10 Messenger Marketing Mistakes That Make You Look Like A Rookie
When it comes to Messenger Marketing - a relatively new type of marketing through direct messages - there are a few do’s and don’ts that separate the rookies from the pros.
If you want to set yourself apart, and really flourish as a Messenger marketer, you should heed the following warning signs. Here are 10 classic Messenger Marketing mistakes that will make you look like a rookie.
1. Sending messages too often
If you’re an experienced marketer, you probably already know that people don’t like being spammed. Sending out bulk emails on a daily basis is one thing. Realize that Messenger marketing comes with the added benefit of a push notification showing up on people’s phones - hence its high open rates. So don’t abuse the power of the push notification, and be considerate of your subscribers’ privacy.
You’re building a relationship with your super fans so bear that in mind when deciding on the frequency of your outbound broadcasts. We advise either sending out messages every week or two, or to choose a specific time slot for recurring updates, so your subscribers get used to the rhythm of your direct messaging.
2. Not sending messages often enough
Establishing a rhythmic broadcasting schedule is essential here. Crack Magazine’s weekly Monday morning AM:DM broadcasts are a prime example of how to do things right. If people come to expect your regular updates at a certain time, there’s no chance these will feel invasive.
But if you build a Messenger audience, onboard them, never reach out, and suddenly decide to start broadcasting, they might have already forgotten all about your channel’s existence. Top-of-mind awareness (TOMA) isn’t only relevant for your brand, it goes for your Messenger channel just as much!
3. Sending broadcasts that are too truncated
This rookie mistake indicates that a Messenger Marketer isn’t taking push notifications in consideration. If you send out a flow, and it consists of lots of short messages or sentences, realize that every single one of these is going to trigger a push notification in Messenger.
If you send your broadcasts like the message on the right, it’s going to be quite the annoying user experience. You might even lose a lot of subscribers due to a rookie mistake like this.
4. Sending messages that are too long
Alternatively, you might make the mistake of sending out messages that are way too long. Remember that Messenger Marketing is chat-based. Use a conversational tone of voice that corresponds to your business’ branding. Keep it natural!
This is not a channel in which you want to start bombarding your subscribers with lengthy essays. You will lose their attention, and bore them to the point of TL;DR. Keep it short, sweet and relevant instead. We strongly discourage sending out messages with more than three sentences in one chat bubble.
5. Using text-based URLs instead of buttons
This rookie mistake usually boils down to ignorance of some of Messenger’s native features. If you’re looking to drive your Messenger subscribers to an external website, it’s fine to use a text-based URL in your messages. It works. But the pros know that you can just as easily hide this URL behind a button underneath text, a gallery card, an image, or a short video.
This visually a lot more appealing, because of Messenger’s rather slick button design - especially on mobile clients. It also has the added benefit of allowing you to use a strong CTA which will increase your click-through rates.
6. Expecting organic audience growth
We see this happen time and time again. People set up their channel, enable the “Send Message” button on their Facebook page and expect this to be enough to grow their subscriber count.
Of course, some people will make their way to your Facebook page and click the “Send Message” button to get in touch with you, but these people might not even know that you’ve connected Messenger to I AM POP. To successfully grow your subscriber count, you’re going to need to promote your channel, like you would any other marketing channel.
You’d do well to check out the following proven ways to promote your channel. Don’t hesitate to get in touch and let us know if there are any original and effective tactics we’ve missed!
7. Only promoting on Facebook
There is a persistent misconception regarding Messenger. In many people’s minds, the messaging platform inseparable from its mother platform, Facebook. Granted, it used to be called Facebook Messenger, and you usually connect to Messenger with your Facebook account (using just a phone number is also possible).
But Facebook is actively trying to disengage Messenger from the overarching platform, and steering towards building a powerful standalone platform, as shown by their recent announcements at the F8 conference. Also, in case you missed it, Facebook is launching its own wallet, Calibra, to be used with their new global cryptocurrency, Libra. These are clear signs that Messenger is going to grow into a WeChat-like messaging platform.
The rookie mistake that people who associate Messenger mainly with the Facebook platform make is that they only promote their channel on Facebook. Instead, consider where you find your audience. Is your Instagram account your most powerful social channel? Put your ‘m.me’ link in your Instagram bio. Remember that this link is platform agnostic, so people who open it on a mobile device will be taken straight into the Messenger app.
8. Copy-pasting content from your social channels
It’s easy to repurpose the content you share on your social channels and see Messenger as a simple addition to these. Realize that Messenger marketing offers you the opportunity to do something unique and creative, in a conversational way that requires a different approach than social media News Feeds or Stories.
Make sure you cater your Messenger channel’s content and broadcasts to the unique features and opportunities it has to offer. Also, promoting the channel by offering content exclusive to Messenger is a great way to incentivize sign-ups.
On top of that, you want to give your Messenger collective, your super fans, the idea that they an extra special treatment. Messenger Marketing is all about building relationships! So avoid the complacent approach of simply copying content from your social channels and pasting it in your broadcasts.
9. Not using a double opt-in
The way you get people to subscribe to your channel is by driving traffic to Messenger, at which moment people can click the “Get Started” button to become a subscriber. To be fair, this simply isn’t indicated as clearly as it could be.
To be as clear about your intentions as possible, we advise you to add a second opt-in to your channel. This way, your subscribers know exactly what they’re signing up for, and your unsubscription rates will remain low. Apart from that, it’s the right thing do bo. So be like the pros, and include a second opt-in to your channel.
10. Trying to build a complicated chatbot
Let’s face it: unless you’re working at Stanford University pursuing a linguistics PhD in natural language processing or AI, you’re not going to be able to build a chatbot that preempts the infinite amount of open ended questions and answers users might throw at your Messenger channel.
Messenger Marketing rookies tend to be a bit ambitious, and expect to be able to build something overly complicated. Not only does this usually fail and lead to a breakdown in communication, it also tends to result in a disappointing user experience.
So keep your channel short, sweet and to the point. Work with the tools at your disposal, and try to stretch the limits of messaging’s creative possibilities. Do this for both your introduction flow as well as your broadcasts, and you’re going to be a successful Messenger Marketer!
Any rookie Messenger Marketing mistakes we missed? Let us know by getting in touch through hello@iampop.com!
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