most marketing strategies can be both challenging and expensive, messenger chat bots are easy to make. What’s more is that you can integrate them without breaking a sweat. Thus, businesses are resorting to messaging apps, given that messaging app users are continuously growing. Today, it has become a platform where brands and customers meet.
The best part is, they’re a business solution that doesn’t break the bank. With human agents, companies need to factor in salaries, employee benefits, bonuses, and all that jazz. Human agents are limited in the sense that you can only have a number working at a time, which can hurt sales. With a chat bot, your brand can accommodate tens to hundreds of users at a time, without the hassle of working hours or agent availability.
What Messenger Chat Bots Do
Gone are the days of waiting for hours on end to get a call back from a business. Engagement between brand and consumer is now a click away. This is the newfound power that comes with messenger marketing–near-instant response times. Companies, whether they’re only starting or established competitors, are now incorporating messenger chat bots in their daily operations. But exactly how do they use this new technology to drive sales?
Here are some of the capabilities of messenger chat bots today:
1. Customer Service Improvement
Searching answers to the FAQ section can consume precious time. Most users do not have, or rather, do not want to spend their time scrolling for the answers to their questions. Waiting times are also a bother, as customers do not like to wait around. These problems are made obsolete by messenger chat bots.
2. 24/7 Uptime
Messenger chat bots are one chat away. Writing and sending your questions on an item or service can only take minutes to be processed. You can also write to them at any time of the day since chat bots don’t need to rest. You need not worry if you’re asking about a particular product or service at around 3 AM since these chat bots have your back.
Engaging Conversations
Instead of reading through a great wall of text, you can be at ease when talking to a messenger chat bot. You can get the information you want and when you want it. These chat bots help you navigate through the sea of information on company websites.
3. Faster Response Times
The thing about messaging apps today is that everything is instant. With a stable internet connection, it will only take moments for your message before its sent. This is as if you were asking them in real-time. Chat bots can reply as soon as possible, and this helps converts more visitors into buyers.
4. Saves Company Resources
In a nutshell, messenger chat bots lessen employee workload. Chat bots can handle the usual day-to-day questions while employees can focus on resolving more complicated issues in the customer inquiry department.
Reach New Heights with Messenger Marketing
Compared to other marketing techniques, messenger marketing is something else. It’s no longer a competition of who has the flashiest graphics or visual design. Today, it’s about who can reach the most customers faster. Brands are now racing on various social media apps on who can get the most likes, shares–the most user engagement out of everyone else.
And the birth of messenger chat bots has changed the game. These chat bots have now put customer engagement at an all-time high. And it will only get higher as more people download messaging apps. It’s the perfect time to attract potential customers and convert more leads with this new technology. Thus, it’s crucial to follow this trend before other brands follow suit. Here some of the ways that you can level up your messenger marketing efforts:
Provide meaty content
People access the internet for information. Satisfy them by giving adequate information about your brand and services. Instead of sending them the content via email or SMS, you can send it straight to their messaging app.
Lead your followers to relevant content
While providing content to your followers is your utmost concern, you can also direct them to content with messenger chat bots. Suggesting related sites or content helps them engage with the business, even if they don’t know what they’re looking for yet.
Remind people about upcoming events
Constant updates like this can make your customers value your brand better. An active, hands-on business is more attractive than a passive business.
Use ads to reach your audience
Since the typical user feed is chock full of ads, it is quite impossible to reach your customer without noise. By using messenger ads, you will redirect your customers towards your website. You can also re-engage past leads through ads. This gives you additional opportunity to reconnect with potential customers.
Jumpstart your Business with Herobot
Messenger marketing is all the rage right now, and messenger chat bots are the newest tools in the digital marketing scene. And at a time where everything is digitalized, there’s no better opportunity to start using them other than today. Watch your brand grow as you boost sales and convert leads faster than before. Hop on over to our website at Herobot.app to learn how you can get started with your messenger chat bot. From bot creation to bot support, our specialized team will guide you through the whole process. Contact us for more details!
