Automated Lead Generation on Facebook Messenger

In August 2019, Facebook released a new feature that makes it easier for businesses to chat with customers in Messenger. Facebook claims that their new lead generation in Messenger can assist businesses develop customer relationships.

According to Facebook, with Messenger you can:

• Reach the right prospects
• Ask the right questions
• Easily remind people to complete questions
• Nurture leads where they spend time
• Instantly close the loop with unqualified leads
• Integrate with your CRM

I don’t know about you, but that last bullet makes me incredibly happy as a marketer.

The purpose of using the new lead generation in Messenger is to follow up with leads faster and in a way that starts a meaningful conversation with potential customers.

So how does lead generation in Messenger work? I’ve outlined the key points below, but for a full list, see the Facebook Business page.

1. Start by visiting Ads Manager in order to locate the lead generation template
2. Select the “Generate Leads” option and click “+ Create Chat”
3. Add your welcome message, thank you message, privacy policy, and all other required details
   1. During your setup process, you will have the option to leverage the different question formats, such as multiple choice, to make it as easy as possible to engage with potential customers in a way that makes it easy for them to respond.
4. Finalize the setup of your ad and submit to Facebook for approval!

Photo courtesy of Facebook

Although the above list is not a holistic view of all of the steps required, it does give you a pretty good idea of how easy it is to implement this feature.

Now, while this all sounds easy-peasy, there are some mistakes that you should avoid if you’re thinking about giving this feature a try.

1. Not automating your follow-up processes after sign-up
   1. If you’re asking people to sign-up, make sure you are integrated with your CRM to ensure you have a seamless and immediate follow-up process to keep these warm leads in your pipeline
2. Not maximizing how your use your lead generation ads
   1. Lead generation ads can be used in three ways
      1. Inquiry forms
      2. Email signups
      3. Special offers and promotions

3. Not choosing the right CTA for your instant form
   2018. You have eight CTA’s to choose from, so it’s important to identify which CTA is going to get you the most conversions. Take a look at the CTA analysis completed by AdEspresso for a list of the top performing CTA’s in 2018. (Hint: None and Learn More were the top two)

Now that you have an idea of how to implement this feature into your lead generation strategy, as well as some mistakes to look out for, you’re ready to get started implementing this tactic into your larger lead generation strategy. Good luck, I know you can do it!