How to Chat Blast Your Facebook Messenger Contacts [2021 Update]

When you launch an email campaign, what’s the engagement rate you’re shooting for?

15% open rate? 20%? An open rate of 25% would put you at the top of most industry averages.

You’re good with that, right?

False. Email blast open rates are dang donkeys.

I’ve been playing around with chat blasts in Facebook Messenger and get this —

Chatbot marketing blasts average 70-80% open rate in the first hour because the Messenger Facebook tool is the engaging and familiar channel preferred by a generation of mobile internet users.

Here’s how to chat blast your contacts in Facebook Messenger in 3 steps for totally unprecedented engagement:

1. Build your chat page.
2. Create the blast.
3. Blast it!

You can actually see the chat blast we’ll build together in action in Facebook Messenger.

Here’s how to build a free chatbot and chat blast for your business.

Step 1: Build your Messenger chat page

Start by building the chat dialogue that will go out in your blast. That tutorial is over here: How to build a chatbot in 5 minutes.

We use Customers.ai’s visual, drag-and-drop chatbot builder to create the blast page content.

Chat blasting best practice alert: Don’t forget your unsubscribe message! It’s important to remind readers that they can unsubscribe at any time by responding “stop”. This helps you reduce complaints and your likelihood of your Facebook page getting banned in Messenger.

Want to personalize the content with the reader’s name to increase engagement? No problem!

Type double curly brackets to select from a drop-down menu of custom contact variables to dynamically insert any contact attribute OR click the </> symbol at the top of the widget to see all the variables you can use to personalize the message:

Add a CTA button that links to the blog post or content you’re sending them to read:

1. Hit “Add button” at the bottom of your text widget.
2. Label your button text.
3. Pick the option “URL” to send users who click it to a URL. Other button options: Send users to a different chatbot dialogue, allow them to make a phone call to your business, or send the visitor to your live agent.
4. Paste in your button’s destination URL.

To test your blast, click the “Test Dialogue” button:

Here’s what it looks like in chat:

Step 2: Create the blast

From the marketing automation tools, go to Chat Blaster and create a new chat blast:

Name your chat blast and use the drop-down options to select the Facebook Messenger audience segment for the blast.

Choose the dialogue you’re blasting from easy drop-down menus:

Last, choose the purpose of the blast from the menu — your three options are: promotional, (non-promotional) subscription or notification update.

If you choose to send a a notification update, you’ll then select from these Facebook Messenger approved message tag types:

• Community alert
• Event attendee reminder
• Pairing update
• Application update
• Account update
• Payment update
• Personal finance update
• Shipping update
• Reservation update
• Issue resolution
• Appointment update
• Game event
• Transportation update
• Feature functionality update
• Ticket update

How do you know what category to select for your chat blast?

Here’s are the basic definitions — use your judgment to decide which applies:

• Promotional message: Reach for free any contacts who have messaged your page in the last 24 hours or are eligible for one additional message after the 24-hour window has passed (this is referred to as the 24+1 rule of Facebook Messenger).
• Non-promotional subscription message: A free message to your audience who has opted in to receive this type of update from you. Messages sent using this option must adhere to the subscription messaging guidelines and your page  must be approved for Subscription Messaging.
• All the other message types, read Facebook Messenger’s description and approved use cases here.

Step 3: Blast it!

Hit send to chat blast away immediately!

Or schedule the blast for a future date and time with the scheduled blasts feature for Pro and Team users:

Bonus Blaster: Automated Chat Blasts via RSS Feed

Readers subscribed to your blog updates can get new published content automatically sent to Messenger with the RSS Blaster!

Facebook Messenger RSS Blaster sends automated blog updates to you Messenger subscribers in engaging and mobile-friendly chat with push notifications!

Chatbot marketing services are the biggest opportunity of the next three years and you can get in as an early adopter and enjoy the benefits of 10X engagement with Facebook Messenger chat blasting.

Thanks for joining us on this epic journey from donkey email blasting to unicorn chat blasting land.

You’re now armed and ready to chat blast.

Facebook Messenger Marketing is FREE for unlimited contacts in Customers.ai.

How often do you find free unicorns hanging around?

Important Next Steps

• Upgrade your Instagram and Facebook with 100% Meta-approved comment and DM automation to grow your audience, engagement and sales. InstaChamp is free for Creators this week!
• Join the Customers.ai Facebook group to get and give help on chatbot marketing. We have over 40,000 members and counting.
• Do yourself a favor by signing up for Customers.ai blog updates. We only send the most actionable and high-impact marketing tactics to your inbox.