Messenger Marketing: Top Business Trends To Watch in 2022

As the world becomes more and more digital, businesses are turning to mobile and messenger marketing because it allows them to have direct, one-on-one conversations with their audiences and build relationships that can’t be built using other marketing channels. Simply put, it's a great way to connect with customers. As a brand, you can offer them transactional updates, promotional messages (discounts, special offers), and conversations that are great to provide around-sales customer support. This can be done in a number of ways, including sending personalised one-on-one messages, broadcasting messages to groups of segments, and creating automated message sequences. 

Learn more about the types of Rakuten Viber business messages.

Here are the top 5 key messaging trends for businesses to follow in 2022.

Trend 1. Increased Personalization.

With consumers shifting between screens multiple times a day and interacting with many brands, it’s becoming more difficult for businesses to stand out. As messaging apps become more popular, businesses are starting to see the value in personalizing their messages to their target audience and creating a more intimate connection. For companies who own a CDP or a CRM, this is the perfect time to leverage that data to create laser-targeted messages, sending content that is relevant to the recipient and their interests.

Trend 2. More Visual Content.

With the rise of platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, people are becoming more accustomed to consuming visual content. This trend is starting to carry over into messenger marketing, with businesses using more visuals in their messages to capture attention. At Rakuten Viber, we have seen great results when brands use emojis, images and videos in their business messages, as well as create AR Rakuten Viber Lenses and branded Rakuten Viber stickers.

From quizzes and polls to games and augmented reality experiences, in 2022 there are so many possibilities for brands to produce content to capture attention and keep audiences engaged. Such types of content is great to collect interaction metrics that can be used to create more effective creative in the future.

Trend 3. Increased Focus on Engagement.

Unlike traditional marketing, messaging is a two-way conversation, and businesses are starting to see the value in using mobile messaging to truly engage and connect with their customers through a conversation, rather than just sending one-way messages. In order to create that engagement and build a connection, businesses need to create messages that are relevant and interesting. Brands also need to be responsive and available to answer any questions that customers may have. By focusing on engagement, companies can create a more personal connection with their consumers, and this in turn can lead to higher satisfaction and loyalty.

Conversation, not Monologue

Trend 4. Increased Automation.

As more people use messaging apps, companies are starting to see the increased value in using bots or other automated means without the need for manual input. Such messages can be used for a variety of purposes, including appointment reminders, shipping updates, and more. This can free up time so managers and marketers can focus on other aspects of their business.

Trend 5. Orchestration at its best.

Analytics has become a must-have feature for every marketer. In 2022, companies are measuring not just open rates, CTR, and conversions, but also adding more sophisticated metrics and evaluating the efficiency of their campaigns on a granular level.

There are a few reasons why using messenger apps to connect with your customers grows in popularity and is a big trend in 2022.

The first one is reach. There are now more people using messaging apps than ever before. Over three billion people have used messaging apps in 2021, and more than 75% of internet users worldwide are expected to use one monthly by 2024. You can reach a large audience with relatively little effort. People are more likely to check their messenger app than their email inbox, and this means you can communicate with more people than using the traditional methods.

Second, the time of engagement has been increasing over the years. The latest Digital 2022 report says that now people are spending even more time on messaging apps than they are on social media. 

Third, the quality of engagement is outstanding. Because of an ability to communicate with your customers one-on-one and with content targeted to their interests, it is no wonder why the leading marketers use messenger apps to boost sales. 

See the success stories and case studies of how companies used Rakuten Viber Business Messages to take their marketing to the next level.

Here is a list of some of the marketing activities that brands do on Rakuten Viber:

• Offer discounts and special offers
• Run native and non-intrusive ads
• Upsell and cross-sell products through the chat interface
• Run competitions, quizzes, and polls to get customers' attention
• Engage with people via stickers and creative branded lenses
• Collect leads and follow up with customers
• Provide automated 24/7 customer support
• Help with purchase and delivery issues in real time
• Offer loyalty and reward programs
• Announce new products or special offers
• Engage into 360 marketing campaigns and drive traffic to your chatbot, channel or website

Recent studies show that 90% of customers expect consistent interactions with brands across channels.

What’s next: From Chatbots to Conversational AI and immersive experiences

At Rakuten Viber, we have been at the forefront of messenger innovation for over 10 years. We were the first messenger to launch business messages, and we are now focusing on Conversational Commerce. There are a number of trends that are emerging in the world of messenger marketing. In addition to the top 5 trends listed above, we suggest keeping an eye out for the following:

1. Using AI to send personalized messages: With the help of AI, businesses will be able to send highly personalized messages to their customers. This will help to increase engagement and conversions.
2. Integrating messenger marketing with other media channels: Messenger marketing will be used in conjunction with other channels, such as email and social media. This will help to amplify the brand’s marketing efforts and reach a wider audience.
3. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR): Messaging apps will be used in conjunction with AR and VR to create immersive experiences for customers. This will help increase engagement and conversions even further.

How to Make Messaging Work for Your Business

If you're like most business owners, you're always looking for new ways to reach and engage your target audience. And with the rise of messaging, there's no better time to start using this powerful tool to connect with your customers and grow your business today. If you're looking for how to open a Rakuten Viber Business account and start engaging your customers through messenger marketing, you've come to the right place. This guide will show you everything you need to know to get started, from setting up your account to creating your first campaign. 

At Rakuten Viber, we are often asked how businesses can make the most of their efforts. Browse our website, blog and case studies for inspiration, but here are a few key things to keep in mind for the best results.

• Send timely and relevant messages

One of the best things about messenger marketing is that you can use it to send messages to the right audience and at the right time. For example, if you're running a sale or promotion, you can let your customers know about it and get them to take advantage of it.

• Create messages that are personal and relevant

Remember, the goal is to build relationships with your contacts, so your messages should be designed to start a conversation.

• Employ messaging to segment your audience

This means that you can send different messages to different groups of people based on their interests, needs, and preferences. This is a great way to maximize your first-party data and ensure that your messages are relevant and that they're getting to the right people.

• Nurture your leads 

If you have a list of leads, you can use business messages to nurture them and turn them into customers. All you need to do is send them creative that will help them move down the sales funnel.

• Build relationships

Remember, because it's a two-way medium, not only can you send messages to your customers but also receive feedback from them. This gives you the perfect opportunity to engage in conversations, answer their questions, and build relationships.

Finally, don't be afraid to experiment. Using messenger apps for marketing is still a relatively new field, so there's no one-size-fits-all approach. Try different techniques and see what works best for your business.

Do not hesitate to contact us to learn how messenger marketing tools like Rakuten Viber can benefit your business.