2020 is right around the corner — which means it’s time to put together your new Chat Marketing strategy.
As with any strategy, you want to be clear on three things: where you are now, where you want to go, and what you need to do to get there.
That’s why we put together a step-by-step process to building a Chat Marketing strategy that works for both new and veteran Chat Marketers. After reading this article, you’ll be able to build a roadmap that drives your chat strategy, implementation, and performance.
Key Steps to Planning a Chat Marketing Strategy for 2020
Simply building a Facebook bot and pricing it competitively won’t bring you the results you are hoping for. Instead, you need to put together an action plan that incorporates methods that are proven to be successful. Here are six steps to using chat marketing like a pro.
1. Decide on your audience
Understanding your audience is the key to success in any marketing strategy. When it comes to Chat Marketing, this initial step is the most important part of the process because it serves as a compass that will lead you further down the road. It influences everything from ad targeting and conversion tracking to building relevant conversations based on actions and interests.
To create a valuable experience that ends in a sale, you must first understand who your audiences are, what they like, and what they care about. Once you’ve figured out your audience, you will have a guide for the rest of the journey.
2. See where Chat Marketing can support your business objectives
Chat works best when it’s paired with other marketing tactics to support your business objectives.
For example, if you’re a marketing agency, you may want to get more consultation or demo calls, and let sales handle the close. This means chat should be used to distribute content, get more webinar sign-ups, or support other lead generation tactics.
Ecommerce brands, for instance, have shorter sales cycles where chat can support spontaneous sales with targeted coupons, curated offerings, and even accept payments inside apps like Facebook Messenger.
One mistake we see often in Chat Marketing is businesses only using chat to generate leads or show a list of services. This is often more expensive and unproductive. Chat Marketing can be used in a number of different and more efficient ways when you know the problems that need to be solved. You can’t build a strategy if you don’t know what problems you need to conquer.
3. Set your goals
The general rule of thumb when it comes to marketing is that you should set SMART goals:
- Specific, or well-defined and focused.
- Measurable, with concrete numbers to stay on track.
- Achievable, or goals you can realistically reach.
- Relevant, and based on current market conditions.
- Time-based, so you know when to accomplish your goal.
Once you set SMART goals, list out what tasks you need to do in order to achieve the goal. You can set these for your own business and even for clients.
Say your goal is to get a gym owner 220 new membership sign-ups by the end of Q1 in 2020. To do this, your activities list may look something like this:
- Run Click-to-Messenger Facebook Ads with video.
- Create Messenger bot sequences that send workouts and health tips to new subscribers.
- Calculate lead score based on subscriber actions.
- Deliver targeted Sponsored Messages to people most likely to buy a membership.
- Optimize sequences based on feedback and data.
Now that you’ve laid out where you want to go, it’s time to figure out how you’ll get there.
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4. Choose your chat channels
Once you’ve laid out your goals, you can decide what channels will work best to achieve them. Not only will this help you find new ways to connect with potential customers, but it’ll also help move them deeper into your funnel.
An up and coming tactic for Chat Marketers is called Waterfall the Conversation. Created by ROI Expert Matt Plapp, this strategy is the process of using Messenger, email, and SMS to deliver real-time and targeted messages to subscribers. It starts with a message on Facebook Messenger, then retargets prospects through email and text message marketing.
Whether you have a 200 or 200,000-person subscriber list, you can Waterfall the Conversation to decrease opt-out rates and increase conversions. The goal is to get people back into Messenger so you can re-up the 24-hour engagement window and continue interactions with subscribers.
With ManyChat, you can build this entire flow in one dashboard with our SMS and email options.
5. Create a bot personality
A bot personality should be an essential part of your 2020 Chat Marketing strategy. It is the story you create that will hook potential clients and interest them to learn more about your company and content.
Without a well-designed personality, a chatbot can seem unprofessional and spammy. Don’t be afraid to give your bot a personality. You want your bot to guide subscribers in the right direction and help them win.
Molly Mahoney, Founder of The Prepared Performer, shared some of her engagement hacks for creating a bot at Conversations 2019:
- Create your own language. The point of a Messenger bot is to replicate the human-to-human experience in chat apps. Use the words you normally use day-to-day. They can help set you apart from competitors’ boring communication.
- Use creative CTAs. The standard “yes” and “no” CTA’s in your bot may drive results. But imagine they were personalized and fun? You can use phrases such as “Yes! I want to join!” or “Sign me up!” to get people excited and incite action.
- Bring human interaction into your chatbot. For example, jump into live chat to answer questions and engage with subscribers.
6. Complete Messenger bot audits frequently
Say you spend two weeks creating and implementing the best Chat Marketing strategy for your company or client. You’d probably want to maximize its potential to drive leads and revenue.
If possible, you want to check-in on your Messenger bot flows every month, bi-monthly, or quarterly. This will help you see how well everything is performing and where you can make improvements based on data.
For more information on how to conduct a bot audit, we recommend you read How to Audit Your Messenger Sequences and Flows.
Improve your Chat Marketing strategy for a profitable 2020
As multi-channel marketing becomes more necessary for today’s businesses, you need a way to be everywhere at once, at any time. Chat is the best way to achieve this. A good Chat Marketing strategy will help you increase click-through rates, boost conversions, and create a more personalized experience potential customers.
