Facebook messenger

It would appear that the marketing world has fallen excited about Facebook Messenger chatbots lately. From the time Facebook announced that its opening messenger structure to third-party developers for chatbot automation, people can’t admire chatbot technology enough. If you did not know otherwise, you would easily have the feeling that chatbots are the best thing since sliced bread.

Exactly what is the Facebook messenger, and how can it help your business?

A couple of years back, Facebook revealed that it was launching its new Facebook Messenger service. The thing that was truly interesting about this program which was its internal messaging system is the scalability of the new messenger.

It could be automated; it can employ scripts and, above all, it produces the capacity for bot technology. Typically, when people use messenger, they would click on a person’s user profile on their messenger app and begin a text, voice or video chat with them.

In this regard, it’s not very different from other third parties online messaging systems like WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat, and others. What differentiates Facebook Messenger, let’s be honest, is the fact that it is connected to Facebook. Facebook has vast amounts of active users. It is a portal to immense online visibility.

If you’d like your online business to flourish, you simply need to go and visit Facebook. Whatever pursuits your business provides regardless how arcane, unknown or little known, you’ll discover that they are people on Facebook who are curious about whatever it is you are promoting.

For this reason, Facebook is non-negotiable with regards to internet marketing. If you’re trying to bring in traffic to the website of your local dental office, or you supply a national service to people found all over the United States, Facebook can help you market your business.

Facebook Messenger is an essential part of this marketing mix since it allows you to automate your engagements with people trying to get more information about your business.

A much more in-depth focus on FB messenger bots

Do not allow the word “bot” throw you off. I could realize why individuals have all kinds of worries in regards to this word. Whenever we hear about this word, we immediately think about uncomfortable things. We believe about spyware being sent by zombie computers around the globe and people’s computers being hijacked by malware.

We take into consideration hackers installing bot software on vulnerable computers to perpetrate crimes or denials of service attacks. Furthermore, whenever we take into consideration bots, we conclude about harmful and seemingly autonomous bits of code that can cause all kinds of havoc.

Finally, people searching for a date online are incredibly knowledgeable about bots plus they don’t have a very positive look at them. In dating applications like Tinder and Grindr are often prone to fake user profiles. When we attempt to interact with apparently attractive users, they get lead on the wild goose chase because of some kind of automated script.

After they have lost a substantial amount of time “talking” to those accounts, will they understand that they are in fact in conversation with a bot? The bot just responds to whatever keywords they enter in with a few pre-canned script or dialogue.

The bottom line is to get the other individual to keep talking until they have “softened up” to wish to click a web link. That link may go to the online strip show or perhaps a paid dating service. Quite simply, dating bots are simply elaborate strategies in spamming people.

As you possibly can well imagine, given all of these information, lots of online customers don’t exactly enjoy a positive view of automated communication software aka “bots”. But the good thing is that bots are not all bad. Facebook Messenger bots are evidence of this.

Facebook Messenger bots make use of the Facebook Messenger platform automation features.

Facebook made a significant stir when it introduced that it has re-designed its messenger service. You can do the installation on an individual basis or do the installation as part of your Facebook application on your own mobile phone or computer.

Regardless of what your installation is, Facebook Messenger was created in a way that it could be automated. By utilizing scripts, you possibly can program your Facebook Messenger application to deliver pre-determined text to those contacting it. It’s like calling the customer support number and being expected to press different buttons according to the nature of the inquiry.

But rather than voice prompts, you are doing this with keyword or phrase “prompts.” For instance, in the event you run a web-based shoe store, and other people have an interest in Nike Air shoes with specific features, they could enter the brand as well as the model or some additional identifying information and you then can set up Facebook Messenger bot to provide your prospect client key information like supply, price and variations which may be available.

Facebook Messenger bot common features

There are various kinds of Facebook Messenger bots currently available, but irrespective of their seeming differences, they generally do have standard features.

• Purely inbound

Messenger bots will only send you a message if you message them first. If somebody goes to your Facebook page and clicks on the messenger icon because they’re interested in your online catalogue or your service description, they can click the messenger button and leave a message.

In other words, they initiate the relationship. You don’t use your bot to message people who have no prior relationship with you. It’s all inbound, not outbound.

• Trigger specific

Since Facebook Messenger bots are inbound, they filter inquiries based on certain key phrases. In many cases, Facebook page operators would give a short menu of trigger words to potential customers engaging with their Facebook Messenger bot.

For example, to use the online shoe store scenario, I can put on my Facebook page “contact us today. Type “availability” or type “shoe type/brand” to get more information.” Basically, I’m giving a “cheat sheet” to prospective buyers on how to use my Facebook Messenger bot.

When they type in that information, they’d get information back. If they type the wrong information and it doesn’t prompt the right feedback, I can put a generic “catch all message” that notifies them that I read all engagements and once regular business hours resume, I will get in touch with them through Facebook Messenger.

