A Facebook Messenger chatbot automates exchanges, optimizes customer service and continuously captures leads. Accessible 24 hours a day, it enhances the user experience while respecting Meta rules.
Here’s our ultimate guide to creating a chatbot on Messenger that’s easy and, above all, frighteningly effective for your marketing!
Why use a chatbot in web marketing, especially on Facebook Messenger?
Once created and integrated into your page, a Facebook Messenger chatbot will enable you to automate, analyze and optimize interactions, while remaining compliant with Meta rules and European legislation (which we’ll detail in the next section). The chatbot is thus used to manage repetitive tasks for you, which are fully automated.
The benefits of chatbots in marketing are (almost) beyond dispute! All the more so on Facebook Messenger, one of the most popular instant messaging applications. The chatbot on Facebook Messenger is ultra-accessible to all users, and will greatly enhance the user experience, promoting engagement with your brand.
A good chatbot setup on Messenger will enable 24/7 customer support, instantly answering frequently asked questions and even acting as a sales advisor.
In fact, a chatbot with artificial intelligence will be able to personalize messages according to the user’s profile, and send useful content directly to Messenger , such as promotions, marketing campaigns and so on. The open rate is much higher than an email. In case of need, it will also automatically relay to a human advisor!
Example of a Facebook chatbot for lead generation
As soon as a user interacts with your Facebook page or clicks on a link (ad, publication, CTA button), the Facebook chatbot springs into action. It initiates a targeted conversation, with questions such as: “Are you looking for a service or product?”; “What is your main need?”; “Can I have your e-mail address to send you a personalized offer?”.
In web marketing,the objectives of a chatbot, whether used on a website or an instant messenger like Facebook, are broadly threefold:
- Draw the user into an engaging conversation;
- Qualify your needs and profile in just a few exchanges ;
- Automatically record information in your CRM!
The possibilities for using an AI chatbot are enormous!
How to use a Facebook Messenger chatbot
A chatbot will ensureuninterrupted availability and constant exchanges with customers. It automatically manages exchanges with your users.
Many platforms offer dashboards integrated with CRM tools such as Chatfuel, Botnation.ai or Intercom. You can track click-through, engagement, conversion and abandonment rates. These insights enable you toadjust responses, optimize scenarios, and make data-driven decisions. Because, once launched, your chatbot will always need a minimum of monitoring to keep it performing at its best.
That’s why it’s so important to choose a platform that matches your needs, your budget and the level of technology you want.
To make full use of your chatbot on Facebook, you need to submit to Facebook sample messages, a detailed description of the intended use, and a video capture of the process. Finally, you must agree to abide by Facebook’s chatbot rules (see below).
Regulations governing the use of chatbots on Facebook
The use of chatbots on Facebook Messenger is strictly regulated, combining European regulations and Meta’s internal policies. Here’s what you need to know!
Rule no. 1: your Facebook chatbot can only send promotional messages within 24 hours of a user interaction. After that, it’s forbidden without explicit consent.
Rule n°2: user consent is mandatory on Messenger! This means that to contact your subscribers beyond 24 hours, your Facebook Messenger chatbot must obtain their consent via a “subscribe” button or similar action. To contact the chatbot on Messenger, the user must:
- Subscribe button: “Subscribe to news”, “Receive updates”.
- Text commands: the user types “subscribe”, “yes”, “newsletter”.
- Direct question response: the chatbot explicitly asks for consent
- Interaction with publications: comment, like, share a publication on your page
- Click from your site: for example, a “chat on Messenger” button redirects to the option
- Event participation: registration for contests or Facebook events
Rule 3: Content must be non-promotional! With a subscription, your Facebook chat bot can only send news, informative content or podcasts. Never direct advertising!
Only text and image exchanges via chatbot are allowed on Facebook Messenger! They can no longer send automatic notifications, and the use of persistent menus, buttons or carousels is severely restricted for European users.
Example of automated messages by bots: what types of messages can chatbots on Facebook respond to?
Facebook chatbots are capable of handling a wide variety of messages on Messenger, from frequently asked questions to more advanced interactions, such as booking an appointment or entering a competition!
These Facebook chatbots work on the basis of pre-programmed scenarios (keyword responses, logical sequences, interactive menus). But it’s also possible tointegrate conversational artificial intelligence into your Facebook chatbot, such as ChatGPT or Mistral AI. Thanks to artificial intelligence, the chatbot will then be able to understand formulations and adapt its responses in real time, depending on the context or user profile.
