When it comes to audience growth, some methods are more effective than others. Chatbots like ManyChat are one example that might not appeal to more conventional marketers. Their benefits are too significant to ignore. Chatbots are essentially software designed to converse with people. When you're running a business, they can take the pressure off you in a big way. That's why so many entrepreneurs - especially physical product sellers, audience leaders, and information marketers want to know how to use ManyChat to grow their audience.
You might be able to do a better job yourself. But you need to consider whether the improvement is worth the amount of time it would take on your part. Automated chatbots handle tasks that you'd otherwise need to hire someone else to do. That is unless you wanted to take valuable time out of your schedule to handle them yourself.
Chatbots are always online, don't need payment, stay consistent, and can handle a lot of customers at the same time. These benefits are compelling, but they can be even more powerful when utilized on Facebook. And that's where the value of ManyChat comes into the picture.
ManyChat is a tool designed to help you create and use Facebook Chatbots. These automated messenger bots can find use in marketing and customer support. That said, their arguably most important useful feature is audience growth. Read this ManyChat tutorial to see how you can use the application to achieve this and more.
How Do I Use ManyChat?
If you have a business page on Facebook, you might have visitors who will drop in and ask a question. Depending on the size of your operation, it could take some time before you or your staff can get back to the person. ManyChat eliminates this delay, as the messenger bot will be able to respond to the inquiry immediately, regardless of the day or time.
ManyChat bots can interact with human visitors in many ways. Depending on the type of business you're running, you can use the following functions to grow your audience. You can also use it to drive conversions, and monetize your subscriber base:
- Qualifying potential leads as they come in and collecting contact information
- Recommending targeted products for higher sales potential
- Presenting customers with special offers and coupon codes
- Booking reservations for interested customers
- Reminding customers of items forgotten in their carts
Regardless of the interaction type, remember that less is more. Large text blocks and instantaneous replies will turn a lot of people away. Luckily, you can configure your ManyChat bot to match with your preferences, and there's always room for adjustments later.
How Do I Set Up ManyChat?
Once you've decided that automated chatbots are the right move for your business, there's still the matter of getting started. For the ManyChat sign up page and click on "Get Started Free" to begin your new project. From this point, you'll receive a prompt to sign in using your Facebook account -- if you don't have one, there isn't any point to this after all! Then you’ll connect your page, before taking you to the website's dashboard.
ManyChat Free Version vs. the Pro
You'll have a choice to make between the free and professional versions. If saving money is a priority, the free version will carry some appeal. It has enough functionality to work for you at the beginning when you're getting started and learning the ropes. Once you're more comfortable with the software, you'll likely want to upgrade to the Pro plan.
The professional version comes with a range of powerful features. Chief among them are the growth tools. This includes widgets, overlays, and pop-ups, that serve to convince prospects to join your subscriber list. The free version comes with several growth tools, not all, and the ones available will have ManyChat's branding on them.
How Do I Use It on Facebook?
When done well, interactions between page visitors and your chatbot should read like a "FaceTweet." That is, communicating on the Facebook platform, but like you were tweeting. More than merely another form of Facebook messaging, bots are about conversational marketing. Interactive experiences that will be much more enjoyable for customers. This is particularly true when compared to cookie-cutter responses or long-winded emails.
Greeting Messages
Even if your business already has a page, you might want to create a test page when you're getting started. Go to the ManyChat.com login screen. Use the new page feature on Facebook and categorize it based on your preferences. You can then configure the greeting message, which focuses on describing your business to page visitors. You'll also use it to let them know your messenger bot is available to assist them.
To set up and view a new greeting:
- Click on "Settings" in the side menu
- Enter the text where indicated
- Click on "Save"
- Login to ManyChat on your mobile device
- Click the link beneath your ManyChat accounts ID
- Messenger will open, displaying your chatbot's welcome screen and the greeting
Welcome Messages
The welcome message is the initial outreach from your bot when someone visits the page. It's the first part of what you hope will be a beneficial conversation, and you can edit it to say whatever you like. To change and view the welcome message:
- Visit the ManyChat dashboard using your computer
- Click on "Welcome Message" underneath "Automation"
- Click "Edit Message" and proceed to change it to match your preferences
- Click "Publish" in the top right-hand corner
- Click "Preview" to get the welcome message on your mobile device
Default Replies
Although the messenger bots can handle basic tasks, they can't answer every question out there. If a page visitor asks a question the bot can't understand, the chatbot will respond with a default message. Typically, this would be something that indicates someone else will be along to help the lead with their inquiry.
