How to Deep Link QR Codes into Facebook Messenger App

The Rise of Facebook Messenger and How Deep Linking to Your Brand Profile Increases Followers

In the summer of 2016, Facebook released some stunning success metrics for its Messenger app. Monthly active users (MAUs) reached 1 billion and over 17 billion photos are now sent through the messaging service each month. It took Facebook four years to reach that milestone after releasing Messenger as a seperate app from Facebook. WhatsApp, another messaging app which Facebook acquired in 2014, took seven years to reach 1 billion MAUs.

Advertisers are now jumping on the Messenger app bandwagon. Messenger can serve as a broadcast and conversational vehicle to update consumers on your latest campaigns, products and promotions. URLgenius helps you get started by letting you create a link to your brand’s Messenger profile which you can use to track app opens across iOS, Android, referring URL and geography. Linking to your Messenger profile from multi-channel campaigns is an easy way to increase followers while helping you understand your most engaged consumers.

Step-by-Step: Deep Linking to Messenger

Enter a Facebook Messenger URL into the box provided in this format: http://m.me/username where ‘username‘ is the name of your brand profile or company.
Notice the Facebook Messenger app icon is highlighted.
The highlighted icon lets you know that URLgenius understands the link you pasted.

For example, in the screenshot below we are creating a link to the Walmart username in the Messenger app.

Now click the “Compose” button and you will be presented with a ‘Copy URL’ button.

Scan the QR code with your mobile device to test the behavior of the link.
Copy the link using the button provided and use it behind the Messenger app icon on your website and in your emails in your effort get consumers to follow and interact with you on Messenger.
Best Practice: Update all your social profile links using similar steps.

Where to use your Facebook Messenger deep links:

Place behind the Messenger icon on your website.
Place behind promotions only available on Messenger (make sure you broadcast the promotion first).
Where possible, promote on your other social channels to encourage other social audiences to engage with your brand on Facebook Messenger.
Use in display advertising and paid search campaigns to promote your Messenger profile.
Best Practice Tip: Append your web or channel analytics UTM parameters for tracking (Google Analytics, Omniture, Kenshoo etc.)

App Deep Linking Analytics for Facebook Messenger

URLgenius users can login to your URLgenius dashboard at any time to understand how much engagement with Messenger you are driving.

Below is a chart example for daily clicks to your URLgenius Messenger link by date.

Deep Linking Analytics for Facebook Messenger App Opens

The next chart below shows Messenger app opens by platform and device.
The app open rate helps you determine what percentage of people who clicked had the Messenger app installed for iOS and Android.
App store visits indicate those have shown interest in viewing your profile in the Messenger app but do not have the Messenger app installed on their device.

This is a view of clicks on your URLgenius Messenger deep link by device and by state. These insights help you confirm the focus your campaign geographically.