How to Segment Customers for Facebook Messenger Broadcasts Using Labels

Facebook Messenger broadcasts are an effective way to reach your target customers, but sending the same message to everyone isn't always the best approach. The key to a successful broadcast is segmenting your customers and tailoring your message to what each group needs. This article covers the criteria for segmenting customers, how to use Facebook labels to save customer segments for broadcasting, and what you need to know about Messenger's 24-hour rule.

Why customer segmentation matters

Segmenting your customers brings several benefits to your Facebook Messenger broadcasts:

1. More relevant messages - Sending messages that match each group's interests makes customers feel the message is relevant to them and that the brand is paying personal attention to them.
2. Better engagement - When customers receive messages that are relevant to them, they are more likely to engage, for example by opening, clicking, and replying.
3. Higher conversion rates and sales - Segmentation lets you send messages that match what customers need, leading to higher conversion rates and more sales.
4. Less disruption for uninterested customers - Blasting the same message to everyone leads to low reply rates and risks customers feeling spammed and blocking your Page.

How to segment customers for broadcasting

1. Demographics - Segment customers by age, gender, location, occupation, or income level so you can send messages suited to each group.
2. Purchase behavior - Group customers by purchase history, such as how often they buy, average order value, and the types of products they buy.
3. Interests - Segment customers by specific interests, such as hobbies, activities, or topics they enjoy.
4. Customer journey stage - Group customers by where they are in the customer journey, such as new customers, prospects, or regular customers.
5. Brand engagement - Segment customers by how engaged they are with your brand, such as highly active followers, moderately engaged customers, and customers who rarely engage.

Use Facebook labels to save customer segments for broadcasting

The segmentation criteria above only become usable for broadcasting once you record them against each customer. The easiest way to do this on Facebook Messenger is to add labels to customer chats based on the traits or behaviors you care about, such as interests, most recent purchase, or purchase value. When it's time to send, you choose to message only the customers whose labels match that campaign instead of sending the same message to everyone.

Here are some example labels you can use, and the kind of message that suits each group:

1. Customers who have already bought - Send promotions for new product lines or recommend products related to what they bought before, to encourage repeat purchases.
2. Customers who messaged but haven't bought yet - Send a follow-up message with a discount code to make it easier for them to decide.
3. Customers by province or ad channel - Send details of the branch nearest to them, or a message that continues the campaign they clicked through from.

Imagine an online clothing store that labels customers by style and spending. When a new collection drops, the store can send only the pieces that fit each group's style, and include a special discount code just for frequent buyers. A spa business, meanwhile, might separate the labels for customers who have already visited from those who were interested but never booked. The first group gets a message inviting them back with a special offer, while the second group gets a first-visit promotion.

To keep your customer segments up to date, give your labels short, meaningful names and apply them right after you chat with a customer or close a sale.

Labels and Messenger's 24-hour rule

Labels help you choose who to message, but they don't change Meta's messaging rules. Under the Messenger Platform policy, a Page can send regular messages, including promotions, only to customers who are still within the 24-hour window, which counts from the customer's most recent action, such as messaging the Page or tapping a button in the chat. Once 24 hours have passed, regular messages will fail to send, and you have to use the channels Meta allows instead, such as update (Utility) message templates, which must not contain promotional content, or paid Marketing Messages, which can only be sent to people who have opted in to receive them.

So in addition to labels based on interests or purchase behavior, you should also label customers by conversation timing, to separate the group still inside the 24-hour window from the group that's already outside it, and choose content that fits the channel you can actually use.

Tips for using customer segmentation in your broadcasts

1. Analyze your customer data - Use analytics and CRM tools to collect and analyze customer data, identify the traits to segment by, and then save the results as labels.
2. Create content for each segment - Tailor your messages, offers, and promotions to the specific needs of each customer group.
3. Test and compare results - Test different messages with smaller customer groups and analyze the results to find what works best for each segment.
4. Repeat and improve - Keep reviewing and refining your segmentation strategy based on data and customer feedback.

Broadcast by label with BroadTurbo

BroadTurbo's label-based broadcast lets you choose who to message by Facebook Messenger label, so your message reaches exactly the right audience without bothering everyone else.

1. Send to multiple labels at once - Combine several customer groups that should get the same message into a single send.
2. Exclude labels you don't want - For example, remove customers who just bought from a round of promotional messages.
3. Combine with scheduling - Send messages at the right moment for each customer group.

If you'd like to try segmenting customers with labels on your own Page, you can try BroadTurbo free for 15 days, no credit card required.

Summary

Segmenting customers for Facebook Messenger broadcasts is an important strategy for more effective communication and customer engagement. Start by defining your segmentation criteria, save your customer segments as labels, and then send messages tailored to each group within Meta's 24-hour rule. Your brand will deliver content that is more relevant, more engaging, and more effective. Analyzing customer data, testing, and continuously refining your strategy will help you get better results from every broadcast.