Conversations 2020: Learnings from Day One

Day one of Conversations 2020 was brimming with tips, insights, and takeaways from incredible speakers like Daymond John, Ryan Deiss, Mike Yan, VP of Messenger at Facebook, Stan Chudnovsky, and other expert bot builders. Topics ranged from how to sell high-ticket items using Chat Marketing, to neuromarketing and design, to SMS, to entrepreneurship and investing. 

One takeaway from the day was evident. Mobile messaging is not the future—it’s already here! Brands using mobile Chat Marketing to connect with their customers build closer ties, sell more product, and grow scalable, successful businesses. 

Let’s jump right into the top takeaways from Day one.

Mike Yan: How to Thrive in the Mobile Era

First up was the keynote from our CEO and co-founder, Mike Yan: “Chat Marketing: How to Thrive in the Mobile Era,” during which he confidently announced that “mobile has eaten the world.”

Mike’s talk touched on the future of Chat Marketing, the aftermath of the pandemic, product feature updates—including the hotly anticipated WhatsApp integration—and ManyChat’s vision for mobile messaging. 

Watch his keynote speech below:

Check out the latest ManyChat product updates here. 

Ryan Deiss: Three Unpopular Digital Trends That Are Undeniably True

Next came Ryan Deiss of Digital Marketer and Traffic & Conversions, who delivered scads of knowledge on the future of marketing. 

To kick off, Ryan provided a quick overview of the state of 2020. “Everyone is sick and tired of hearing commercials and seeing ads that say stuff like, ‘in these unprecedented times…’ 

“That type of language. That type of vocabulary. That all worked back in March and April. We are now past that. There is a fatigue taking place.” 

As marketers, our goal is to find creative ways to position our offers that don’t rely on COVID-19 as a crutch to arouse interest. Ryan drove his point home by sharing how a slight tweak in an email subject line received 2x more engagement than one using the term “COVID.” He implored listeners to embrace potential messaging opportunities and implement strategies that follow real consumer behaviors and needs. 

His top unpopular trends were:

1. Consumers are spending more online, but HOW we buy has changed. We need to adapt our funnels for eCommerce. 
2. Although social media engagement is trending up, organic reach is still an impossible dream for most businesses. Social media has experienced an uptick in traffic as of late, but people aren’t using the platforms to engage with brands. 
3. Digital-first is the “new normal,” but the “next big thing” is not what you think. It’s not a TikTok strategy… it’s messaging: SMS, WhatsApp, and Messenger. People want to be able to converse with the companies they buy from. 

Ryan outlined how increasing your number of low-ticket items aligns with current buying trends and helps boost long-term sales. Once someone makes a small purchase, it signals a high interest in your brand. You can then continue building the relationship to sell them high-ticket items over time. 

He wowed us by describing how to amplify a business’s social reach using a four-step process:

1. Go to sites like Quora or AnswerThePublic and find questions people ask about your products, services, or industry.
2. Record videos in which you provide answers to those questions. (They can be simple selfie or webcam videos, so don’t worry if you’re not a master filmmaker!)
3. Post them on the social channels that have proven to work well for your brand.
4. Expand their reach by paying for promotion.

Molly Pittman: How to Add $30K to Your Launch with ManyChat and SMS

Molly Pittman of SmartMarketer (and former member of the ManyChat team!) was up next to shed some light on using ManyChat and SMS to execute a successful product launch. 

Here are some of the best nuggets from her presentation!

• When launching a product, start with lead generation. Create buzz with Facebook ads and by emailing your list about a free offer. It’s a great way to collect leads for the launch.
• Send all traffic to an opt-in page to gather contact information like first and last name, email address, and phone number. 
• Promote a free webinar or higher-commitment lead magnet to leads via SMS to help sell higher ticket items. 
• Even though you can’t always directly attribute SMS results to a sale, conversational texting is a great way to build connections with your leads. 
• Set up Facebook retargeting ads with a Messenger objective and add a phone number to give people the option to text you. You can help overcome any objections and answer questions they have to close the sale. 
• People are less inclined to pick up the phone or send an email with questions. Offer chat-based customer support through SMS and Messenger Live Chat to sell more products during launch.

Sounds like a lot of conversations, right? That’s the point! Chatting with people makes them feel more comfortable when it comes to buying online.

Fireside Chat: Mike Yan & Stan Chudnovsky, VP of Messenger at Facebook

Our fearless leader Mike and Stan Chudnovsky, VP of Messenger at Facebook served up incredibly helpful insights for using Messenger for marketing and sales.

The top insights include:

• People today prefer messaging over other communication channels; they don’t like making phone calls anymore. In fact, 64% of people across generations prefer to send a message over calling or emailing.
• The three dominant use cases for Messenger are lead generation, eCommerce, and customer care.
• In Australia, businesses are seeing a 27% lower cost per lead on Messenger right now. It’s one of the best ways to generate and nurture leads on the same messaging channel.
• Messenger helps different commerce businesses connect with people and provide personal advice, answer questions, and sway customers’ purchasing decisions. 
• Ikea Hong Kong saw a 78% increase in support agent productivity by automating different parts of its customer care procedures on Messenger. 
• Avoid having your account blocked: use the correct Message Tags, don’t spam or abuse the platform, and keep your block rate low. 
• Facebook is continuing to invest in developing eCommerce features and connecting buyers and sellers on Instagram. 

