182: Unlocking the Magic of Manychat and DM Marketing with Madi Beumee
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So I think if you can kind of pepper in, when am I going to automate it? Because they want that. They don't want to have to click the link in my bio. They don't want to X, Y, or Z, but then not lose that personalization element of if someone's coming to you with questions, you're hopping in there as a real human being. A lot of the times I like to kind of do a two-pronged method where maybe originally we're going to send them the offer.

Welcome back to the B word guys, where we are diving all into marketing through DM channels. Now you guys know if you've been around for a hot second, I'm absolutely fascinated with funnels, particularly now with many chat as one of those funnels. So I brought in my guest today, Maddie Buhm.

who is absolutely an expert in it. And she is going to walk us through the world of ManyChat. So Maddie, take it away. Yeah, so... Can I just butcher your last name? It's all good. It's Boumet, but it's fine. I've heard every iteration. Of course.

Thank you. No worries. We're not from the South. We just say things how it's spelled. Totally. No, it doesn't make sense. But I'm so excited to be here and chat about this. It's definitely something where if someone will give me the time of day to talk about it, I am down the rabbit hole of all the ways they could implement it for their business. I think on a broad stroke scale, just benefits. Because I think for business owners, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs,

You're looking at social media and you're like, I already have so many things to do. Why am I going to implement an entire another strategy, system process, et cetera, to it? And I think at the end of the day, the benefits are there for both your followers, your community and yourself.

So for yourself, it streamlines so many things. For someone I'm working with, we've been able to automate 90% of their comments. And it doesn't get rid of any of the personalization factor. We can add that in, but you're able to take that time off of your plate. So that way, that's 20 minutes done.

give or take, probably more if you have a large account, that you're going back and manually responding to people. So that ability to clear up some of that time is incredible for the business owner, individual. But then when you think about it from your consumer's point of view, is they're able to get instant gratification.

If they want something, all they've got to do is either send you the DM word, reply to a story, comment on a post, and they get it instantly. I know for myself sometimes if it's like, oh, you want me to head to your link in bio and click a link and then fill out a whole form. And now I have to like hope the form goes through, wait however long it takes for me to be sent through your email automation. Like I've...

I've sort of moved on. I'm not as invested in that lead magnet, whatever is even sale that I'm interested in getting. Like I've moved forward, but with ManyChat and I use chat marketing and ManyChat interchangeably. ManyChat is a platform in which you can do chat marketing, but by implementing it, I'm able to say like, Hey, comment,

guide and I'll send you a link to my free guide. So they've commented the word, you've DM them. All they've got to do is respond to your message with their email and we'll send them through both the email funnel and we can send them that guide straight to their DMS. So they receive it like at a fraction of the time it originally took. So I think,

When you look at it that way, yes, it's an investment of time. It is an investment of energy initially, but I think the payoff is tremendous from boosting engagement, lead generation, and just increasing sales overall. Okay. So let me ask, because I know that there's been a lot of debate that I've heard and read when I started my whole mini chat journey is,

There's this one whole side of marketing community that's like, no, don't automate. People know it's a bot. They don't want to respond to bots. And then there's the other side that says automate. It saves time and energy. From the consumer standpoint, what have you seen? I think it goes both ways. And having been a part of

a really large and engaged community and utilized ManyChat in that capacity, I think you have to be very strategic and thoughtful. And thoughtful even more so than strategic of how you're using it. So we never...

I never want to make it seem like I am personally like giving you this recommendation and it's like every single person who DMs is getting that same thing. So I think if you can kind of pepper in, when am I going to automate it? Because they want that. They don't want to have to click the link in my bio. They don't want to X, Y, or Z, but then not lose that personalization element of if someone's coming to you with questions, you're hopping in there.

as a real human being. A lot of the times I like to kind of do a two pronged method where maybe originally we're gonna send them the offer. We might check in with them six hours later and say, "Hey, like, how's it going? Were you able to join? Like, how did it go?" We're giving them the option if they say yes,

We're going to probably send them a, thanks so much. We're so excited for you to dive in X, Y, or Z. If they say no, I like to set it up where we have it trigger a zap to a Slack notification. And then a member of your team can say, Hey, at so-and-so is in the Instagram DMs with

with a question. You can have a member of your customer service team basically hop into DMs and then provide that one-on-one customer care that you would probably get through maybe a phone call, an email conversation. So it sort of allows the automation to take a lot of the manual labor out of the conversation, but you're still showing up in a way that's authentic and really catering to the customer.