• Facebook Messenger is rule driven

Another great thing about Facebook Messenger bots is that you can automate them based on rules. So, depending on how the customer responds to the information you send them, which in of itself is a response to their initial inquiry, you can create a decision tree that sends different messages depending on the prompt.

This may not be very different from calling a phone call center in India or even the Philippines. Whenever you call a phone call center, you might be routed by a preliminary screening system, and based on your question or request, and you might be taken to other specialists.

This is also true if you are searching to solve credit card issues, billing statements, or financial transactions. There exists some kind of decision tree involved, and you may use a comparable approach using your Facebook Messenger bot.

Facebook Messenger bot limitations

As great as the common attributes of most Facebook Messenger bots might be, bots have quite a lot of restrictions. If you are enthusiastic about applying this Facebook messaging technology to grow your online business, you may wind up overextending yourself or you may expect excessively optimistic assumptions about existing bot technology.

It’s a smart idea to be as realistic as is possible since excellent as chat bots are, they actually do have serious limitations.

You should recognize that chatbot technology continues to be a work in progress. We have not achieved a point yet where one can post an ambiguous word and on auto-pilot assume the bot to understand what you are referring to.

You essentially need to train your clients to make use of specific keywords, and key phrases either to begin the conversation properly in order to trigger the best information, or step them through the decision tree procedure so that they are feeding the bot the right odds and ends of data in order to trigger the best response.

This could be somewhat cumbersome and awkward depending upon how long the decision tree is and just how many different bits of information are possible with every branch of the logic tree.

They can require elaborate coding.

If you need a really professional Facebook Messenger bot, you’ll need someone who can code it using Facebook’s commands in a robust way. As you don’t necessarily will need to have programming skills to create a relatively simple bot, if you want that it is deep, nuanced, stable and scalable, you will need specialist help.

This may cost you a substantial amount of money because those who know their way throughout the Facebook Messenger bot automation aren’t exactly cheap.

Facebook Messenger bots have to adhere to Facebook’s terms of service.

Facebook is under a significant amount of legal pressure presently. Everyone knows the regulatory heat it is actually facing when it comes to user data and user privacy. But above and beyond these reasonably common issues, Facebook’s automation process is an extremely touch area.

For this reason, Facebook is clear. You may use Facebook Messenger purely as a possible inbound system. You can not transform it into some kind of spam device that ultimately messages those who have not even been to your page.

How can Facebook Messenger Bots Expand Your Audience?

Please Realize that the Facebook Messenger ChatBot is Not a Spam Bot

I can’t emphasize this enough. It’s quite simple to believe that simply because Facebook has opened its Messenger system to automation, marketers may go wild by using it.

No. In the event you go nuts, Facebook is not going only to block you, but cancel your account. And, to add offends to injury, ban you.

That’s spamming on Facebook. Whether you’re using page spammers, group spammers, comment spammers or messenger chatbot spammers, it is really not a winning strategy.

If you wish to earn money on Facebook genuinely, you need to do it the legit way. What this means is creating a brand and conducting yourself while using the highest amount of professionalism and ethics. Quite simply, use Facebook just like a legitimate business would make use of it.

I only want to get that out of the way since it is quite simple for several marketers to imagine that Facebook Messenger automation is some kind of backdoor or shortcut for you to get a significant level of traffic from Facebook.

While you may get a substantial amount of traffic from Facebook, using bots properly allow you to create a sustainable business.

This is simply not some kind of one-time big-time bot technology. Get that thought out of your head. Most of the time, less is more.

Sure, using the techniques that I’m going to share with you below, you may get a lower volume of traffic compared to a spamming strategy. But if you are looking to build a sustainable business, this is the way to go.

What’s the point of getting millions of visitors only to see a tiny fraction of them convert?

Worst of all, you only get one chance to drive that traffic. After Google has banned those accounts, you then buy new accounts and start over again. And on and on it goes.

That is not a sustainable business. That is not how you build the kind of online brand that would withstand the test of time.

I have something better in store for you. Keep reading.

Bot-Based Traffic Recruitment, Comment, and Profile-Based Messenger Marketing

The best way to use Facebook Messenger bots to grow your audience is to start with the existing presence you already have on Facebook. This means people must come to you.

Facebook Messenger bot is not going to be the tool that is going to drive visitors from the rest of Facebook to your particular page. It doesn’t work that way. Well, at least the responsible use of Facebook Messenger bot doesn’t work that way.

Instead, Facebook Messenger chat bots are intended to automate the engagement your Facebook marketing has already driven to your Facebook Page. In other words, it is an inbound tool. It is not an outbound spam software that you use to pull traffic from other places on Facebook.

