Messengers and marketing: combine!

Messengers, that is, instant messaging programs, can also be used to solve business problems. After all, it is very convenient: it is so easy to stay in touch with the client at any time.

Why messengers are attractive for business

The main argument "for" - convenience. But it is worth adding one more thing to it - the popularity of such programs. On smartphones and tablets that are next to a person even at night, a messenger is necessarily installed, and more than one. These are perhaps the most used programs for gadgets. And there is a lot of statistical evidence for this:

1. An analysis by Yahoo showed that users open 36% of the apps they download. These are general statistics. And for messengers, this figure is 68%. That is, 7 out of 10 smartphone users open the messenger in the first month after installation. And 6 out of 10 continue to use it even a year after downloading it to their smartphone.
2. Verto Analytics claims that instant messaging is very popular among young people.
3. According to The Economist, every WhatsApp user uses the app for at least half an hour every day. Another fact: more than 2 billion users installed the messenger in the winter of 2016.
4. And App Annie, having collected data in Britain, claims that each user conducts more than 10 conversations daily.
5. The statistical service Statista makes the following statement: only a third of messages and comments are visible on social networks. The remaining 70% is the "dark side", personal correspondence. The same company claims to have over a billion people on WhatsApp. Skype, Viber, Telegram and Facebook Messenger are also called popular messengers.
6. According to Business Insider, 500 million more people are registered in 4 popular messengers than in 4 most famous social networks.

With the help of messengers, they order a taxi, book hotels, and pay for purchases. And all this - with maximum convenience, at any time of the day. Of course, marketers should seize the opportunities for such a comfortable interaction with customers.

Choosing a messenger: everything is according to the rules

To choose a messenger suitable for brand promotion, evaluate the program according to the following criteria:

• general popularity and demand among your target audience;
• functionality;
• convenience of connecting bots;
• the possibility of convenient "docking" of your business project and messenger.

Here is an overview of the most popular instant messengers so that you can navigate the existing programs.

Skype. A popular online calling tool. This is convenient for both users and your colleagues, especially if you often hold video conferences.

Whatsapp. Program owned by Facebook. The most popular in the world. There are no tools for paid advertising, but a representative of your company will be able to directly communicate with the target audience. If you need a direct communication channel or your company is international, then use WhatsApp. It is also good if you need to organize a system of internal communication between employees.

Viber. It is considered the most popular messenger in our country. Therefore, if your target audience is local, you should stop at this option. It is good both as a tool for communicating with customers and as a way to communicate within the company. Moreover, there are special tools for promotion, information, advertising campaigns.

Facebook messenger. It has about a billion registered people worldwide. This is a worthy alternative to the website contact form if your brand is actively represented on Facebook. So, site visitors will be able to automatically send information to your Facebook page.

QQ, WeChat. This is the development of Asian marketers with the main audience in China. But that's for now. Now it is convenient to use it to keep in touch with your customers and partners from Asia, and in the future the messenger plans to conquer the European market.

Telegram. This development by Pavel Durov is suitable for those who pay great attention to security. Probably, it was developed under the motto "no surveillance": messages self-destruct, chats become "secret". There are also many options for encryption. For companies, this messenger is good because it has additional opportunities for distributing branded content using bots. If you are ready to interact with your audience in the “maximum secrecy” mode, then Telegram is right for you.

Of course, there are other messengers as well. And no one will forbid you to use all possible channels at once to communicate with your customers.

We solve marketing problems with the help of messengers

Every messaging program is more than a platform for two-way dialogue. They can be used both to increase brand awareness and to conclude profitable deals.

Messengers are used for such tasks:

• information, technical support, alerts;
• distribution of content, information about the brand and the company;
• interaction with consumers, surveys;
• communication within the company;
• round-the-clock customer support, order taking, recommendations and so on.

The most obvious way to use messengers for marketing purposes is to exchange messages with users. That is, it is the same way of communication as e-mail or telephone. Moreover, it can always be used, even when it is inconvenient to talk on the phone. For example, when your client is traveling on public transport or is in the same room with a sleeping child, or has a cold in his throat, or simply does not want to communicate with anyone “voice”, then he can use convenient instant messages and quickly get a response from the company. Of course, traditional means of communication should not be abandoned either. But messengers are a convenient addition for them. Therefore, they should also be used.