And I feel like personally for me as a consumer, if you don't know when you comment a certain word that you're getting a bot by now, shame on you, right? Like you cannot expect that person to actually be typing you back. And the formatting a lot of the time is that block with the button. And I'm like, I have yet to figure out how to send a block with a button from my personal like

DMing. So I think there's a level of like exactly what you're saying in the early beginning months. It was a little bit trickier because it wasn't as frequent, but I mean, even now my mom the other day was like, Oh, so anytime someone says like comment this, like that's what they're using. And so she, she's on board. I think we're all sort of like,

It's sort of like clued into the language. So Maddie, did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur? How did you get started down this journey? Yeah. So I actually, my, my path, it's funny that you asked this cause I've been like, always like, should I share? Should I not? But I actually went to school for, um, musical theater.

And graduated, went to New York. I still am in New York, but started performing off Broadway. And then had a little bit of a like, what is the meaning of life? What do I want to do? I loved that chapter of my life. I loved the profession, but I think I also had this untapped passion.

innate feeling of like, I've always been a problem solver at heart. And like, I need to kind of, I'll always feel this little itch inside of me of like, what if? So it coincided with the pandemic and performing was probably the worst thing

occupation you could pick because it's a large group of people just singing and droplets. So it was just like, obviously not a thing for those that span of time. And that's when I sort of dove into, okay, what avenues of marketing business do I enjoy? I started freelancing, diving into a

sort of a boutique agency going and then went eventually went in-house with one of those clients. And then more recently said, you know, I,

I feel like more people need access or this is kind of an up and coming, more and more people are interested in implementing this kind of into their business. So how can I be a resource both in a one-on-one capacity, but also in sort of like an educational resources place as well? Okay. There's this little piece of me that would really love you to bust out into song right now. Like, come on. You went from Broadway singing to DMs in the mini chat.

It's so funny that you say that because I... You look like a lion king. Give me some... I know, right? Like I... Monomia. A, of all of the people in my life, I'm the least... I like sing the least amount. Like I have friends who are just like singing all the time who like didn't do it. And it's so ironic that like that was my job at one point because I'm literally like, don't make me do karaoke. Like it's so funny. But yes, I do have those moments where I'm like, oh my God, like...

Five years ago, I was like tap, tap dancing here. And now I'm like teaching many Chad and all of that. It's so wild. Holy crap. Are you glad we're not live in studio would totally make you get up and tap dance right now. I'd probably do that before I would sing to be totally honest.

Oh my God. Okay. So you're, you're in the Instagram era and you're in the mini chat era. Where do you think we're going next with this whole automated DM thing? Ooh, I think it's interesting because you, if you look at a lot of the messaging that's coming out of Instagram, I think more and more we're, we're trying to get to or get back to that place of social media being a connector. I think Instagram,

in its early days, you logged onto Instagram and it was literally just people you knew. Um, and it was harder to go and find these outside people. And I think with the evolution of the algorithm, Instagram as a whole, and it trying to keep up with other platforms, it's really kind of changed the algorithm to the for you page and all of that. Um,

But I think a lot of the moves they're making are towards putting money into DMs, I think, because they want it to become like a conversational platform.

So I see it going a lot of different ways. ManyChat has also added a lot of AI features, which is interesting. And it now allows for you can sort of predict what like based on their response, what you should send them versus in the past. It's been like very strict. If this word is in the message, send them this message.

So I think, I think it's going to come down to a lot of like values as a business and how you, how you utilize it in, in just like any other capacity with social media, like how you utilize it as a continuation of your business, your values, your brand. And I think, I think many chat or chat marketing in general is, is no different in that way.

Do you think that chat marketing will evolve into other platforms like LinkedIn or TikTok or even, you know, threads and extension of Instagram? Or are we going to see it primarily live on the meta platform? Yeah. So there are other companies that are working with platforms like LinkedIn, like TikTok. I think...

I'm intrigued as a TikTok user, like the messaging on TikTok is so funky to me. Like you, it's doesn't, it's like sometimes you can message people. Sometimes you can't, sometimes you have to be following them and all of that. So I'm interested to see how it would translate in that capacity. But I do think like if when LinkedIn gets that capability, like that is going to be a game changer. That and then also TikTok,

group, Facebook groups on Instagram aren't fully integrated with the platform. There's not like an amazing way to within a group setting say like, hey, comment this on this post in the group and it work. So I think like those would be two really big moves for a lot of business owners and businesses in regards to like how they could scale elements of it.

What type of business do you see as the number one best fit for a mini chat funnel? My experience is in a lot of like digital products. So I see that...

