Facebook Messenger ADS: What it is and how to use it for your business

Messenger interface

In this article we look at how to use Facebook Messenger ADS to do lead generation. Discover a new opportunity for Communication, Relationships and Business generation.

In this article we cover the following topics:

  • Facebook ADS because they are a development and business opportunity for Companies
  • Why make a Campaign with Facebook Messenger ADS
  • How Messenger_ads works.

It is now well known that the chatbots andartificial intelligence have become seamlessly integrated into different aspects of business.

This trend is the reason why many brands have completely changed their customer care and marketing processes, including how to lead acquisition.

The explosion of social networks has become an unstoppable phenomenon, at least for the next few years.

Several companies have shifted, or are deciding to do so, much of their Advertising Budget from traditional media (TV, print, radio and billboards) to online media by implementing social media strategies.

Facebook along with Instagram, Linkedin, Pinterest to name a few, are the most popular Social platforms to carry out social media marketing activities.

This phenomenon has also given rise to new professionals such as Social Media Managers and development to Agencies such as Factory Communication, which specialize in the Social Media Strategy.

In these two new branches of Marketing fall several activities, which take names and acronyms, some complicated faces, such as SEO, SEM, Link Building, PPC Campaigns etc.

The focus of Companies in the world of social networks is the natural consequence due to the migration of people’s social relationships from traditional meeting places such as bars, squares etc. to virtual places on the web such as social channels ,communities etc..

So if you are deciding what activities to carry out to increase the visibility of your Company, Business or Professional Practice, know that you need to be, where your potential target audience is, that is, you need to carry out social marketing.

Before delving into what Facebook Messenger ADS is, let’s briefly look at what Facebook ADS is.

We can define Facebook ADS, as the structured platform, organized and integrated into the Facebook channel, for creating, managing and publishing sponsored ads.

Facebook Messenger ADS was introduced globally in July 2017.
An integral part of advertising, since then there has been a great growth in the number of companies and brands that have started adopting them in their social media marketing strategy on Facebook.

With more than 1.3 billion monthly active users (different from the number found on Facebook), the Messenger platform is becoming a key point especially for boosting sales for e-commerce stores.

Facebook Messenger ADS is a great way to interact with your customers in a direct and totally personalized way.

In our guide today we will provide you with several useful tips for getting started with this powerful tool.

What is Facebook Messenger ADS

Facebook Messenger dedicated to business allows the creation of different types of ads. They can be grouped into three main categories of ads:

  • Appear on the Home screen
  • Sponsored Posts
  • They connect to a chat window.

Facebook Messenger_ADS in home

These ads appear directly on the user’s main Messenger screen.
They present clear Call to Action (e.g., Buy Now) and, in general, users who respond positively are referred directly to a website.

Of course, as with other sponsored ads, you can choose other landing points for your call to action, such as an invitation to download your app.

In this case, the user will be taken from the main Messenger screen to the app’s download page.

Sponsored Posts

Ads created with Facebook Messenger ADS may appear in a user’s inbox. These ads are called sponsored messages.

They can be sent, for example, to people who have interacted with a particular brand before. Precisely because there is no “sponsored” header, or at least it is not that visible, this type of message appears like all the others that are typically exchanged with colleagues and/or friends.

Tapping then displays the content of the message, which typically consists of text, image with description, and button. It will link to a page that will then allow an action to be taken.

Ads ideal for retargeting toward users who have interacted with your brand in the past.

Click-to-Messenger

Even through regular feed placements you can invite your users to open a chat in Facebook Messenger. To do this you will simply have to enter the Call to Action “send a message” when you go to set up your ADS through the Business Manager.

The user, upon clicking on the ad, will be redirected to the Facebook Messenger app and greeted by preset texts. Here users will be able to ask questions and request information.

Facebook Messenger ADS: Why are they important?

The big instant messaging applications (Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat and QQ) have surpassed the number of active social media users. As of today they have about 4.9 billion users in total.

Precisely because WhatsApp is not ubiquitous and Facebook is, the Messenger platform becomes critical for attracting and converting users through a more direct and personalized approach.

In recent years, Facebook Messenger has implemented features dedicated precisely to theacquisition of contacts via ADS, thus giving users the ability to initiate conversations in the app only by clicking on ads visible in the news feed of the parent platform (Facebook).

Each of us will have happened to see advertisements, while we are chatting with our friends. Those are the ad campaigns run through Messenger ADS.

This is a very different concept from the “Sponsored Messages” visible in Messenger, in that it is not the company writing to users, but rather there is a focus on an inbound process.

