Want more traffic to your chatbot on Messenger? Then keep reading.
Today, I'll show you how to use Facebook Messenger ads to acquire new chatbot users, and how to bring people back to your chatbot to resume your existing conversations.
But first -
Why Facebook Messenger ads?
Glad you asked!
First, Messenger ads are a great way to start a conversation, and that's exactly what your chatbot needs.
When someone clicks on an ad, he or she is taken to Messenger and greeted with a welcome message, which is a clear invitation to conversation. Second, ads that take people to Facebook Messenger have a significantly lower cost per acquisition (CPA) than ads that take people away from Facebook - to apps and websites. Here at Zebra Instant we did a comparison and found that Messenger ads have the average CPA of $1-3, while app and website ads - $9 and $7 respectively. Third, the popularity of the Facebook Messenger app is growing so fast that some even believe that Messenger will outgrow Facebook itself. Today over 1.2 billion people use Facebook Messenger, so it's a way to reach millions of people where they hang out on a daily basis.
And finally, Facebook not only allows unbelievably precise targeting options, but it also lets you personalize your ads and messages people see. You can even send direct messages from your business to customers on Messenger, which is the most personal type of ad since LinkedIn Sponsored In-mail. For example, if you sell custom print products, such ads can be a personal and a great way to remind customers of an upcoming birthday or holiday and offer them to buy a gift for the occasion.
To create Facebook Messenger ads, you will need:
a Facebook Business Page (or fan page)
a Facebook Ad Account
ad images
a chatbot*
*If you're in the printing business or just want to make it easy for your fans to order custom photo gifts, you may want to check out the Zebra Instant Facebook Messenger chatbot.
When all is set, we can move forward and create the campaign.
How to create a Facebook campaign that brings people to your chatbot
First, go to your Facebook Ads Manager and click ''Create''. At the next step, you'll be asked to choose your campaign objective.
Your campaign objective is what you want people to do after they've clicked on your ad. Facebook needs to know your goal so that it can show your ads to people who are most likely to do what you want them to.
In this case, we want to get users to engage with our chatbot, so we choose ''Messages'' as our campaign objective:
Next, you must decide who you want to target.
There are two types of audiences you can show your ads to:
People who don't have an existing conversation with your chatbot.
People who have an existing conversation with your chatbot.
That is, you can either attract new customers to your chatbot, or you can retarget your existing customers, meaning - you can bring back people who've talked to your chatbot before but, for some reason, haven't converted and made a purchase.
Depending on which option you go for, your ads will have a different Ad type, Placement and Ad format. To help you understand the difference, let's create an ad for each of the two types of audiences.
How to retarget your existing chatbot users
The main goal of retargeting ads is to separate existing customers from the new ones and show them ads that encourage them to convert - buy something, sign up for a trial, ask for a quote, or whatever. For example, in the case of Zebra Instant, that would be sending in your best photo of your dog so that we can print it out.
In this case, our existing customers are people who have interacted with your Page in Messenger. Thus, we can choose ''Sponsored message'' as our Ad type.
The ''Sponsored message'' ad type means that people will receive your promotion in the form of a regular message.
Let me quickly explain why this is a big deal:
''Sponsored message'' ads are probably the most efficient way to get your message out - and to be heard. Stats show that the average campaign open rate on Messenger is 98%. In comparison, the average email open rate is just about 21%. By reaching people via Messenger, there's almost a 5x better chance that your audience will actually act on your message!
However, there's a but:
Facebook values people's privacy and strictly controls who’s able to send promotional messages to its users on Messenger. So, you can't simply send promotions from your business page to anyone on Facebook; this type of ad is only available for reaching people with existing conversations with the particular page.
In other words, ''Sponsored messages'' are only available for retargeting. But the good news is that retargeting ads usually have significantly higher ROI (return on investment) than other Facebook ads.
Okay, back to creating the campaign:
After you've chosen the ad type, Facebook will automatically filter out people who have an existing conversation with your chatbot. If you like, you can also refine the audience. For example, you can choose to show your ads to women only if you want to customize your message on the next step.
When your audience is ready, set your daily or lifetime budget that you want to spend on the campaign. The larger your audience, the bigger budget you'll need.
On the next step, create your ad as you want people to see it. Write your copy, upload images and write your reply text - the first message people will have to react to after they click on the ad and to get the conversation going again. Once you're happy with how your ad looks, click ''Confirm'' and your ad is ready to roll!
How to create a Messenger ad to attract new customers
If you want to attract new customers to your chatbot, there's another type of Messenger ad you can use. It's called the ''Click to Messenger'' ad:
These ads will be shown in two places on Facebook:
On Facebook Messenger
In Newsfeed
Now, on the next step, you have to define your audience. That basically means telling Facebook what types of users you want to show your ads to.
You can define your audience by various parameters, including:
demographics (age, gender, etc.)
locations (regions, countries, cities)
interests (eg., people who're interested in custom print products)
online behaviors (eg., people who've previously shopped online)
etc.
The power of Facebook ads is the very fine segmentation and rich targeting options available.
For example, you can target dog owners with an upcoming birthday and income over $100K with an ad for dog-specific products, such as printed dog bowls. Or you can show your ads to young sit-at-home moms interested in photography and gifts.
Let me note that this type of ad also allows you target people who've already had a connection with your chatbot or business in general.
For example, using the Facebook custom audiences feature, you can show your ads to people who've visited your chatbot, Facebook page, or website. Read more about Facebook custom audiences and how to target them.
When your audience is defined, the next step is to choose the ad placement. As I mentioned before, on Facebook these ads will be shown in the news feed and on Messenger. You can also choose to show the ads on Instagram.
Then, before we move to creatives, you must set your campaign's daily or lifetime budget. While no one can tell you exactly how big the budget should be, keep in mind that:
The larger your audience is, the bigger budget you'll need.
The more popular your audience is (read: the more other advertisers are trying to reach these people), the more expensive your ads will be.
When your budget is set, move to the final step and write your ad copy, upload images and write your welcome message.
When you're happy with how your ad looks and sounds, click ''Confirm'' to launch it.
Analyze your results, optimize, repeat
Launch your campaign, then give it a few days to take off. Facebook needs some time to get to know your audience and filter out people who might be interested in chatting with your bot.
After some time, come back to your campaign and analyze the results. If you're satisfied, you may want to increase your budget. If the results are not as expected, try to optimize your campaign before you turn it off completely.
Pay attention -
Are some images performing significantly better than others? Leave them and turn other ad variations off
Do people ignore your ads on the newsfeed? Turn the newsfeed placement off and advertise on Messenger only.
Do men have a significantly higher cost per conversion? Show your ads to women only.
You get the point - turn off what's not working and leave what is. Then, come back later and do it again.
Now you're ready to create your Facebook Messenger ad and take people to your chatbot. Launch your campaign, then come back and let me know how it's going in the comments below.