So what is ManyChat and who uses it?

Why Use ManyChat?

Get Started With ManyChat Sequences: Sign up for a ManyChat account

ManyChat is a completely free software. It also has paid plans, you don’t need them to get started, so just sign up for free to start by creating an account.

Head to ManyChat.com and sign up by clicking on the big “Get Started Free” button in the middle of the page.

You’ll be redirected to Facebook to complete the sign-in process. Next, you’ll need to give ManyChat permissions so it can do its thing and connect the accounts.

Click “OK.” (Don’t worry, it won’t violate your privacy in any way. ManyChat just needs these permissions so the bot can send automated messages.)

On the next page, find the Facebook Page you want to use and click “Connect.”

Next you can go through setting up and connecting to your website, pixels, forms and more.

Here are 6 Easy Ways to Get Your First ManyChat Contacts

You can read more on the Manychat article here.

1. Add a sign-up button to your email newsletter
2. Use a website pop-up to offer a promotion on your homepage
3. Use a Messenger Ref URL for YouTube or Pinterest
4. Collect new Messenger contacts with Facebook ads
5. Auto-respond to Facebook comments in Messenger
6. Engage your visitors with a website chat window

Here at Momentum Digital, we focus on a lot of chat messaging and Facebook Advertising where we can import our subscribers to our lists to send them messages or make sure they see our FB or IG Ads.

As you explore ManyChat and grow your business, don’t forget to check out their starter guide on chat automation. ManyChat can help you build your contact list and streamline your commerce operations with various one-click marketing integrations, apps, workflows, and templates you can plug right into your bots.

You need to create the foundation to drive your contacts to subscribe so you can drip market to them, similar to email marketing, you’ll constantly have to pay to acquire new customers. A contact list is an essential part of maintaining a successful business, and with ManyChat, you can amplify its usefulness.

When you think about Broadcast Messages with ManyChat, you really need to make sure you first setup a good subscription funnel.

Creating your Broadcast

You can create a broadcast either by using the +Broadcast From Flow button which is placed on the Broadcast home page or you can choose +New Broadcast. The first option is using a previous flow that you have already used. If you are using a +New Broadcast, you will have to select which platform you would prefer to send the message to. After selecting a channel, you will write your message within the Flow Builder and then choose your preference on how your contacts should respond. You have an option to add some actions such as subscribing to the contact list or notifying whenever your customer responds. 

You have plenty of channels to choose from such as Messenger, SMS, Email, and Multiple Channels. If you are using the free account, you can only opt-in for the messenger option. If you are using a Pro account, you have the option to choose all four choices. But you have to determine which channel is the best way to broadcast to your audience. Think of the kind of message that you will be sending and how you think your customers are going to respond to your communication. If you send them an SMS versus email, do you think that you will get more responses? If you want to change anything in the way you are sending your broadcast, you can go back to your Flow Builder and add or remove the steps. 

Consent should be given. You can only send a broadcast to your customers if they have given you consent to receive any marketing messages or other forms of communications coming from your business. 

Correct email or phone number. You can only send the broadcast if the customers have shared with you their verified email number or their right contact information. 

Broadcast price. There is no payment required if you are broadcasting via Facebook Messenger. However, you might have to pay for SMS sent to your contacts. If you are using a free account, you are entitled to at least 1000 contacts. Once you have used up the 1000 contacts, the Free plan should be upgraded to Pro.  

Channel Effectiveness. The response rate of one channel may be different from that of the others. This will depend on several factors such as the message sent, the KPI set, the number of contacts receiving the message, and others. 

Privacy. Depending on where the messages are to be sent but if you are targeting a worldwide audience, you have to be knowledgeable about privacy laws. There are countries such as the United Kingdom which are very particular when it comes to privacy and receiving unsolicited marketing messages. To save your business from paying costly fines and other legal fees, it is recommended to read through the restrictions of the countries to where you plan to send your broadcast to. It is also important that the customers are well aware of how they can unsubscribe should they choose to opt-out from your contact list. 

Character limit. You have to be aware that when you send an SMS Broadcast, it is limited to at least 140 characters only. Unlike sending a response via Facebook messenger, you are not restricted to the number of words you can send. With it comes to email broadcast, you can include some graphic materials that go with your text. There is no word limit in sending email, but nobody would bother reading your broadcast via email if it is too long. 

Read Facebook Messenger Platform Policies. Although using Facebook Messenger as a channel is free, you still have to follow the platform’s policies. This protects Facebook users on how they are receiving marketing messages from other people. You can make sure that your contacts are not bombarded with constant marketing or promotional messages that will force them to opt-out of your contact list. 

Detached or chain channels. If you opt to send a +New Broadcast, you can easily change or mix channels if you think that SMS is better than Email without having to start from the beginning. You can just detach the steps and delete them or you can chain it with another channel. 

Broadcast schedule. You have the option to schedule your broadcast at a particular time or day or write after finishing the flow builder, you can send the broadcast right away. 

Timezone. You can either send the broadcast following the timezone of your contacts, send it right away following your timezone, or you can limit the sending time

Watch the Broadcast Statistics. Check the performance of your broadcast on the Broadcast Section. Within the History tab, you can see how the broadcast has performed, gauge the performance and make adjustments on your next broadcast