The Best Way to Automate Facebook Messages

How do I manage inquiries and engagement on my Facebook page every day without letting it get out of control? This blog is purely devoted to my little secrets to make sure I don’t miss anything! Managing your Facebook Page can be a really big job, so over the next 3 weeks I am going to run through some really helpful features for managing your page effortlessly and efficiently.

First, let’s begin by talking about your admin bar. This white bar on your page is something that only you as an admin can see (yes only you can see this white bar on your page, you would be surprised how many times we have to answer that question!) The admin bar is your access to all things information and statistics on your page and it will quickly become your most clicked section! 

#1 The Inbox

Facebook Messages (Inbox) Explained

This is where people will send you direct and private messages on Facebook. No one can see these communications except Admins of the page and the fan themselves. This is one of the most common places to get inquiries about products, hours, or other information they need for purchasing. Use this space to make friends and take the time to craft awesome replies! Also, a little known fact is that Facebook allows you to craft canned replies with presets like adding the persons name right to the pre-crafted reply. These are great for when you will be “away” for an extended period of time. 

If you click on the messages tab for the first time it will show a small blue pop up prompting you to set up your “Response Assistant” ( shown below).  You can also get to this feature from the Settings tab in the admin bar and then clicking messages on the left hand side. 

There are 3 options for Auto Response: Away Response, Instant Reply, and Messenger Greeting. Because I am a rebel I am going to start from the bottom! 😉 

1. Messenger Greeting:

A brief, 160 character max, greeting that is shown the first time that someone messages your page. This can be a great chance to show a fun side of your company if you want to be so bold, and if you want to keep it strictly professional you can insert your web address in here to drive traffic!

2. Instant Reply

Done correctly, this is an awesome feature. You want to make sure that you always reply to messages sent to you so they never hear anything from you except a stellar auto-reply. The max characters here is 250 so there is a little more space to express what you want to say, however you have to be succinct to get everything in! 

3. Away Messages

Lastly, we have my favorite feature, the away messages. As much as people want to tell you you have to be at your clients beck and call, you are not always at your computer. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad about this either! You need vacation and off time as much as the next person. So getting off my soap box, use the advantage of technology to take time off and do what you love. This also has a 250 character max but it is a great way to keep people engaged even when you are away! You can click the away status button each night when you log off for the day and it will automatically come back on in 12 hours, or you can manually turn it back on sooner if you want to.

I hope you liked learning all about Facebook’s auto replying feature and how it can help you be a master at social marketing! If you liked this and want to learn more, make sure you check out Navigating Your Facebook Page Made Easy & Fun Part 2 next week and Navigating Your Facebook Page Made Easy & Fun Part 3. 

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