As of August 1, Facebook has implemented changes to subscription messaging. Let’s start by dialing back and looking at Facebook Messenger Marketing and Facebook Chatbots in general, which could easily become the world’s #1 marketing channel (we kid you not). In the meantime, this is a marketing channel that is not oversaturated, and is a perfect place for businesses and brands of all sizes to jump in now and make a big impact.
Email grows increasingly more overloaded, cumbersome and well…tedious. SMS and messenger apps eliminate this. They are fast, intuitive and ‘in-your-face’ in a good way. Messenger Marketing is as simple as marketing to your customers using a messaging app and Messenger Marketing with Chatbots adds the automation of Chatbot engagement.
To make this type of engagement work, you build your leads list (build, acquire or use your existing list) and then you strengthen and grow your relationship with your clients and prospects by providing them meaningful content, FAQs, valued offers and other reasons for them to become or continue to be your client or customer. Unlike email where open rates continue to decline, Messaging Marketing is GROWING.
Facebook Messaging Apps are visually appealing, easy to view on a phone screen and do not have a cost associated with them for the recipient in the way SMS messaging can. When a Chatbot is incorporated, responses flow in a logical way based on the consumers actions, engagement or selection.
In 2016, Facebook opened up Facebook Messenger API to help businesses connect with customers. This created an opportunity for platforms like ManyChat to develop products that would help companies create Messenger experiences for their clients.
Fast Forward to Facebook Subscription Messaging
Here are the basic guidelines for Facebook Messaging:
- Standard Messaging (24+1): You can send promotional and non-promotional messages to users that have interacted with your bot in the past 24 hours plus one additional message after 24 hours. This policy is commonly referred to as 24+1 or simply “standard messaging”.
- Message Tags: If you want to send messages after the 24+1 window you can do so if your message falls under the eligible use cases of the 17 different Message Tags provided by Facebook (See the full list here). One of the tags is the “NON_PROMOTIONAL_SUBSCRIPTION”. Messages that are tagged with a Message Tag can’t be promotional.
- Sponsored Messages: If you want to send promotional messages after 24+1, you should use Sponsored Messages.
If your Facebook Business Page is not approved for subscription messaging, you cannot send chat blasts with the non-promotional subscription messaging tag.
Applying for Facebook Subscription Messaging is not complicated and as a business, you cannot send non promotional subscription messages unless you register. You can, however, pay to send a promotional chat blast anytime by using Facebook sponsored message ads.
Until the change in Facebook Subscription Messaging was implemented, users typically accessed subscriptions through the ManyChat app. ManyChat had automatic permission built in and your business could send non promotional subscription broadcasts without having gone through the subscription process.
So the crux of the “Change” is that this level of access (via ManyChat) is no longer available. Your business needs to follow these steps to apply directly for Page-level Subscription Permission. Alternately, you can use one of the 16 other Message Tags, which will cover many types of communications you may want to broadcast.
And if your Facebook Business page already had Page-level Subscription Permission, then you are good to go.
ManyChat and Sponsored Messages
A Sponsored Message solution available within ManyChat is in the works. This will enable Business Pages to send promotional broadcasts, which are essentially Facebook Ads, to their users. The new function will include powerful segmentation for targeting, by automatically generating Custom Audiences based on a business users ManyChat targeting and then targeting the Sponsored Message to this Custom Audience. The result will be life gets easier and conversions increase.
As Always, Best Practices Prevail
Facebook has identified 5 steps as key best practices for using the “new” Messenger.
These are:
- Provide valuable content for subscribers
- Determine what tags to use
- Send ads to warm audiences
- Create engaging organic sequences
- Focus on your community
All of these steps are discussed in detail here: 5 Best Practices for Facebook Subscription Messaging Changes Explained.
And as always, we’re here to help. We’re Seychelle Media and success-driven Facebook Advertising is the ? heart and soul of what we do every single day.
#FacebookAdvertising #FacebookMarketing
