Kassaundra 0:01
I'm excited to bring you up my second hot take segment. And today I'm dishing all of my feelings on using the program, many chat in your social media marketing strategy.
Kassaundra 0:22
Welcome back to Schooled in Socials. Today's episode is a little different from what you're used to. If you've been listening to the podcast for a little bit, you know, I shared my first hot take episode back in July, when I talked about all of my thoughts and opinions on meta verified tiers. And now it's time for my second hot take. And I'm diving into the program many chat, which I've seen a lot of buzz around recently in the teacherpreneur community.
Kassaundra 0:51
Now if you haven't heard of it or aren't familiar with it, many chat is an automated chat program that can be used with Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. Basically, just like you build workflows in your email marketing for subscribers to go through, that are triggered by different actions, you can create workflows for your followers to go through on Facebook or Instagram triggered by certain actions that they take on those platforms. For example, if you want someone to comment on one of your posts, so that you can send them a link to your resource, you can set up a many chat workflow connected to that post, where when someone comments a specific word, it sends them an automated message to their DMs. And it also replies to their comment on that post. You can also set up workflows for when someone sends you a DM with a specific word or phrase, or you can set up a workflow when someone first DMs you. So these can range from just like one response to a series of automated messages depending on what option the person picks, or how they respond to the message before it. So many chat also then provides you data on those workflows, much like your email marketing workflows, so that you can see how many times that workflow has been run, how many people saw your message that you sent to them how many people clicked a certain link? Or how many people moved further into a workflow, etc.
Kassaundra 2:27
So now that you know what many chat is, I'm ready to drop my hot take for you on using it as part of your social media marketing strategy. And the first thing I want you to know is that my hot take here is not black and white. So if you're looking for me to say, Yes, I love it, or no way I can't stand it. Sorry, this one has a little bit of a gray area for me. And here's why. I currently use many chat with a few of my clients who decided to incorporate it into their social media marketing, we typically use it in order to deliver links to resources and lead magnets quickly to people who comment on those posts asking for the link. And in this capacity, I do like using many chat for several reasons. One, it saves myself and my client time, because we don't have to physically respond to each and every comment. So my client is able to spend more time in their zone of genius. And I'm able to spend more time focused on strategy, while just checking in to make sure that the automation is running correctly, and that their community is continually still being served on a high level. Two, our society has become so used to instantaneous results. And when someone sees a resource they want as a social media strategist, I want to strike while the iron is hot. And many chat gives us that opportunity. Because as soon as the person comments that specific word or phrase, that DM pops into their inbox, and they can access the resource. They don't have to wait for one of us to go in and answer their comment. And number three, many chat provides us with more data than Instagram currently can when it comes to click through rates and conversion. With many chat, I'm easily able to see how many people commented for that specific link, how many people have them opened that DM and then again, how many people have actually clicked on that link in that DM. So this gives me more information on what is working and where we might be losing them in the customer journey. So those are all good things when you're trying to put together a solid and strategic social media marketing plan. So in this specific capacity, I am very much Pro many chat.
Kassaundra 4:45
I did say however that my hot take wasn't black and white here. While I love many chat forbeing able to send automated messages to people who comment for a specific resource, there are some uses of many chat that really grind my gears. The first is when people set up their workflow so that any comment on a post gets an automated response. So even if I didn't want that resource, but I wanted to post that I maybe loved how cute the clipart was that they used, I would still get a message in my inbox with the link. And that just feels so spammy to me. So when I use many chat with my clients, we never use that any comment feature, there's always a specific trigger word or phrase. And if I get creative with the calls to action we use and people have to comment something that is specific to them, like what is your favorite color or something like that? Those are the posts that I prioritize going in and actually responding to versus setting up that any comment feature. The second use, is when people set up a workflow to trigger from the very first DM you send them. I don't know about you. But when I pop into someone's DMS for the first time, I want to talk to an actual human being. But with this feature, I could pop in to sell someone that maybe I loved the transitions they've been using in their reels. And automatically I'm getting a message being like, Hey, thanks for stopping by, what are you looking for, with like, options to go to their blog or their TPT, store, whatever. Not exactly the exchange I was hoping for. However, plenty of businesses use this kind of workflow, and it works for them. So this might just be a me thing here. And lastly, it makes me sad that so much of the engagement process can be automated, and that the human factor can be almost completely removed, you probably already know. But I'm a big proponent of not just growing a following, but a community through your social platforms. And that takes some authentic engagement. With everything being automated, where do we get to make actual connections with other human beings and build relationships.
Kassaundra 7:06
So when it comes down to it for me, many chat is a powerful tool that I can use with my clients to get people to resources faster, and make more strategic social media plans. However, sometimes I think it's a little too powerful and can be off putting to those of us who still value actual human interaction on social platforms.
Kassaundra 7:29
All right, now it's your turn. I am all for spicy hot takes. So I would love for you to pop into my Instagram DMS and give me your hot take. I promise you won't get an automated message in return. It could be about many chat or anything else on social media that really ramps you up. I can't wait to hear all of your thoughts.