And I think a lot of the heavy hitters in that space utilize it very well. It's interesting when you come from that space being sent through because you're, you like nitpick and you're like, Ooh, does that come across sincere or not? But also I have an awareness that they prerecorded that. So am I just catching on? So it's interesting to see them. I think,

As much as that is like my go-to, okay, it makes sense. It's very clear to execute. I do think there are a lot of cool ways that, you know, consumer products can utilize them. And even, even podcasts, I think like the opportunity to just give someone directly what they're looking for is amazing. And I've worked with podcasts where we'll deliver, you know,

Here you want the link on Apple. Great. You want the link on Spotify? Like, where do you want the link? Cause I think the, my perception is the older train of thought was like, Oh, I'll send them to like the page on my website. And I personally have never listened to a podcast. Like,

on someone's specific website, unless it's on desktop and that's like a rare occasion, but to be able to deliver them the exact link on Spotify, Apple, whatever they need is a game changer for listens. - Yeah, I tend to agree. I used to send people to our website so that they would land there and maybe look around and find other things.

And then I sat back and I always look at things through the lens of how do I consume and how do I appreciate? And I mean, honestly, Jenna Kutcher, I was, I clicked on one of her podcasts. She sent me to her website and I was like, I'm not going to listen to your podcast here. Now I have to click another link to go listen to the episode. And from that moment on, I was like, oh, if I don't want someone to do that to me, I'm not going to do it to them. And so we started sending them, you know, straight to some of the biggest players on podcasts. I'm like, well, if you want to hear my podcast,

And I'm offering you the link. Let me give you Spotify, YouTube, or Apple. Like, which one do you want, buddy? Totally. There you go.

Yeah. And I think, I think it, it really is. And it's applicable to any area of marketing, but like separating the marketing train of thought, because I've totally had the same thing. Like, oh, we get them to our website and then they're going to click around and they're going to go over here and they're going to do this and this and this. And it's like, okay, but as a consumer, when someone does that to me, I'm like, well, now I'm stuck in this app because I'm

I have to listen to this episode as a like safari pulled up thing within like it's made my life 10 times more difficult.

So I'm probably not even going to listen. So I love that framework kind of, of switching between like, okay, the marketer in me is thinking this, but like, what do I actually do? Right. Or even just asking, I think it's so also helpful to like get out of the echo chamber of the online business space, the digital product space and go to someone who's like,

They go through it at a totally different way. I don't ever fall for ads. I live with someone who...

It's like, I found this thing from an Instagram ad. And I'm like, you are the person who Instagram ads work on because it never works for me. But it's such a reminder of like getting out of your own head. You're up in the morning and I'm awake. I am that person. But it is so interesting to like separate the two and come at it from different perspectives. Yeah. You know, even for me, and I don't know what your thought is on this. You can educate me some of the pros and cons, but

I've even found, cause you know, I'll put in the word on people's accounts just to watch their chat funnels because I'm interested in them. And the ones for the podcast specifically, if they just send me the generic link to their podcast, I'm pissed. I'm like, no, if I wanted that specific episode and now I have to go find that episode because maybe I'm seeing a reel or a post you put three months ago and Meta just now served it up to me on Instagram.

versus the chat funnels. It's like, you want this episode? Here it is. And I'm not having to hunt around. I'm much more inclined to actually listen to that episode. But the moment I hit friction and have to hunt for something, I'm like, I'm out. I'm lazy. I'm out. Yeah. Well, yeah. And I think that that's,

Constantly evaluating like, okay, we put up and having the awareness of like, it's going to evolve and that's great. And it needs to, but like, okay, we put up an initial funnel, whether it's having different people run through it and be like, I hate this section or like this button doesn't feel intuitive. Let's switch it to a different format or going in to the actual app and looking at the stats of like, oh, wow, we're seeing a 50% drop off.

at this moment. So is the question unclear? What's the issue? Like, what do we need to figure out? Because you're totally right. I think almost we've done a little disservice by making it so easy that now I'm totally with you where I'm like, if I comment the word and I don't get it instantly, I'm like, oh, someone is you, like, maybe they don't even know that, like, you can set up a whole app and they thought just like,

Everyone is manually DMing like that case, but there is almost that expectation of like, this is the new norm. So I need, I need to receive exactly what I'm looking for instantly. Yeah. Or there's this one influencer I follow. She is so gorgeous and she keeps putting this lipstick up there.

And her reels have completely hooked me in. And I'm like, yes, I need that lipstick. And her DM word is lips. And I've literally typed it in a million times. Nothing ever shows up in any of my stuff. I'm like, your DMs are broken. Like woman, get on the train. Do you not understand that this is supposed to be automated? Where's my link to the lipstick? Totally. And I think that's where we were kind of talking about this earlier, but like the troubleshooting element of,

It's intuitive, but there's small little things like, okay, is the story reply for every story that goes live? Or is that keyword only attached to one? And like, I have definitely dealt with the opposite end of that, of like being on the team where it's like all of these, a prime example is the text emoji.

