An introduction to the Facebook Messenger ChatBot

Remember how, back in the 90‘s, we just used to dream about all the things we have today? Let’s take smartphones as an example. Who knew that in a little more than two decades, our bulky analogue phones complete with an equally awkward antenna would transform into something so advanced.

Before, being able to ring someone up or drop a text message was already considered ground-breaking. Who would’ve thought that in several years’ time, we wouldn’t just be able to hear someone’s voice over telecom or drop a random 350 character text – we get to see them in real time too through a platform like Facebook!

Yes, this is how far we have come when it comes to technology.

From sticks and stones, humans evolved into quite amazing creatures of insurmountable potentials. If there is one thing that has given us leverage to conquer the world as we have today, it’s our creativity (and our opposable thumbs too!). The ability to think outside the box, to feed on curiosity and to act based on it, is what differentiates our way of thinking from the rest of our phylum.

Although we can never say that what we have come to and what we have become is for the better, we can at least observe the impact our advances have on our lives. One such advancement that has made considerable impact is technology. Since the eruption of the industrial age, man has set out on a path to revolutionize the world as we know it. Invention after invention, scientists, artisans, engineers and capitalists worked together to recreate the world. At first, it started with simplifying physically-demanding tasks such as replacing steam engines with motorized engines. Then, it further its reach and tapped into clerical and practical tasks such as inventing the first-ever calculator and printing press.

Technology continued to revolutionize and man’s love for machinery grew fonder and fonder. Then came the personal computer. Honestly speaking, the first personal computer was far from perfect. First, there was the issue about the size and operating it was far from simple. But it was surely something.

It was something and people knew it.

Fast forward to 2019 and we already have some of the best functional computers mass produced in the market. It was one heck of a journey but if you really think about it, we have been toppling down milestones ahead of schedule thanks to the invention of computers. Without these intelligent systems, we’d probably still be struggling to invent some of the latest technology we have and enjoy today.

Thanks to computers, one other thing has also come into existence. And yes, I’m talking about the internet.

The internet & social media

Come on. Who doesn’t know the internet? It’s practically embedded into our lives nowadays.

When kids do homework, they consult with online resources (lucky them). When people need to buy an item that is not accessible where they’re from, they can simply ship the item out with the help of the internet. When adults need to be adults and pay bills, they don’t really have to leave home anymore. They have the internet!

Almost anything can be done online nowadays: Shopping, paying bills, researching, marketing, advertising, and even socializing. Through social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, LinkedIn, and many others, people from all over the globe are just a click away from meeting each other. This makes international friendships and relationships all too common nowadays. I often even read about how some of my friends meet with social media acquaintances when they go to visit their respective countries. Indeed, the internet has made the Earth a smaller place to live in.

Facebook & the business sector

Nowadays, social media has become an integral part of people’s lives. You would see them posting of their favorite artists, bands, brands, and snacks all the time. They use social media all the time and for a number of reasons. Some use it strictly to communicate with friends and families who live overseas. Others use it as a form of entertainment or “past time” as some people would term it. There are others, like me and (probably) you, who see business potential in social media websites.

I mean, really. Where else can you find a platform that brings people all over the world together?

No television channel, radio station, or publishing company can ever give you that scope of influence. It is only through social media that you can reach all people in all places.

One particular social media website to note is Facebook. Yes, Mark Zuckerberg’s pride and joy “The Facebook.”

As of the third quarter of 2018, an estimated 2.27 billion (see reference) have been recorded as monthly active users on Facebook. Imagine that. A whopping 2.27 billion people gathered all in one platform. Now, if this doesn’t sound like a major advertising opportunity then I don’t know what is!

Luckily, Facebook is very cooperative with businesses, both big and small. After all, they, too, are running a business so I guess it’s what you’d call empathy. In recent years, Facebook has doubled its efforts to provide businesses with opportunities to market their products and services on the social media website. We now have advertisement sections as well as FREE business pages.

Although I say free, growing the business page is still up to the owner of the business. They have paid options to automatically boost your audience reach but growing a page by yourself at zero cost is still completely possible. The key there is communication.

Businesses should make communication easier for interested individuals. After all, it is a social website right? Some growing businesses and companies, however, can’t handle the demand of the audience and resort to using AI technology like https://smartbotmarketers.com/ to fill in their stead – which is fine and all!

These bots are basically programmed to communicate with interested clients in your absence. They learn through experience and they can gather valuable data from inquisitors that can later on help you device marketing strategies for your target market.

Along with Facebook, they are pretty nifty programs that can definitely help you grow your empire.