Well 2018 and messenger platforms are back bigger and better than ever. But now with more accessibility than ever before with mobile apps like Facebook Messenger easily downloaded to your apple or android device. In fact, over 80% of Australians use the app.
When you think about the numbers there are now over 2.5 billion – yes billion people around the world who use some form of messaging platform, which not only shows its popularity but enjoy the fast and efficient way things can be communicated and shared. Looking at Australia alone and more than 50% of Aussies are using it…. that’s G’day how are you over 13 million times.
With that much engagement and interaction it’s a good place to advertise.
The Facebook Ad’s manager has a lot of options to choose from when creating and setting up ads; Brand Awareness, Reach and Lead Generation are just a few. But the one that really uses the platform to its full extent and purpose is the Messages objective. I say this a lot what works best on social media is being “social” and this objective certainly hits the mark.
So, what are the mechanics? For starters it’s a normal every day ad that pops up in a person’s newsfeeds. It’s just optimised for message replies. From there you can program how you wish to ask and prompt the customer for the information you want. It’s very non-intrusive as it is just a littler button on the right-hand side of your ad, when it’s clicked, it opens the conversation window via a direct message over Facebook, showing you that someone is interested in what you’ve got to say.
When I used to do sales training for a major retail chain we often advised the sales consultants to close the deal while you had the customer engaged and interested this platform gives you “your in” to close the deal / opportunity and “strike while the iron is hot” get back to them right away and you turn interest into opportunity.
One of the key benefits of social media and messaging talking directly to and listening to your audience. It’s what separates it from TV, print and radio. Messenger gives us the ability to be present, so we can make the most of the leads that our ads have worked hard to generate. The messages objective is by far the best tool in your toolbelt to help with that.
Blog by Jason Armstrong
I started my career in hospitality working all aspects of a restaurant from back of house cook to front of house server, bar and management. The last 15 years of my career have truly been a journey of discovery. I have worked for some of the major telecommunication brands in Australia as Sales both in store and B2B, Manager, Trainer and Marketing. I have worked in the Job Services industry which in my role I was exposed to many different businesses and curious as to how they operated. I also returned to Telco only to discover I had a passion for wanting to do my own thing. I am a keen learner and Social Media was not only fun but the biggest change to marketing since television.
My first experience of sales and marketing was when I was 18 and I interviewed for a job with an electrical/telecommunications retailer who tossed a blue BIC pen on the desk between us and said “Sell me this pen” my natural instinct was to start talking, and to anyone who has known me for a very long time, I didn’t stop for a number of years.
Karen Denny is a real powerhouse who is both driven to succeed with a clear understanding of how to get there! Karen comes from a diverse background with a plethora of qualifications behind her.