To edit the default reply:
- Click on "Automation" on the left side menu, then select "Default Reply."
- Click "Edit Message" on the top right, then make changes to the text
- Click "Publish" in the top right corner
ManyChat Keywords
The keyword function allows you to trigger specific bot replies based on keywords visitors use. These can be common phrases to ask a business or terms related to the products and services you offer.
To set up keywords in ManyChat:
- From the left menu, select "Automation," then "Keywords"
- Click "New Rule" in the screen's top right corner
- Type in your preferred keyword, or trigger phrase, then click "Create Keyword"
- Select "Create New Reply" and input the desired response to the Keyword
- Hit "Publish"
Keywords can be a powerful monetization tool. They allow your bot to respond to inquiries with relevant products more likely to drive conversions. Additionally, responding to customer questions with useful information will improve their experience.
How Much Does ManyChat Cost?
If you're satisfied with what the free version provides, there's no need to change anything. Business owners who wish to use these growth tools fully will want to stick with the pro version moving forward. With it, you can create infinite sequences and use all the tags, custom fields, and integrations as you want. But how much does it cost?
The Pro version starts at $10, but it will depend on your active subscriber count. From 500 subscribers, the price rises to $15, and at 1000 it increases to $25. For the full cost breakdown and all the associated details, visit the pricing Info page.
How Do I Turn off ManyChat?
Want to disable your account, but worried about losing your hard work? When you select "Disconnect Facebook Page," that will turn the current page off and remove itself from it. At any time, you can reconnect the app to that page, and all the content will be right where you left it.
Can You Manually Send a Message to a Single Subscriber through ManyChat?
Live Chat
Using the Live Chat tool, you can communicate directly with subscribers right in the application. If you have the setting enabled, and the customer's phone number, you'd even have the choice between communicating via Facebook Messenger or SMS. You can jump into a conversation and field their questions, send messages, and make manual changes to the subscriber's information.
The two Live Chat options available on ManyChat are:
- Any message starts a conversation - This option will open new chats in the app's Live Chat section anytime a user sends a message. This doesn't include keyword messages.
- The conversation should open explicitly - This option will start a Live Chat only when it recognizes a specific action. Administrators can also trigger this result manually.
To manage the Live Chat behavior and select between these two options, simply go to "Settings" and then "Live Chat." Being able to jump in and take over when a bot has gone as far as it can, is a massive step towards turning another lead into a subscriber and growing your audience.
Pause Automation
This option is useful when combined with the Live Chat feature. Pause Automation will stop all bot correspondence while you're chatting with the subscriber. Once you respond to their message, a 30-minute pause interval begins, and the page visitor will only get messages that sent to them manually. During this period, keywords will not trigger, and you can choose to increase or disable the pause duration from the User Panel.
Grow and Monetize Your Audience
One of the most crucial aspects is that you are getting a bot that can carry the load so you can focus on what's most important. When you're just starting, it might be plausible for you to field all the incoming messages and calls on your own. When your operation grows, and the phone is ringing all day long, you'll be unable to keep up the pace.
This is where some business owners plateau. Growth stops, and their monetization efforts end up on the backburner. But with the plethora of features available, you won't need to face that problem.
Just don't overlook the power of automation. It might just be the difference-maker you’ve been wishing someone would create.
In The One Percent, we recently took a deep dive into how to build and monetize audiences so you can leverage the most valuable asset online: attention. We interviewed several marketers who’ve gotten really good at this, including Mary Kathryn Johnson, the ChatBot Mom. To learn more about growing your audience using ManyChat and offering them products (solutions!) they can’t wait to get their hands on, join us and look for the March issue, the Audience Edition.
