You may have heard whispers and rumours about the new and rapidly growing marketing technique that has been taking the digital world by storm: Facebook Messenger marketing.

But perhaps you’re still a little unsure about what exactly it is, and how it can be used as an effective and ultimately successful strategy for your business.

I’ve created this blog post to enlighten you on its uses and why it is fast becoming one of the most powerful marketing strategies for business owners.

First things first…

What is Facebook Messenger marketing?

Facebook Messenger marketing is a novel way to communicate and interact with your leads and existing clients and customers. It’s like email, but in some ways better (depending on your target audience).

Communication can either take the form of one-on-one live messages between you and your client, or can be automated through a chatbot.

See also: How to target businesses on Facebook ads

So what are some of the advantages of messenger marketing?

1. Everyone’s already there

One of marketing’s golden rules is to hang out where your clients are hanging out. Facebook Messenger marketing has thus provided the perfect opportunity for businesses to connect with their clients.

More and more people are using Messenger to communicate with their friends, family, and increasingly, companies.

The popularity and convenience of Facebook Messenger makes it the easiest and quickest method of communication – for both the client and the business.

And as far as the businesses go, Facebook Messenger creates a far more accessible consumer: more than one billion people are using it, making its commercial possibilities practically limitless.

2. You’ll actually get responses to your messages

Whilst similar to email marketing, Facebook Messenger marketing is different in all the right ways.

The nature of the application means that people get notifications and messages straight to their phone, generating much higher open and read rates – open rates average 80%, with click-through rates being 4 to 10 times higher than email.

Another factor weighing in on the side of Messenger marketing is that, unlike email, Facebook is not seen as work.

Email marketing is often thwarted by crowded inboxes and hasty deletions. But when it comes to messages on Facebook, people have far less reservations to opening and responding – even if it’s marketing-related (as long as you message people in the RIGHT way).

All of this works together to give Facebook Messenger marketing far higher levels of engagement than email, with ads and messages getting open, read and replied to.

3. It’s the fastest method of communication with leads

Facebook Messenger allows for instantaneous communication, in a way that email simply cannot.

Moreover, the communication has a much more conversational feel, making it both faster and more appealing to the client.

But it’s not just the speed of the conversations. The direct and dynamic nature of the communication means that it is far easier for businesses to nurture leads and turn them into clients.

With the ability to set up instant automatic responses based on what someone says, it means you can answer your clients’ questions directly and have one-on-one interactions – without the obstacles of delayed responses.

Is Facebook Messenger leads the future of digital marketing?

Whilst we can’t be entirely sure what the future holds for this digital marketing tool – its nature dependant on Facebook and whether its use as a free marketing platform is continued – it is currently a method of communication definitely worth exploring.

Unlike other marketing techniques, Facebook Messenger marketing is steadily growing, and those companies that adopt it early are likely to have significant advantages over competitors in the years to come.

Facebook Messenger is the place where customers and clients are having conversations; to keep up, businesses need to join these conversations.

How can I get started?

While a relatively new digital marketing tool, the clients that I have been using it with have already been getting some very impressive results.

Here is a screenshot of a client who went from 0 to over 2,500 leads this very month from Facebook Messenger in the first three weeks of launching a new campaign:

Many of these messages have also resulted in direct enquiries and sales too.

And we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface.

If you’re searching for a fast, effective and original way to communicate with your clients, you’ll want to start thinking about incorporating Facebook Messenger into your marketing plan.

In a future article, I will delve into different ways to use messenger marketing, how to create your first sequence, and ways to begin growing your Facebook audience.

But if you just can’t wait to get started, check out manychat.com – the tool we use to manage our clients Facebook Messenger campaigns.

Want to learn more ways you can use social media to attract and convert your ideal clients?

Check out our free social media training video to learn more about using social media to attract and convert your idea clients.