[FAQ]

Hey Vault friends,

I’m torn between setting up a Messenger/IG-DM chatbot or doubling down on hand-typed DMs.

• Offer: $197 mini-course + occasional $27 templates

• Audience size: 7 k followers, decent engagement

• Goal: Book calls and close sales in-DM without running ads

If you’ve tested both, which one actually moves more people from “Hey 👋” to paid customer? Numbers, anecdotes, anything helps.

[Jeff Bullas]

Short answer: both work, but for different jobs. Here’s how the data breaks down.

1. What the numbers say

Chatbots: Businesses that add a Messenger/IG bot typically see ≈ 20 % lift in overall conversion after rollout.
Bots now handle up to 70 % of customer conversations end-to-end before a human ever jumps in.

Manual DMs: Meta’s own small-biz snapshot showed local brands pushing conversation-to-purchase rates as high as 70 % when reps chat one-to-one.
In another case study, a retail brand that switched from auto-replies to human-led follow-ups logged a 50 % jump in lead conversions within three months.

2. When chatbots win

Low-ticket products (< $100) where speed outranks rapport.
Off-hours coverage—you stay asleep, the bot keeps answering FAQs.
Simple funnels: quiz → coupon → checkout.

3. When manual DMs win

Mid- to high-ticket offers ($150 +) that need trust-building.
Situations where the prospect drops a buying signal (“How does shipping work?”) and a real person can add nuance, voice memos, or a quick Loom.
Networking and collab outreach—humans notice personal details bots miss.

4. The hybrid play we recommend

Bot greets & qualifies. Collect name, budget range, pain point.
Human takes over once the lead scores “warm.” A quick voice DM or personalized offer bumps the close rate.
Post-purchase bot. Automate delivery links, upsells, and support FAQs to keep your inbox sane.

5. Budget & bandwidth check

If you have more time than money, manual DMs can squeeze out higher ROI per lead. If you’re scaling past 30-40 inbound chats a day, layer in a bot so quality doesn’t nosedive.

Bottom line:

Use a bot for the first 80 %—speed, segmentation, basic objections.
Let a human close the final 20 %—price discussion, objections, relationship.

That combo keeps conversion high and protects your calendar. Hope it helps!

— Jeff

[Author]

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