In 2019, Messenger is a much better bandwagon than voice.
Conversational marketing is the next fundamental shift in how a consumer interacts with brands.
Based on the higher quantity of voice assistants and the growing popularity of B2C interaction on Messenger (which I believe will build up steam in iMessage and WhatsApp), I think brands everywhere should seriously start figuring out how to build conversations with their customers.
I’m particularly interested in Messenger, which is why I’m focusing on it in this post. Voice is definitely the future, but the gap still needs to be bridged between a mobile-obsessed world and a voice device-obsessed world.
When I say “voice devices”, I'm not talking Echo dots or Google Home minis. I’m talking about your fridge ordering mustard for you when you’re running low… because you expect it to. To get to the point where the customer is actually used to that interaction on a day to day, we must bridge the gap between a visual interface and an audio-conversation interface.
I’ve found something that sort of meets in the middle.
Facebook Messenger.
1.3 Billion MAUs. Many open rates well above 90%. CTRs above 50%. What kind of platform are you using right now that gets that kind of ROI?
Imagine the power of understanding how to conversate with customers on a platform they’re already comfortable with! It’s within the Facebook ecosystem, so you can easily strike up conversation with people without interrupting their process.
Conversation itself isn’t even a new concept, it’s simply a new presentation of the same idea. As a brand, you need to convey information to a potential or existing customer, that will help them somehow along in the journey of buying your product.
Let’s translate the info on a website over to a visual conversational platform. You’re presenting your short “pitch” above the fold, and then if they’re interested, you can scroll down to be further convinced, or click onto your company’s about or pricing page to learn more.
In a conversational setting, the difference is they’re receiving all the info you give and none of what you don’t. When a visitor clicks “Get Started” on Messenger with your brand, they’re automatically added to your list (think email), and the chatbot can give the right info/pitch to a potential customer, with almost all of they're attention. This means that as long as you get them to click get started, you can message them any time you want, and if they open it, they're very likely to read what you have to say!
Keep in mind, using bot builders such as ManyChat or Chatfuel, you can build fully customizable chatbots for Facebook Messenger. Think of these as Wordpress or MailChimp, but instead of building a website or email marketing campaign, you’re building a chat flow for Messenger. You can lead a customer right to a purchase (even inside of Messenger), or you can keep them in the loop of your content, similar to that of an email subscriber.
How would I attack it?
Work with the rapid current that is the Facebook Monster. Run Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger ads that get them into your Messenger list. You should be working on building a list before more marketers hop on board. Get it while the attention is still so cheap and, well… attentive.
Brand your bot as a bot, and be prepared to go into Messenger and answer questions. The technology is still limited to completely rely on your bot, so it doesn’t make sense to avoid human interaction in this space. I think as online marketers we typically love that we can avoid ever talking to a customer, but until our bots are perfect for the customer, we will need to go in and finish what the bot started.
Learn as you go. Build your bot now, and watch how customers interact with your bot. See what kind of questions they ask, which options presented they click on, and what they feel comfortable doing within the platform. Learning how your customer functions within Messenger through A/B testing is the key to success.
Be ready for better capabilities. CTR isn’t a factor if you don’t need them to leave. Pretty soon (some would argue right now), we won’t need to drive the visitor to a blog post or Youtube video: everything will be done within Messenger. Plan for a future where every part of the buyer’s journey is within the messaging platform they’re in, and execute when the platforms are capable.
All that to say, I think Messenger is a gold mine, and I can’t wait to try it out! The only reason I’ve been focused on Messenger is because it’s the most developed messaging platform for this B2C interaction, but iMessage and WhatsApp aren’t far behind.
If you want to see a wonderful example of messenger marketing in action, Lego is doing a great job bringing the buyer’s journey into Messenger. Go click “Get Started” on Lego’s Messenger page, and just interact with it to see what it does. It will give you a wonderful first glance of the potential within the platform.
I’d love to hear what you guys think! I’m not afraid to be wrong, so if there’s something you think I’m missing, comment below.
God bless!
Caleb Dueck
