1. Make it personal

Your messenger bots should consistently deliver relevant information. First-time customers visiting your website need top-of-funnel automated notifications, questions, and options relevant to folks who are “just browsing.” Once they’ve interacted with your bot multiple times, however, you can assume they’re knowledgeable or are considering a purchase. You can target these customers with calls to action (CTAs), such as offering a discount on a specific product category, a live software demo, or a free trial. You can also design the bot to help segment your audience by asking them directly what they want . For example, an e-commerce company might ask if a customer wants seasonal clothing suggestions. Or a B2B company could ask if a prospective customer wants links to new white papers or blog posts on a specific subject.

2. Give your messenger bot a friendly brand voice

Your messenger bot’s voice should be friendly and helpful, and it should match your branding. “Howdy! Thanks for stopping by, partner!” is perfect for a company with a playful brand voice; not so much for a global bank. And remember, fun brand voices should still be professional and provide real value.

3. Follow the rules of UX and your chosen platform

UX refers to the user experience. It’s one of those things customers don’t notice—unless you get it wrong. For messenger bot marketing, make sure:

  • Customers know they are interacting with a bot. People appreciate artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, but they want to be clear about whether they’re speaking with a person or a bot.
  • The bot leads customers through a logical funnel. Don’t jump straight to a hard sales pitch on the first interaction.
  • The customer gets options, but not too many. Customers appreciate feeling a sense of control in their interactions with a chatbot. Having too many options, however, becomes confusing.
  • Users have clear, easy outs. When the customer is ready to leave the conversation, make it easy. You can ask them a survey question such as “Was your question answered?” or give them the option of providing their email, but keep it to one or the other, or you risk irritating the customer.
  • Your bot keeps it simple. People bounce away from cumbersome bots that don’t quickly return the answers they need. A simple visual interface is also best.

It’s also essential to understand and follow the rules of the platforms you use. On Facebook, for instance, companies have 24 hours to message users after they’ve messaged your business or reacted to a message. If you violate these rules, your use will be restricted. You also risk permanently tarnishing your brand for anyone who interacts with your bot.

4. Know your messenger bot’s purpose before launch

Don’t rush into messenger bot marketing just because the tech is taking off. Spend time clarifying the goal of your bot and aligning it with your overall marketing strategy. Here are possible goals:

  • Quickly resolve customer issues, which builds brand trust and allows your customer service rep to focus on more complex problems.
  • Increase conversions on your website.
  • Promote product launches or raise brand awareness.

5. Remember, you need people

Messenger bots are becoming more sophisticated every day, and people are grateful for the instant help, advice, and direction bots can provide. But there will always be issues that need human-to-human conversations, so keep your customer service team at the ready for when your bot doesn’t have all the answers. Are you wondering if your business is chatbot-ready? Or are you ready to dive in but need some guidance to get started? Marketsmith can help with your messenger bot marketing strategy.