Trilce Jirón Garro: 5 Chatbot Psychology Secrets to Boost Your ROI by 11,000% (Yes, Really)

Next, Founder of Costa Rican based TBS Marketing, Trilce Jirón Garro, revealed top neuromarketing secrets to boost ROI by 11,000%. No, that’s not a typo. 

She shared her F.R.A.N.K framework for using chatbots to drive revenue for your business. But first, you’ll have to meet Frank, the agency’s mascot, and her inspiration to work harder and smarter. 

Here’s her five-step framework:

1. Funnel – Build a high-converting top funnel using Growth Tools
2. Research  – Investigate customers’ feelings about products and services and how they use them
3. Absorb – Take in new and exciting information from consumers and market leaders
4. Neuromarketing – Apply the right psychological strategies to persuade and delight
5. K – Now we deliver… because no good verbs start with the letter “K”

Trilce recommends using Facebook Comments Growth Tool 2.0 and JSON ads— which she uses for every client campaign—to start conversations with potential buyers and get them into your Messenger bot. 

Another key secret she shared was to sit, talk, and listen when working with sales teams. You’re the marketing expert, but they know their clients. Find out information like:

• What do you ask potential buyers?
• What do they ask you?
• How do you identify high- versus low-value customers?

Those are just the tip of the iceberg. By asking the right questions, you can build smarter automated flows and create more meaningful relationships with customers using a bot. 

Now get out there and go FRANK your bot to improve conversions and achieve a better ROI. 

Rachel Miller: How to Generate a Multi-Million Dollar Launch Using ManyChat

Rachel Miller is the Founder of Moolah Marketing (and also ManyChat vet). From home in her jammies, she taught us how to generate one million dollars from a launch using ManyChat.

During her presentation, she pointed out that if she hadn’t been to Conversations 2019, she wouldn’t have had this funnel or launch strategy to share with us. She told her story and revealed top tips for building a funnel that will generate one million dollars. 

Her charm came through in her talk: “If a mom like me can build a chatbot that brings in a million in revenue, you guys can as well.”

Her road to a million-dollar launch started with a challenge: help small businesses get 100 customers into their database by paying $10 for her program and spending ZERO dollars on ads.

Her Chat Marketing sales funnel steps are: 

1. Build a hot audience. Don’t start with ads; begin with an audience you acquired organically.
2. Drive them to a sales page. 
3. Upsell an extra product inside Messenger. Rachel offered a physical book for $10, as well as the option to get a free PDF version.

Out of 8,400 people who landed on her sales page, 6,500 clicked through to Rachel’s ManyChat bot, and 2,100 people ended up buying her physical book. 

But her funnel didn’t end there!

In her book, Rachel placed QR codes which sent people back into her ManyChat bot to continue the conversation. From there, they were invited to join her Facebook group, where members could talk to each other and share their results. 

From her Facebook group, marketers could access her profile page, on which she had posted videos attached to Growth Tools. These Growth Tools then sent people back into her Messenger bot. 

The funnel looked a little something like this:

All those small interactions helped Rachel build meaningful relationships with an engaged, super hot audience. And once the time was right, she sold that audience a high-ticket item, which is where she made her real revenue. 

Katya Dominguez: How to Build a High-Ticket Messenger Funnel 

Katya Dominguez is the CEO and Founder of Clever Chatbot, a marketing agency focused on growing eCommerce and personal brands like Jay Shetty. In her enthralling session, she walked us through how to generate six figures in 34 days with a chatbot. 

She offered six essential tips for building a six-figure chatbot funnel:

1. Start with the end in mind. What is the final action you want your leads to take? For example, purchasing an online coaching certification.
2. Map out the journey. How will you get people into your bot? What’s your lead nurture process? How will you make the sale?
3. Nurture leads and account for consumer behavior. Is your offer considered high-ticket? Ensure you consistently nurture your leads and provide enough information for them to make a buying decision, which is especially critical with more expensive offers.
4. Make the phone call. To sell high-ticket items, you’ll probably have to talk with leads over the phone. Use ManyChat to help you ask the right questions and qualify leads so you’ll see better outcomes from your sales calls.
5. Leverage technology for the sales process. Everything from sending coupon redemption reminders to webinar links can be automated. Use tools like ManyChat and Zapier to reduce manual labor and close leads quickly and efficiently.
6. Create an onboarding process. Once a person buys your product or service, build on their positive experience and brand trust by engaging with them and delivering value after the sale. 

Katya stresses the importance of a strong lead magnet, like a checklist, guide, early access, webinar, etc., to motivate leads to convert. Regardless of what you offer, make sure you make good on your promise. 

