The first step is to go to Ad Center (in the top-left drop-down menu), select your Campaign Objective (Messages, Traffic, Conversions, Brand Awareness, Reach, Traffic, App Installs, and/or Video Views), and hit Continue.

Then you’ll need to select your Target Audience (location, age, interests, etc.).

During the setup process, you’ll be able to make decisions based on your objectives. You’ll set a Budget (how much you want to spend) and a Schedule (how long the campaign will run). You’ll also be able to select whether you want Manual Placement of your ads or Automatic Placements (which is generally preferred).

During the next step, Ad Creative, you’ll be able to customize your ad and include images and text. 

Finally, hit Publish! Remember, you can always edit, tweak, pause, cancel, or lengthen your campaign depending on how it’s going!

5 Facebook Messenger Marketing Strategies for Agents

Now that we’ve established what Messenger marketing is and how to set up an ad, here is a quick rundown of five different Facebook Messenger strategies: Click-to-Messenger ads, homepage ads, sponsored message ads, stories ads, and chatbots.

1. Facebook Click-to-Messenger Ads

Click-to-Messenger ads are basically identical to regular Facebook ads. They show up in your audience’s news feed and you can target your audience the same way you would for a normal Facebook ad. Your audience can also like, comment on, or share your ad.

The main difference is the call to action (CTA). A CTA on a Click-to-Messenger ad encourages your prospects to start a conversation with you (or a chatbot) via Messenger.

Here’s an example of what a Click-to-Messenger ad would look like in your audience’s news feed:

The screenshot on the left is the ad as it appears when someone is scrolling through their news feed. Note that the CTA here is “Learn More,” but you could change that to “Send Message” or “Chat Now,” depending on your campaign.

On the right is how the ad appears when someone clicks on the CTA. As you can see, the ad opens in Facebook Messenger and encourages the prospect to chat with you (or the chatbot you’ve set up to qualify leads).

More on chatbots a little later. 

2. Facebook Messenger Homepage Ads 

Messenger also offers ads that show up on the homepage of the prospect’s Messenger account, which looks like this:

These ads work just like the Click-to-Messenger ads. When your prospect clicks the CTA, a chat window opens where they can interact with you (or your chatbot).

Here’s what this particular Messenger homepage ad looks like when a potential lead clicks on the CTA and opens a chat window in Messenger.

The user has the choice between three preselected responses (in this case, “Where are you located,” “What are your hours,” and “What are my delivery options”). The chatbot’s prescripted responses are customizable and can segment or qualify leads automatically. More about chatbots below.

3. Sponsored Message Ads

Sponsored Message ads take marketing a step further so that you can actually send your prospect a message directly to their Messenger inbox. Note that for privacy reasons, you can only send direct messages to leads who have engaged with your ads in the past.

4. Messenger Stories Ads

Messenger Stories Ads are separate from Facebook Stories and are a great option if you’re looking to add onto an existing campaign or to run a Messenger campaign in conjunction with an Instagram Stories campaign. Essentially, Messenger Stories Ads are full-screen vertical ads that create a captivating experience with stickers, emojis, and video content. They appear as one scrolls through regular Messenger stories. You can find the design and technical requirements for the videos here.

5. Engage Visitors to Your Website With Facebook Messenger Chatbots

Let’s really dive into chatbots. They sound technical and even impersonal—like something from the future—but truly, they couldn’t be more simple. Chatbots are essentially scripts that respond to potential leads who are interacting with your ad. 

You can embed Messenger on your website so that a chat starts automatically. This feature gives visitors the personal attention of an interactive chat and it lets you collect leads and their contact information on Messenger. 

While some bots can “read” your leads’ responses and answer accordingly, many just offer multiple choice suggestions as responses.

For example, a chatbot might ask if the lead is looking to buy or rent. Or, it might ask when the lead needs to move, and give a multiple choice range of “1-6 months,” “6-12 months,” or “Just Looking.” You can program the bot to respond differently depending on the answer your lead gives. 

You could also create a pop-up that makes an offer for an e-book, for example. The prospect clicks on the pop-up and the e-book download link goes straight to their Messenger. Voila. They get a great resource and they become a great lead as you capture their Messenger information. 

Here’s an example from Bot Academy:

Where & How to Create Chatbots 

Chatbots for Facebook Messenger campaigns are easy to build, especially if you use one of these options. If you want more, we go into lots of detail in our Guide to the Best Real Estate Chatbots for 2022.

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It’s clear they know what they’re doing. We also recommend reading their Guide to Chatbots for Real Estate Pros if you’re looking to learn more.

Irresistible Facebook Messenger Ad Campaigns for Buyers & Sellers 

Now that you see why you should be using Facebook Messenger ads to generate leads, here are some strategies to use:

Campaigns Ideas to Gain Buyer Leads 

Create a free e-book on specific market data. Think outside the “new homebuyer’s guide” and get creative. What behind-the-scenes information do you have that will make your prospects click on that free e-book?

Another lead magnet that plays well in Facebook Messenger is an “Ask me anything” chat session. This is ideal for new buyers and could be used later in a chatbot session.

Campaign Ideas to Gain Seller Leads 

Create a locally focused guide to home staging, renovation, or curb appeal, which are especially great for first-time sellers. 

Or offer a free market analysis or in-person home valuation. Popular and easy to write, your ad will definitely stand out in all of the open house ads that pop up! 

Facebook Messenger Ads: Expert Advice

Facebook Messenger can result in real success. Our experts reveal how they used Messenger ads and the big results they saw by utilizing this strategy. 

Generate Leads From FSBO & Estate Sales

Ryan Dosenberry, Lakeshore Home Buyer

We use Facebook Messenger to find off-market deals as part of our marketing strategy. While most of our competitors target FSBO leads, we target estate sales. We have put several houses under contract by contacting estate administrators using Facebook Messenger. Facebook Messenger is an easy way to contact homeowners if you don’t have their phone number or email. We think it’s just the beginning of an untapped marketing channel that will continue to grow over the years.

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Cristina Ortega, Mrs. Property Solutions

By using the Facebook Messenger chatbot for my real estate website, I have been able to gain many new clients in the past couple of months.

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As soon as a visitor lands on my website, they are greeted with the chatbot icon. They can use this icon to initiate a conversation with me about their real estate needs. Whenever I get a query, I make sure to reply promptly, because doing so helps establish your authority. 

I also use my Messenger bot to ask visitors if they would like to subscribe to content for future updates. If they say yes, I add them to my Messenger list, and share property listings, blog posts, and other offers with them regularly through Messenger.

Source: theclose.com

Author: Emile L’Eplattenier