Opinion: How to tap into the power of instant messenger

The trick to successfully marketing through IM is about understanding the expectations of the people who use it -- and how those differ from text and email.

Reflecting the immediacy of IM, conversations are much more akin to SMS conversations and therefore need to be far more punchy and to the point than email.

As the messenger window takes up very little screen space, communications need to be non-invasive and integrated with all the other channels the consumer is using. Their attention will often be flicking between different windows and communication media at the same time.

Indeed, we often use different media to direct friends to the most effective tool at any given time -- people will use text to say that they're "on messenger" or use IM to say "call me".

With email, consumers expect to receive both solicited and unsolicited marketing communications and often have multiple email accounts -- one for private communications and one for direct email.

This expectation is becoming increasingly true of SMS, especially when it comes from the mobile service provider.

In contrast, although IM has been around a long time, in marketing terms it's not as mature.

Although consumers are used to seeing the IM skin used for marketing and sharing music videos for example, they don't expect their conversations to be interrupted from uninvited corporates.

So in an IM world we're expecting immediate, snappy responses that get straight to the point and that potentially integrate with other media, but you can only join in if you've been invited.

Sorting out the tone, relevancy and speed of the response is the easy part. It's the problem of how to get an invite and added to the buddy list that's the tricky bit.

This is why initially IM is best suited to service enhancement communications targeted at your existing client base, rather than prospects.

Getting your existing clients to use IM to communicate with you is all about making it accessible to them. You need to promote the benefits of your IM presence across all other media channels, including email, and use them to gather buddy handle opt-ins.

Once you're on their buddy network, every time they fire up IM, they'll see that you're online, creating an instant reminder.

Because IM makes communicating so easy, the simple fact that you are online, ready and waiting to engage will prompt them to do so. And the speedy and direct response you can give them, using text, sound or video, will allow you to create a great customer experience.

Get this bit right and you could find your way on to the rest of their buddy network and start reaping the benefits associated with the power of personal recommendation.

Ashley Spooner is group account director, web 2.0 at digital direct agency, Cheeze