Facebook Messenger Ads Guide for Beginners

Social media and marketing go hand in hand. Business owners know that there’s substantial potential behind this duo. But when it comes to Facebook, the opportunities are endless. And since the platform broadened its services to include Facebook Messenger, the possibilities have exponentially increased.

As one of the leading messaging platforms in the US, Facebook Messenger is used by nearly 1.3 billion people who use it to exchange approximately 20 billion messages every month. So, marketing and advertising on this platform can get your brand the attention it deserves.

These numbers are a testament to the fact that Facebook Messenger is a platform with massive marketing potential. Let’s look at how you can market through it.

Marketing Through Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger ads are a great way of promoting your Facebook posts. Though they are a paid method of advertising, you can use them to reach out and engage with consumers to direct them into your sales funnel with chatbots.

And since people prefer interacting with chatbots for many reasons, you should tap into their potential to boost your marketing efforts on social media. In fact, it’s an excellent way to connect with your audience, personalize interactions, improve conversions, and increase ROI.

Moreover, marketing on this platform has shown to have 70%-80% open rates, which are much better than those of emails.

Now you can initiate a conversation with a potential customer rather than waiting for consumers to reach out to you. However, there are different types of Facebook Messenger ads, and, depending on the type of your business and audience, you need to know how to use the unique features of each type of Facebook Messenger ads.

So, let’s take a look at the types of Messenger ads.

Types of Facebook Messenger Ads

Here are the different types of Messenger ads you can use for your next marketing campaign:

1. Home Screen Ads

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These ads appear directly on the user’s Facebook Messenger home screen. By clicking on it, the user will be taken directly to the brand’s website, Facebook Messenger, or the app. The purpose of a Messenger Home Screen ad is to drive sales by encouraging users to click on the ad.

Depending on which destination you offer in your CTA, the actions will be different.

For example, linking to a website could take the person to a product page, the link to an app could direct them to the download page of the app, or a Click to Messenger ad would open a chat.

2. Sponsored Messages

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Sponsored message ads are clearly marked “Sponsored,” as seen in the ad above. A message is sent to all those who have interacted with a brand on Facebook Messenger before. So they are great for retargeting campaigns.

Special offers can be delivered directly to the audience's inboxes but with a more personalized touch through sponsored message ads. So there is a greater chance of opening up a dialogue.

3. Click-to-Messenger Ads

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Click-to-Messenger ads show up in your target audience’s feed or Instagram feed. However, a button that says “Send Message” will always be present with a Click-to-Messenger ad.

Once a Click-to-Messenger ad is clicked, a predetermined response automatically greets the person, allowing brands to start a conversation with potential customers.

Click-to-Messenger ads help nurture leads, answer questions, or provide customer support. Moreover, one-on-one contact with the user via a Click-to-Messenger ad makes them feel valued. Thus, Facebook ads like a Click-to-Messenger ad, can play a determining role in achieving your marketing goals.

Now that you know the type of Facebook Messenger ads, including a Click-to-Messenger ad, let’s take a look at how you can create them.

How to Set Up Facebook Messenger Ads

Want to learn how to create Facebook Messenger ads? Read on to find out.

1. Create a Plan

The first step to setting up a Facebook Messenger ad is to create a plan, keeping in mind the resources available to you. More importantly, you should know precisely how Facebook Messenger ads will be incorporated into your current social media marketing strategy.

Keep in mind aspects such as:

• What is your budget?
• Will the task be completed in-house or assigned to third-party developers?
• Will responses be automated, or will someone be answering them personally?
• What is your estimated response time?

2. Create a Facebook Business Manager Profile

This process is relatively simple. To get the most out of any marketing campaign on Facebook or Messenger, ensure that the profile is accurate, complete, and up-to-date. To complete your profile, follow the process below:

• Go to business.facebook.com/overview
• Click “Create Account.”
• Enter a name for your business, your name, and a work email address. Click “Next.”
• Enter your business details and “Submit.”

