How Messenger Marketing Works: Benefits and Strategies

Messenger marketing is a direction that some businesses are just starting to use, while others have already mastered it. Messaging apps can be either a separate or additional platform for marketing. Personalization, free newsletters with non-strict requirements, a wide range of tools — these are some of the reasons why instant messaging platforms attract marketers and provide new opportunities for getting and retaining customers.

Read the article on how to apply messenger marketing in your business, how this direction works and how to build your promotion strategy.

What is messenger marketing

Messenger marketing is the promotion of company products and services or other marketing communication with customers by using WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Telegram, or other messengers. Messenger is an instant messaging service that allows users to communicate with each other by exchanging text and voice messages. The main purpose of messengers is correspondence, but functions such as phone calls, video calls and file transfers are also available. Messenger marketing generates leads, accelerates sales, and maintains communication with buyers after the purchase.

Messenger marketing is more suitable for B2C companies that use messengers to take orders, make appointments with specialists, sell products with a short purchase cycle, and educate potential and existing customers. Communication in messaging applications is relevant when there is a flow of customers and, as a result, automation is needed.

Benefits of messenger marketing

Other benefits of messenger marketing:

Cost

Marketing SMS mailing, calls to customers for advice on the sale — all this costs money, while working with messaging apps is free. It is worth noting that there are also paid features, such as advertising, calls to mobile numbers. However, free tools are enough for marketing.

Convenience

If you need to talk to a manager, you will contact the call center. It takes time and involves communication with the robot, waiting and constant engagement. You can not be distracted, even if the matter is not the most important.

Automation

Everything is automated in instant messengers: newsletters, answers to questions, a request to search for products or content. Managers' time is freed up for other tasks.

Efficiency

Messages will definitely reach the user and will not be lost in the feed. On social media platforms, communication takes place rather in the background, while on messaging platforms it is targeted.

Collecting contacts

Users are not always ready to leave their contacts in live chats on company websites, so it is difficult to «capture» a client. If you leave a link to the messenger instead of a bot on the website, you will receive the client's contacts and will be able to offer your products.

Fewer Requirements

What messaging app to choose for marketing

Common features of both messaging apps that can be used in marketing are free calls, messages, file transfer, mailings and group chats. What are the differences?

Telegram

The app was not planned for commercial purposes, and the website still has a promise that there will be no ads. However, the ad appeared in 2021. Before the official launch of advertising, there was also promotion: channels advertised each other, and brands promoted their products through channels.

WhatsApp

Messenger marketing tools

Chatbots

Bots are useful for content distribution, education, entertainment, reminders, habit building, ordering, appointments, and tech support work. There are simple bots with one function — they are monetized or they publish ads there. For example, bots for currency conversion, text checking and reminders.

Chats

Messaging apps offer private and group chats. If you send a marketing message to an private chat, you can personalize it and hit right on target. If you send newsletters to a group chat, you will save time, because you do not need to send a message to each user.

Advertising

Telegram channels

The channel replaces social media platforms and corporate blogs. The format with text and a picture simplifies the design of the text. Unlike websites, there is no layout. Voice and video messages complement the text content in channels.

Custom stickers

It is more of an addition to the main promotion methods in messaging apps. According to Viber, users send more than a billion stickers per month. Original brand stickers are a plus for recognition and free promotion.

Messenger marketing strategies

Autofunnels

In messaging apps, autofunnels are launched in chatbots.

Newsletters

In messaging apps, mailing takes place individually or through groups of users. You can use mailings to offer discounts or personalized purchase conditions, engage users in marketing activities (events, contests), answer questions, collect feedback, and distributes content. If we are talking about content, messaging apps can serve as both a platform for announcements and a full-fledged platform.

Event support

In messengers, you can inform users about an upcoming event and, when the time is right, send them reminders or even include these reminders in an autofunnel. During conferences, programs, offers from speakers and sponsors are published in groups and through chatbots.

Lead generation

Instant messaging platforms simplify the collection of user contacts. Available options:

• Collect contacts of customers who clicked on the messenger widget installed on the site;
• Redirect users who left contacts to managers in exchange for a lead magnet;
• Warm up the user by sending him useful content so that he becomes a client.

Other strategies

• Collect feedback on products and services through chatbots.
• Inform about the status of the order and make upselling.
• Conduct conversational marketing — always stay in touch with the client.

Summary

Messenger marketing promotes business in instant messaging apps. It is more suitable for B2C companies to promote and sell products and services. It saves managers' time by automating business processes, and saves the company's money, because the main functions of messaging apps are free.

You can promote your business by sending messages to users in PM or in group chats, through chatbots, advertising and publishing content in channels. Sales in messaging apps work through autofunnels, so they do not require the participation of managers. Messaging apps also collect leads.