A lot of people might think that since it is inbound, it necessarily cripples or greatly diminishes the power of Facebook Messenger bots. Actually, it doesn’t. It actually increases the likelihood that your visitor would have a favorable view of your brand.

The most common way you can use Facebook Messenger bots is when somebody posts a comment on your Facebook Page. You have many posts on your page and somebody visiting your page leaves a comment.

Normally, this comment just stays there until you have the time and opportunity to view the comment and respond. Usually, business owners would respond with another comment.

With Facebook Messenger bot automation, the moment somebody leaves a comment on your post on your page, Facebook Messenger opens up and sends them a reply. Facebook then allows you, within the span of 24 hours, to send another message.

You get to send out an initial response, and then you follow up. After this point, if the prospect likes your response, they can then send another inquiry and the process repeats itself over again.

This back and forth between your prospect can lead to many great things. It can be an opportunity for you to share even more content links with your prospect. It can also lead to that person getting the kind of answers that they need.

A lot of times, they have very basic questions like “What are your hours?” “Do you have certain things in stock?” “Do you have a tracking code?” “What is the status of my order?” – that kind of thing. This saves you a tremendous amount of time and money as far as customer support goes.

This page-based automation can also lead to actual sales. When somebody leaves a comment on your product listings on your page, you can respond with the available options for a product. They can then select a product and close the deal right in Messenger.

This is a very powerful opportunity because over 50% (closing in on 80%) of all users use mobile devices like mobile phones and tablets to interact with the internet. Your business really can’t afford to assume that your customers are going to be in front of a laptop or a desktop computer.

By starting, processing and closing the sale using Facebook Messenger, everything takes place in a mobile environment. This can explode your sales volume.

Use Facebook Messenger Bots to Qualify Your Prospects from Your Facebook Page

I wish I could tell you that the vast majority of people that find themselves on your Facebook Page are actual buyers.

If you have been doing any kind of online marketing and you know your way around Facebook, you know that this isn’t true. You know that this is a fantasy.

For the most part, the vast majority of people on your page are somewhat confused. They’re not quite clear as to what they’re looking for or what they need. They have a lot of questions.

This is a tremendous opportunity. There is some filtration process going.

Maybe for a hundred people, ten will end up buying. Still, those are ten sales you could not have had if you did not have this sales filtration process in place.

Use your Facebook Messenger bot to qualify your prospect by answering their questions, creating some sort of decision tree for your responses, and, if they are the right type of person with the right need at the right time, you can close the deal off Facebook Messenger itself.

In other words, you give them the answer they’re looking for precisely at the time they are most interested in buying the service or merchandise you are promoting.

Use It as an “Info Delivery” Platform for Your Comment’s Call to Action

When you leave a comment on blogs that use Facebook’s comment plug-in, you can generate sales.

I know that sounds outlandish to a lot of people. I mean, after all, you’re just commenting. You’re just sharing your thoughts.

Well, you can comment as your page. And if people think that what you have to share is credible and adds value to the conversation, you end up positively branding your business.

They can see that you are credible. They can see that you know what you’re talking about regarding your niche. They then are more likely to click on your profile and end up on our Facebook Page.

Once they are on your Facebook page, they can then chat with you through the chat widget or icon.

To turbocharge this process, you should share high quality content on all your comments to posts that are closely related to your niche which use the Facebook comment plug-in.

A critical piece of your comments is the call to action. You’re basically saying to the person who found your answer credible to check out your Facebook Page.

Or, if you’re feeling quite aggressive, tell them, “Click on my page profile for more information. And if you want to get a hold of me, click on the chat button.”

This might seem like a stretch but it actually works if you post high quality content. If your content positions you as some sort of expert or a credible authority in your field of expertise, people will take you up on your offer.

Please understand that real experts are few and far between. Often times, the people who post comments to blog posts post irrelevant comments that are simply off-base.

When it’s readily apparent that you know what you’re talking about, people would at least be interested in your Facebook page. And from there, they can engage with you on an automated basis by simply clicking that Messenger icon on your page.

When people take you up on your call to action, what can you do? Well, as I have mentioned above, you can send them more content. You can also qualify them to possibly get a sale from them.

There are many ways you can do it. What’s important is that they reach out to you first.

This is inbound. This is not you spamming and pulling people into a chat. They have to make the first move, and then you send them an automated response.

From there, they can then make certain decisions which triggers specific pre-written responses from your bot and this can lead to sales or can lead to the prospect viewing more content which would later qualify them for conversion.

Where can You Post Your Comments with Your Call to Action?

You can do this on blog posts that use the Facebook Comments plug-in as I’ve mentioned above. You can also use this on Facebook Pages. You can post as your page account on other businesses’ Facebook Pages.

You can also do this on your own Facebook Groups. You can post content that has a link to your chat bot on your Facebook Group’s content posts.