The stats on social messaging – and consumer expectations regarding businesses using messaging to communicate with them – paint a very clear picture:
You need to have a social messaging strategy in your sales and customer service processes NOW!
Take A Look At The Numbers:
By the end of 2018, it was reported that 78% of the world’s smartphone users – more than 1.3 billion people – use Facebook Messenger every month.
And the growth is only expected to continue. By 2021, it’s predicted that the global user base for mobile messaging apps will have risen by a further 23%.
In fact, people are now using messaging apps more than they are using the social networks themselves!
And it’s not just for fun
Social Messaging Means Business!
Social messaging is no longer just a way for friends to make small talk. It is now an important channel for taking care of your customers and generating more sales.
Among people surveyed who message businesses, the majority say being able to message a business helps them feel more confident about the brand.
When Facebook surveyed daily messaging app users across 4 markets, the majority reported they had messaged a business in the past three months:
- Brazil 85%
- India 74%
- UK 61%
- US 61%
Being able to message a business for service and sales help is now an expectation for many consumer groups, particularly younger generations and international markets.
Why Is Social Messaging So Powerful?
Social messaging has a few advantages over other communication channels that make it very powerful:
- It’s conversational. Communication on social messaging platforms feels very conversational. Although many businesses are struggling to adapt to this as a way of doing business, the more nimble companies adapting to this style are having huge success.
- It feels personal. People don’t connect with just anyone on social messaging…it’s more personal than that. That means it’s harder to earn the connection than say email, but it’s also much more powerful when you do.
- It’s less cluttered. The email inbox has become a wasteland that people ignore…it’s just too crowded with junk. Because of the more personal nature of social messaging, it just doesn’t get overloaded in the same way.
- It’s powerful technology. Social messaging platforms have powerful technology that enable them to be used for chats, calls, video calls, booking appointments, transaction processing, and much more. This creates a huge amount of possibilities for businesses.
- It’s used by just about everyone. 78% of the world’s smartphone users – more than 1.3 billion people – use Facebook Messenger every month.
All of these factors add up to make it a very powerful tool for both sales, marketing, and customer service.
How Can You Use Social Messaging?
There are several ways to incorporate social messaging into your business that can have a big impact on customer service and sales growth. Here are the four main opportunities.
Acquire leads.
Social messaging helps you simplify lead acquisition by providing a direct, conversational way for people to take action where they already spend their time. Many marketers believe that building your list on Facebook Messenger is the most powerful list you can build for the future!
Enable transactions.
Facebook Messenger now allows people to browse your products and services, and purchase them directly in the conversation. In some countries, purchasing products and services through social messaging is already the norm.
Show customers the ‘love’.
Integrating social messaging into a customer service strategy allows customers to communicate with your business on their terms in a channel that they are already using throughout their day.
Close deals.
I’m a big believer in automating your sales process all the way up to the point where I think it’s stupid not to add a personal touch. If you are selling anything with the margins to justify it, adding a living human being to your sales process that can answer questions and close deals for prospects that just need a gently nudge to get across the finish line is just smart business.
Add social messaging to your sales pages and engage your hot prospects right as they are considering making a purchase, and you’ll start closing more deals!
How to get started using social media
Here’s a simple rollout plan to get you started using Social Messaging at your business so you can get momentum and see the impact first-hand!
Start with Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger is a great place to start because most people are already familiar with it, and if you have a Facebook Page for your business, then you already have a Messenger account, too.
Nice and easy!
Find your account and make sure all of the preferences are set how you’d like and that your profile is complete.
Will you use other messaging platforms down the road too? Maybe, but let’s be 80/20 entrepreneurs and go where the momentum is!
Add the Messenger Widget to All Key Pages
Using social messaging for business is all about helping to facilitate more conversations with your customers.
Add the Messenger Widget to all of the key pages where your prospects and customers typically have questions so they can see you are available to help.
Here are the (rather technical) instructions on how to add Messenger to your website from Facebook. Hire someone on Fiverr to help if you need it!
Promote It!
Let the world know that you have Messenger available by including a link to your account in your social profiles, email signature, and newsletter you send to your prospects and customers. You’ll start generating conversations almost immediately!
Start Using Manychat
Once you’re convinced that this is a strategy you’re going to run with, we highly recommend that you start using Manychat to enhance your capabilities with Facebook Messenger.
Manychat gives you two really important capabilities that will take Facebook Messenger to another level:
- Growth Tools. These are tools that will help you grow the number of people who connect with you on Messenger.
- Automation. Manychat allows you to create automation ‘bots’ to automate conversations with your prospects and customers.
Here’s a guide from Manychat that will help you understand the full capabilities and give you ideas on how to get started.
Best Time to Start
Was yesterday!
Social messaging for business is growing tremendously in both numbers and impact. Get started with your social messaging strategy today!
Also, read about disciplined money-making activities.
