Despite what younger generations think, Facebook is still the most powerful social network in the world (as of 2019). Just take a look at some of these statistics from Hootsuite. Or check out these Facebook demographics.
The top trends that might stand out for your business include:
- Teens are the fastest-growing segment of Facebook defectors, while seniors 65+ are the fastest-growing segment of Facebook users.
- FB is still popular with Millennials, who grew up during the rise of Facebook (est. 2004).
- Almost 75% of Facebook users visit the platform daily (for nearly 40 minutes total).
- At end of year 2017, 1.3 billion people were using Facebook Messenger. It has been 2 years since then...
It's clear that there is a huge opportunity for brands on Facebook. However, you need to study your target market and Buyer Personas to make sure they are actually using the platform before setting off on your Facebook chatbot strategy.
All about Facebook Messenger Chatbots
Facebook chatbots can be used for a variety of purposes. This blog post lists different FB bots in a variety of industries, and they range from e-commerce, customer service, food and beverage, travel, to just plain silly. Getting direct feedback from your customer base is extremely valuable, so anytime you can connect with them in such an intimate manner, you should do it!
E-commerce and customer service are the two areas where businesses can benefit big-time from a Messenger chatbot. Letting people buy your products directly from their Facebook messaging app? Absolutely amazing.
Customer service can also make huge gains with this opportunity. As LiveCall notes, in a study of company responsiveness, "the companies who contacted the leads within an hour were 7 times more likely to qualify the lead than the companies who decided to contact the customers just an hour later and 60 times more than the companies who waited 24 hours or longer." (source). Initiate a live chat on Facebook, have automated responses, or send messages to your sales team. Either way, you win.
Lots of platforms exist for creating chatbots, and there are some that specialize in Facebook Messenger bots like Chatfuel, ManyChat, MobileMonkey, and more. These platforms offer advanced FB chatbots, with more basic features in the free version and complex chatbots available in the paid versions. If you have an active audience on Facebook, it is definitely worthwhile to factor a paid chatbot into your Marketing budget.
The HubSpot Facebook Chatbot
HubSpot has recently introduced a Facebook Messenger bot into its wealth of services. The HubSpot Facebook chatbot is a useful integration tool for your brand's Facebook page and your customer service or sales reps. While still at the early stages of development, meaning it is quite basic, it gives you a glimpse into the possibilities offered by FB chatbots.
Start by giving HubSpot access to your Facebook business page. The next step is to create a welcome message for your brand. This is the greeting a visitor will see before they decide to start chatting with your brand; it must be short, simple, and inviting. It should also tell the person what to expect, for example:
"Welcome to mbudo, we've got Marketing ideas galore! Chat with us."
After your greeting, the user must click "Get Started" in order to initiate a chat with your brand. This is where your auto-reply comes into play. The auto-reply is an instant message that will be the first block of information you give the visitor. Right now, HubSpot only offers one auto-reply in the current version of its Facebook Messenger bot, so to have a longer conversation with FB users you'll need to send these messages to your customer service or sales team (only available with the HubSpot Sales Hub). See an example instant reply below:
Image source: HubSpot
One final cool feature about the HubSpot Facebook chatbot is that it offers a shareable URL to connect visitors with your chatbot. Share it via web, email, SMS, or a QR code, and people can directly access your FB Messenger chat. Need a step-by-step guide to set up your first HubSpot Messenger bot? Check out this guide or let mbudo do the work for you. We have experience in HubSpot Facebook bots and HubSpot web chatbots.
Chatbots should be just one part of your Marketing Automation strategy. Discover why automation is an important part of Inbound Marketing and how mbudo can help by reading this page.
Mary Swick
Mary is a professional copywriter with over 10 years of experience in Marketing and Advertising. As an American expat in Madrid, she enjoys the relaxed Spanish culture, hiking, and the latest shows from Netflix and HBO. Mary also loves cats and music (she's the office DJ!)