When most businesses think of using social media to promote their brand, their initial thoughts likely revolve around advertisements and proper management of their company profile. Messaging apps, however, are growing at an incredible rate, and many brands don’t take advantage of the considerable potential that services like Facebook Messenger have to offer.

Social media marketing company fishbat offers up these four reasons why you should consider Facebook Messenger as part of any comprehensive marketing campaign.

Deliver Company Content

Most businesses with an online presence have built up some sort of email list that they use to send out periodic marketing materials – perhaps highlighting an upcoming promotion or providing an update on company activities. Email marketing is shown to be highly effective, but there are still many people that overlook these emails, leaving them sitting in their inbox with zero effectiveness.

While these customers might not be active on their email, chances are likely that they regularly check their messaging apps. By giving people signing up for the email list the opportunity to receive content through Messenger instead, businesses may start to see a higher click-through rate with their promotions.

Guide Customers

One of the best ways to get the most out of Facebook Messenger is to use a various form of a chatbot. Some companies are beginning to use AI that can interact with a customer and help guide them toward appropriate content. This could be a specific article that might lead to a conversion, or even some general assistance in picking out a product. A quality chatbot requires an initial financial investment, but the service can handle thousands of conversations that would tie up even the biggest customer service staff.

Messenger Ads

Messenger Ads are a more recent release than traditional paid Facebook advertisements, and there are several different ways that businesses can use them to attract customers.

The first functions much like a regular Facebook ad- placing a simple way to connect with a company interspersed between the consumer’s regular contacts.

The second, known as sponsored messages, allow businesses to reach out to anyone who had contacted their Facebook page through Messenger in the past. Sponsored messages provide a unique form of marketing that takes advantage of the personal, one on one nature of messaging services. It offers an excellent opportunity for companies to follow up on customer service inquiries, or provide additional support to people who were potential customers but failed to convert.

Prompt Customer Service

While providing easy access to support might not be a direct form of advertising, customers who are satisfied are more inclined to purchase again in the future and recommend the business to their family and friends. Customer support through Facebook Messenger is increasingly convenient for many customers versus calling a dedicated service line – and with clever use of chatbots, companies can be ready and waiting to respond instantly to inquiries around the clock.