TABLE OF CONTENTS
How to set up Facebook Ads JSON
The Facebook Ads JSON Growth Tool sends leads from Facebook Ads to Messenger, where you can automate conversations and ManyChat actions. It’s an easy way to attract a lot of new customers, fast.
The JSON Growth Tool allows you to create Facebook Ads that, when clicked, send contacts and customers to Messenger and your ManyChat Flow.
This method requires you to create Ads inside Facebook’s Ad Manager and to create a Flow inside ManyChat, but you’ll learn how to do both in this guide.
1. Create your Opt-In message
The very first step is to create an Opt-In message inside ManyChat’s Flow Builder. This is the first message that contacts and customers will see after clicking on a Facebook Ad. Your first message must contain at least 1 button. (You can use Quick Replies, but we suggest using buttons.)
Note that the text in your opt-in message has to be less than 150 symbols. Also note that the opt-in message doesn't support variables (e.g., First Name field), Delay blocks, Buy Buttons, User Inputs, and Actions in URL buttons.
Choose the “Other” content type, as it can contain any promotional content and will be delivered only in the 24-hour messaging window. All contacts/customers who click on the ad will see the opt-in message.
2. Copy the JSON code
Once the opt-in message is finished, open the JSON Trigger settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the settings and copy the code. Don't worry, you won't have to edit or change any of the code.
The JSON code will tell ManyChat which Flow and opt-in message to send to your contacts/customers when they click on an ad.
3. Set up an Ad in Ads Manager
Open your Facebook Ads Manager and create a new Campaign. (If you already have an Ad Campaign with the Messages objective, you could add the JSON code to an existing Campaign, but we recommend creating a new Campaign for each new JSON Growth Tool.)
Next, you'll need to choose a campaign Objective. It’s important to choose "Messages" because this Ad will be shown to Facebook users who are most likely to message your page. This means a more contacts/customers who "opt-in" to your Ad, and ultimately, more conversions.
If you choose "Traffic" or other Objectives, Facebook might show your Ad to contacts/customers who might not even use Messenger.
Note: on a whole, JSON works with "Messages", "Traffic", and "Conversion" Ads.
After you click "Continue", choose Messenger as a destination for your Ad:
Choose your budget. You can choose a daily or lifetime budget depending on the duration of your campaign. The daily budget is best for Ads that are longer than a week duration. The lifetime budget is great for ads that have a short lifespan (about a week and shorter).
Feel free to select the most suitable for your Audience, Budget & Schedule, Placements options. Then click "Next".
4. Paste the JSON code into your Ad
When you get to the Ad Setup tab, select the media, text, and destination for your Ad, and then scroll down until you see the "Message Template" section. Here you will need the "Create New" section. Choose the "Advanced Setup" option.
Under the Advanced Setup, click "Edit." That will open the default JSON code that Facebook provides for the Ad.
You will need to replace all of the code that you see here with the JSON code that you have copied from ManyChat's JSON Growth Tool.
Make sure you select all of the default code and replace it with ManyChat's JSON code.
As you can see in the above image, in Ads Manager, there is a "Preview in Messenger" button, next to the "Save and Finish" button.
When the code is replaced, click the "Preview in Messenger" button to ensure that your Opt-in Message is the same as what you had set up in ManyChat. If it's not, try deleting the code and copying the ManyChat JSON code again.
Once JSON code is saved, the Ad's creative and text successfully set up, you can click "Publish" to send your Ad to Facebook's moderation and review process.
Here is how your Ad will look like on the Facebook Feed:
In the above example, if a Facebook user and your potential customer clicks on the "Learn More" button, they'll receive your Opt-In message in their Messenger account:
And that's it! You've successfully set up the JSON Ads Growth Tool! Congrats!
You have set up your Facebook Ad which will send an Opt-in Message to your potential or existing Audience. We highly recommend that you create additional Messages or actions in your Flow to continue the conversation after a customer clicks on the opt-in message, but that is up to you to create.
Remember, that Facebook users have to click any Button or type something to your chatbot, in response to your Opt-in Message, in order to become a Contact.
Troubleshooting notes
Get Started instead of the Opt-in message
If your JSON opt-in message does not send, please check whether you have published the opt-in Flow and also whether the JSON code is active in your Growth Tool. Also, make sure that the code has been inserted into the Ad properly.
Can't see JSON statistics
Due to platform limitations, we can only track when the user clicks a button in your Opt-In message. Please go to Facebook Ads Manager to see the reach and impressions of your JSON Ad.
Once Facebook users start interacting with the first message, aka your Opt-In Message of your Flow, they are recognized by ManyChat and since that point, ManyChat starts collecting its own stats. As such, if you add additional messages or steps to your JSON Ads Flow, you'll see a precise number of people who received this message and interacted with it.
Opt-in Message isn’t sent/doesn’t react to clicks
First of all, please make sure your flow is published.
Also, check that you’ve pasted a correct JSON code that’s been generated in Facebook Ads JSON trigger’s settings after publishing the flow.
You need to replace the JSON code in Ads Manager only if you edited the Opt-In message.