Here are examples of real-world applications of Facebook chatbots that can inspire you as you develop your digital marketing strategy.
Concrete examples of AI chatbots on Facebook are going to be tasks like:
- Automated FAQ: instant answers to common questions (opening hours, prices, return policy, etc.);
- Collect leads by requesting email, telephone or other information to qualify a prospect and enrich the database;
- Redirect the user by sending personalized links to a sales page, a booking calendar, a download, etc. ;
- Responsive customer service available directly via Facebook, taking care of simple requests, transferring to a human if necessary, tracking orders, etc. ;
- Product recommendation: suggest products according to the needs expressed in the conversation, generating direct sales.
Create a chatbot on Messenger
Here’s the quick and easy way to integrate a chatbot plugin on WordPress. There are many solutions for integrating an AI chatbot on Facebook, including no-code.
Choosing the best chatbot platform for Messenger
To choose the best chatbot platform for Facebook Messenger, we recommend that you first trust the supplier’s reputation! Next, the chatbot platform must include :
- Know your requirements;
- Ergonomic and user-friendly interface;
- AI capability and language processing (NLP) ;
- Multi-channel support: your chatbot is deployed not only on Messenger but on all your platforms (website, mobile app, SMS, WhatsApp);
- Integration with your CRM, CMS, e-commerce, helpdesk, internal APIs, etc. ;
- Integrated dashboards: click-through rate, conversion, abandonment, etc;
- Data security and RGPD compliance.
Possible ways of integrating a chatbot into an e-commerce site
- As a no-code, ready-to-use application like [SITEDUCLIENT], ideal for beginners or marketing teams: no need to code!
- By adding a JavaScript script or iframe to your WordPress code: your chatbot is hosted elsewhere ;
- By REST API, GraphQL or webhooks, which are tailor-made solutions for more advanced needs, but which will require a specialized developer or agency.
The quick and easy way to create a high-performance chatbot on Messenger
Here, we detail the easiest way to create a Messenger chatbot, in no-code from our Botnation AI platform.
1. Access the chatbot creation platform
Go to the official Botnation website, then register by choosing one of the following options:
- Login with a Google account (Gmail)
- Login with a Facebook account
- Or register with a standard e-mail address
Enter your personal details: surname, first name, e-mail address, and choose your user status (private, professional, etc.). Confirm your registration and log in to your user area!
2. Creating your Messenger chatbot
Click on “Create my chatbot” in your user interface. Choose a chatbot template from those on offer, or start from a blank project.
Name your chatbot and choose the language (French, English, etc.) best suited to your audience. You can then customize the chatbot’s interface to suit your needs (logo, colors, welcome, etc.).
3. Configuring chatbot conversational scenarios on Messenger
Define your chatbot’s main intentions (e.g. FAQ, appointment booking, information gathering, etc.).
Next, create conversation flows using the visual editor :
- Add welcome messages, questions, automatic responses, suggested responses (buttons, lists, etc.). Configure conditional answers based on user responses.
- Use variables to personalize responses (name, first name, etc.).
Next, you’ll need to test each scenario using the integrated preview tool!
4. Facebook Messenger integration
Authorize Botnation AI to access your Facebook page by selecting the Facebook business page to which you want to connect your chatbot.
Simply follow the instructions to authorize integration (OAuth connection).
Don’t forget to enable instant messaging on your Facebook page if you haven’t already done so. Then configure the publishing settings so that the chatbot is visible and accessible via Messenger.
5. Advanced customization and options
You can add additional features to your chatbot such as :
- Sending files, images or videos ;
- Collecting contact information (forms) ;
- Redirection to a human agent if necessary;
- Notification and reminder settings (in compliance with European legislation).
Choose the chatbot’s behavior in the event of misunderstood messages (default response, transfer to a human, etc.).
6. Testing and production launch
The chatbot testing stage is very important for its performance. Carry out several tests with real-life scenarios to correct any bugs, and adjust the scenarios if necessary. Train your teams to use the chatbot if necessary. Botnation offers in-house chatbot training courses!
Now you can publish your chatbot on Facebook and make it accessible to visitors!
7. Monitoring and optimization
The Botnation.ai platform lets youanalyze numerous statistics on theeffectiveness of your chatbot on Facebook (number of conversations, satisfaction rate, etc.). This means you can optimize scenarios based on user feedback and the data collected!
