Why Facebook Messenger Will Be Crucial To Your Digital Marketing Strategy

Over one billion people are using Facebook Messenger, the second-largest messenger tool behind WhatsApp. You can make your business more approachable and increase your sales all by having a Facebook Messenger strategy and implementing it within your digital marketing strategy. Your customers are most likely already using Facebook Messenger, and now is the time to start using it for your business.

In late 2019, I attended the Facebook Global Partner Summit held at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. During the summit, I learned more about private messaging within Facebook’s group of messenger platforms and why it should be incorporated into your digital marketing strategy in 2020.

How Will Facebook Messenger Play a Part In Your Digital Marketing?

First, to know if you should be using Facebook Messenger, you need to ask the question, “Do consumers actually want to message businesses?” All signs point to yes.

Facebook contracted Nielsen Global Connect to examine this very question and found encouraging results from the people surveyed:

• 67% say they will message with businesses more frequently over the next two years
• 53% say they are more likely to shop with a business they can contact via a chat app
• 76% want to receive customer service via messaging

Additionally, 12% more people converted on a form within Messenger compared to a website.

According to OpenMarket, a new study shows that 83% of millennials would rather text message your business than call a customer service helpline. Facebook Messenger, for example, allows you to automate repetitive tasks like scheduling appointment reminders and sending custom follow-up messages.

Based on studies, we see that consumers want to message businesses, but does this mean both large brands and small- to mid-size businesses?

Yes again! If we see that consumers are messaging brands more, it doesn’t matter the size of the business, as long as business are pivoting to and creating a plan for Facebook Messenger.

Facebook has made things easy for businesses by being able to utilize Facebook’s third-party Marketing Partners, which include the likes of Octane AI and MobileMonkey, whose services can be used to message those potential customers who have abandoned carts.

To make things even easier for businesses and to give more possibilities on the platform, Facebook has released four new tags for brands to use:

1. Confirmed Event Update: Send the user reminders or updates for an event they’ve registered for. For example, if they RSVP’d for a social event.
2. Post Purchase Update: Notify the user of an update to a recent purchase. For example, if their order has been shipped.
3. Account Update: Notify the user of a change to their account or an application. For example, if they’ve been accepted for a new job.
4. Human Agent: Allows human agents to respond to user inquiries. Messages can be sent within seven days after a user message.

Implementing these types of conversations within Messenger is big news for businesses. This is just the beginning of more exciting things to come.

The Bottom Line

In order for your business to grow, you must be available to answer questions from customers and potential leads. This is why Facebook Messenger is crucial for your business.

With more than a billion people on Messenger, it only makes sense for your business to be there as well. It is absolutely free to use, and you can get started here.