We picked that as a keyword because it's like, oh, send a little emoji, blah, blah, blah. And we put up a post and all of a sudden we're getting all of these comments with three dots. And I'm like, why is everyone like...

what is going on? If you look, if you zoom in to the text bubble emoji, there are three dots in that emoji. So that was never thought about that. Neither would I. And I do spelling errors. I do like, if the word also has an emoji, I'll probably throw the emoji in as a keyword, just as a backup. But I was like, what are the chances that this is? So I've, I've had the experience of like,

really quickly hopping in and like having to add additional keywords and all of that. But I'm totally with you where like once the expectation is set, it's that's, that's what I want. I want to get it instantly. Well, and I think that this is also a great time to really dive into the fact that like anything else in your business and any other strategy you implement, it cannot be a one and done.

You know, if you're going to use a mini chat, you can't just create a funnel and never log back into mini chat to check how it's doing. You got to always be looking to make sure, does it need to be refreshed? Is it broken? How far to your point, how far are people getting into the funnel? Can we tweak it so that they get one step further into the funnel? You know, like how good is this a strategy working in our business overall? I think a lot of entrepreneurs, you

You know, they look at something like this as the magic. You get my freebie, you land in my inbox or you land in my contact list and I'm good to go. Not diving in and realizing like how much further they can take it in their business and how much more useful they can make it than just a certain, you know, it added some contacts to my database. Yes.

Right. Totally. And then I think also, yeah, like this, I always really try to stress, like, it's not a set it and forget it strategy because like you're saying, like,

you do, it does need to become like a regularly maintained thing. So I've like with a social team, if a post goes up with a many chat trigger attached, I am like test it every single time I test it. I want to be put through the automation. I'm going to test all of the links because at the, it's also, um,

We don't necessarily think of it in the same way as like a website, but it's like if I'm heading to your website and I'm on the mobile version, I'm like, oh, wow, they clearly did not like go look at the mobile version of that. Like it is the customer experience. So if they are DMing, like you said, or commenting and it's not working, like that's also not a great look.

Oh, they're out. Right. Yeah. And they're not going to use your words next time. You know, they're not going to trust that your DM stuff works. They're going to be like, oh, this is skipping her because I'm not going to get what I want. Like, let me just scroll on. So it is one where...

it is that kind of like exercised muscle that I've just started to say, like, if you want to really truly implement it into a strategy, it has to be like part of the funnel. So whether that's adding like ref codes, pulling numbers, like it, it needs to be continuously revisited like, like anything else in a business. Okay. So quick question. Could it replace paid marketing? I,

So I, my experience is very much organic on the organic side. I will say the increase that I have seen it bring in, um,

Coming solely from organics, so the way it's been able to transform revenue organically is incredible. And I do know now with a lot of the issues with targeting and stuff like that, that people are sort of leaning into utilizing it. I think there's also a cool world in which you're tag teaming it.

where you're putting up a reel, you're putting paid spend behind it and you're utilizing it as like a lead generator. I think that can work really well in many different capacities. Most recently I worked on a, like a crowdfunding campaign where we're trying to generate leads and we did put ad spend behind it. And that has been cool to kind of, kind of watch. Awesome. All right. Well, Maddie, thank you so much for being here today.

I mean, I'm, I'm guaranteeing I'm going to bring you back because I'm so fascinated by many chat. Um, where should our audience go to find out more about you and your services or grab some of your freebies and your resources about this whole chat? Yeah. So you can head to live like mad.co. That's my website. Um,

I'm also the same on Instagram and TikTok, livelikemad.co. And if you DM me the word intro on Instagram, oh, this is a prime example of how to use ManyChat, not just on social, but if you DM the intro on ManyChat, I will actually send you my introduction to keywords and triggers. So that sort of goes through that first initial step.

It's a totally free guide to kind of get you started on the right foot. And I do talk about a little bit about some of the troubleshooting issues. So that way you can kind of start off feeling confident. But that's a great resource to get started. And I'm also my DMs are always open. I think it's like you anytime people are running into issues, I love troubleshooting it with them because I'm also learning and then I can use it as a learning opportunity for other people as well. So feel free to send me a DM.

as to how it's going. I also would love to be sent through whatever funnels you're creating because it's cool to take a look at what people are making. But thank you so much for having me. This has been so fun. Oh, you're so welcome. You guys, it has been another amazing episode here at The B Word. This is The Business Mentor. You didn't know that you needed to know. I'll see you guys next time.

You just finished another episode of the B-Word Podcast. Cheers to you. If I were with you, I would literally pop a big old bottle of Prosecco and pour you a glass. Since I'm not, why don't you do the next best thing and share this episode with one of your besties? Because we all know you've got that one girlfriend that needs to hear it. Thanks, friends.

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