She also recommends including a “no thanks” option in your messages. Don’t be afraid to remove people from your pipeline; after all, you don’t want to waste time and energy on leads who aren’t interested in your offer. 

Joyce Yagi: How to Use ManyChat and Shopify to recover lost sales

Our very own Joyce Yagi, Product Marketing Manager here at ManyChat, took us on a product journey that demonstrated how to use ManyChat’s Shopify integration to capture leads and recover lost sales. She also supplied us with a handful of Pro templates and resources to help you start selling more in your Shopify store today. 

Her top tips for big sales:

• Grow your customer base by using ManyChat’s Growth Tools to convert website traffic into subscribers
• Create a Customer Chat Widget to automate answers to commonly asked questions
• Route shoppers back to your Shopify store in one click by sending abandoned cart reminders through Messenger  
• Use Shopify Coupon Campaigns inside ManyChat to customize and deliver personalized coupons shoppers can redeem with a single tap 

She also showed us how to offer relevant product suggestions inside Messenger to create a more personalized, one-to-one shopping experience that drives sales and revenue for your Shopify store, ultimately lowering your cost of customer acquisition.

Manuel Suarez: How to Become a Marketing Ninja and Generate Millions of Subscribers

If you joined us for last year’s Conversations, you’d probably remember Manuel Suarez thanks to his remarkable Dr. Berg bot. In 2019, we learned how Manuel and his team at Attention Grabbing Media built an award-winning chatbot that helped drive over $10 million in revenue for a top ketogenic diet expert.

This year, we were happy to welcome Manuel back to deliver a session on how to generate millions of subscribers for your business or for your clients. 

He shared a seven-step system you can use to thrive in any economic environment:

1. Find your superpower
2. Obsessively market it
3. Provide considerable value 
4. Create your audiences across social media
5. Become a ManyChat ninja
6. Use ManyChat to create your omnichannel world
7. Create Dynamic Audiences and retarget your subscribers

Marketers who aren’t taking advantage of omnichannel strategies are “missing out on the opportunity ManyChat presented to all us, which is to build a truly omnichannel world,” Manual explained. “You’re not building a Messenger list; you’re building a list, period. If you don’t know how to do that, you’re missing out on what the opportunity is all about.” 

Manuel also offered insight into how he built acclaimed entrepreneur Daymond John’s Messenger bot, divulging key tips you can use to generate subscribers for your omnichannel marketing program. 

Niel Reichl: How to Use SMS to Get More Chatbot Subscribers

Known as the Messaging Marketing guy in the sprawling city of Manila, Philippines, Niel Reichl took the digital floor to share examples of how his team uses SMS to acquire more chatbot subscribers. 

The truth is, Niel had a tough time when Facebook implemented the 24-hour messaging rule. He broke the rule, lost his clients’ trust, and missed out on business revenue along the way. To recover, he found a way to use SMS (in a country where no SMS platforms were available, no less) to continue building meaningful relationships with customers and get back on the path to sustainable business growth.

To send engaging SMS broadcasts, Niel encouraged us to:

1. Disclose who’s sending the text
2. Address recipients by name
3. Demonstrate you understand their pain points
4. Add a Messenger Ref URL as your call to action

He finished by saying,

“You don’t always need the perfect funnel [to be successful]. All you need is a tool to help you start a conversation.” For Niel and thousands of other business owners, ManyChat is the perfect tool!

Fireside Chat: Mike Yan and Daymond John

How will you find out the future of business, entrepreneurship, and investing? Catch this talk from Daymond John (who, let’s face it, needs no introduction) and Mike!

Their top takeaways:

• If you’re unsure whether to follow the money or follow your passion, consider what you’re willing to risk. Following the money may sound appealing, but you could be risking time, your family, and even your freedom.
• The most important thing to have in your entrepreneurial journey is a mentor (who could be anyone with whom you have a trusted relationship). Daymond’s first mentor was his mother; his second mentor was a teacher who believed in him. His third mentor was a veteran who owned a corner store and gave him work at just 10 years old.
• Don’t spread yourself too thin, but go above and beyond for a single customer group. 
• Acquiring a new customer is the hardest thing to do in business. Once they’re a customer and believe in your brand, you can always upsell them or encourage them to buy more frequently. You can also persuade them to become an ambassador and help you secure additional customers. But taking care of your initial core customers is the most critical part. 
• You need a unique point of view, and you need to stick with it. 
• There’s no simple tip for financial intelligence. You have to keep educating yourself on the topic. 
• On that note: never stop educating yourself. You may learn something in the morning that will save your life by nightfall. Thanks to the internet, education on virtually every subject is easily accessible.
• A successful entrepreneur will “take a lot of swings at a lot of things,” take very affordable steps, and continually educate themselves. It’s all about having good mentors and resources to tap into. 
• Say no more than you say yes, and be very calculated about how you respond to requests. 

WOO! That was one heck of a first day packed with oodles of information you can immediately put to use. Day one taught us that you can thrive in any economic environment because talking with your customers will always be a leading way to connect with them and grow your business.

Want to join us for Conversations 2021? Click below to get on the waitlist!

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