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3. Determine Your Objective

Facebook acquires data from people’s actions on its platform and uses it to help business owners reach out to a chosen target audience and make their ad campaigns more effective. In order to do that, you need to select the goal that aligns with where your consumers are in your sales funnel.

Here are the things you can do for each stage:

• Awareness: Efforts are focused on generating interest in your brand and what it offers.
• Consideration: Reach people who may want more information.
• Conversion: You want to entice people to register, purchase, download, or visit your website.

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You can further pick a specific marketing goal within each option. But remember, not every objective has the ability to use Messenger as a destination.

4. Select a Name for Your Campaign

A pop-up appears at the bottom of the screen. You are required to name your campaign before continuing. Only you can see it, so pick the one you can easily remember. More importantly, you should be able to identify and refer to these campaigns later on.

5. Choose the Messenger Ad type

You will need to confirm the ad set name and then choose an ad type. Currently, there are 3 options:

• Click-to-Messenger
• Sponsored message
• WhatsApp message

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Whether you select Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp depends on the demographics of your target audience and which app they prefer. But in this blog post, we will only deal with Messenger.

Image via Callbell

Click-to-Messenger ads are the most widely used type of Facebook Messenger Ads.

Since these appear with the “Send Message” CTA, you can re-engage with consumers through them. Additionally, you will be able to start a conversation instead of redirecting the person to your landing page.

However, if you select “Sponsored Message,” enter the Page from where your message will come. You’ll notice that with your first ad, Sponsored Messages aren’t an option because they are typically used for remarketing.

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6. Specify the Target Audience

Either use a custom audience or create a new one. If you choose the latter, specify the target audience’s location, age, gender, and interests.

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7. Select Ad Placements

“Automatic placements” is selected by default. By clicking on “Edit placements,” you can deselect locations and devices, but you can’t add any.

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You can opt to target only mobile or desktop devices or leave as is to target both.

Sponsored messages will appear automatically in Messenger inboxes. On the other hand, Click-to-Messenger ads will show up on Messenger Home as well as Instagram, Facebook feeds, and Facebook Marketplace.

You can narrow down the placement options depending upon the platforms your target audience uses too.

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8. Input a Schedule and Budget

The budget options include a Daily or Lifetime budget. It’s up to you to decide what works best for your business. While a daily budget is more smooth, the Lifetime budget offers precise scheduling. Moreover, this provides Facebook a better opportunity to optimize your ads.

You will notice that both options offer Start and End dates and times that your ad will appear in the target audience’s time zone. It can also help you track the activity patterns on your page.

9. Create the Ad

Finally, it’s time to start setting up your ad. You’ll need to include an image, text, headline, description, and CTA. You may consider adding a hint of personalization by greeting users with their names.

You can also configure the way your bot starts a chat with anyone who clicks on the ad. Have a list of auto-replies to address questions your audience may initially have. Your job is to provide value right away and keep users engaged.

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The welcome message can be “Standard” or “Custom.” Standard messages are great for a simple, automated response. But creating custom messages allows you to tailor them and make them more relevant to the campaign.

10. Select a Format

And now, you are ready to launch your ad. You need to choose a format depending on the type of business and the audience you are targeting. You also have the option to create two ads and use A/B testing to decide what works best.

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Ready to Get Started with Facebook Messenger Ads?

Facebook Messenger ads are a great way to increase your online presence and personalize customer service. They also allow consumers to get swift answers for their queries.

Once they are set up, they take you right into a customer’s inbox. Instead of targeting thousands of customers with a single ad, you can customize a message for each one of them through these ads. Personalized messages reduce the cost of acquisition and build loyalty too.

Facebook Messenger ads offer your business the opportunity to connect with potential leads and open a dialogue. They are an easy medium to target potential leads with specific offers that are sure to interest them.

Once you establish communication with them, you can always send new deals and offers to them in their inbox.

Do you have any questions about Facebook Messenger ads? If so, do let us know in the comments below.