It’s a clear message we find on the dedicated Facebook Messenger ADS page, “Reach customers right where they are.”
The second point we find is, “View the statistical data you need to integrate conversations into your marketing strategy with Insights to Go from Facebook IQ.”

A fantastic immediate overview of what we can do and achieve with Facebook Messenger ADS.

Why are Companies investing part of their Advertising Budgets on Facebook ADS?

Simple, because this platform allows you to structure Advertising Campaigns, precisely profiling your Target Audience.

If we draw a parallel with traditional media, a Company verticalized in one sector, in order to reach its target audience, may eventually select the newspapers and media outlets (TV, radio, newspapers etc.) of reference for that sector.

It is difficult to “push” profiling further because radio targets everyone indiscriminately, ditto TV and newspapers.

With Campaigns made with Facebook ADS, on the other hand, we can convey a verticalized message in a sector, broken down by age, for example, or gender, thus creating customized audiences.

Or different messages can be created, depending on the target locations.

You will agree with us that it is a real goal.

Why use Facebook Messenger ADS to get users to write to you?

According to various research, the average conversion rate of ads that link to a landing page is between 5% and 10%, which equates to a 90-95% loss of potential leads that you actually paid for.

Many users tend to leave the page or lose interest for various reasons, which may depend on the quality of the offer or even the loading speed.

With the “Send a Message” feature, social users can open the chat and start conversations with your brand right away.

People who write to your company can then be classified as leads.

This feature proves to be even more valuable when it comes to mobile users.

A Nielsen study suggests that the average smartphone user spends 85 percent of his or her time on the device using several apps.

The number of ad impressions on mobile devices is growing strongly, this is because Facebook subscribers are visiting the platform specifically via mobile apps.

With the increase in app downloads related to the parent platform Facebook, it is therefore becoming increasingly important to know how to optimize ADSs for smartphones, and this also means making the various landing pages easily navigable. Which is no small feat we would dare to say.

Ads in Messenger work just like ads in all other Facebook platforms.

They automatically show advertisements in the location that would generate the best results at the lowest possible cost.

Additional important benefit. You can use the same creative that we have developed for PPC Campaigns on Facebook and Instagram.

When people see the ads in the Messenger app, they can interact with it based on the call to action we have defined.

For example, they can be referred to the website, to the App we have specially developed, or to a conversation directly in Messenger.

Using the “Send a Message” feature, reduces the workload by allowing leads to be converted directly within Messenger.

How to use the Send a Message function to do lead generation

Now that you know why it pays to use Facebook Messenger ADS to invite users to message you, let’s look at a few ways to take advantage of this feature.

By relying on chatbots such as Motion.ai, Chatfuel or Manychat , you can create customized conversation streams to integrate into Facebook Messenger.

Find qualified leads

Integrating a bot into Facebook Messenger will allow you to qualify your leads during the conversation. Many brands have already found ways to program their chatbots to ask qualifying questions that users can answer. This will make it easier to classify the contact.

Software such as Botsify allows you to program conversational forms to ensure you better collect all the information you need to qualify the lead, while also adding a personal touch to the conversation.

Cultivate your contacts

Another benefit of integrating bots into your Facebook Messenger campaigns is the ability to effectively and efficiently cultivate your leads.

The number of contacts acquired is not always proportional to the number of people employed in customer care, which is why it becomes important to have alternative tools to lead users within the path created with the sales funnel.

Theuse of chatbots allows for timely responses, with the goal of winning over contacts and turning them into customers before they lose interest.

Three good reasons to start using Facebook Messenger ADS

If you are still not convinced of the potential offered by the platform, below are three good reasons to start using Facebook Messenger for your advertising:

  1. With sponsored messages and ads in feeds that link to a message submission, your chats will be visible in your users’ inboxes. These types of ads are great for retargeting and remarketing purposes;
  2. Ads shown in feeds with the Call to Action sending message offer the possibility of direct contact, so they have a higher likelihood of conversion than other types of ADS;
  3. Ads in Facebook Messenger enable a highly personalized user experience.

It should be pointed out, however, that unlike ads shown in feeds, direct messages to the user are definitely more invasive. For this reason, we recommend using them sparingly and only in support of a sound strategy.

Want to add Facebook Messenger ADS to your digital marketing strategy? Contact us!

Facebook Messenger ADS can play a key role in your Facebook marketing strategy. Mix sponsored ads with regular ads to reach new target users and increase your business’ online visibility.

Learn more about Facebook ADS by reading these articles:

If you need support, or want to understand how we can help your Company contact us now:
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