So you’re on a B2B team, under pressure to get your new product, service, or campaign out the door—yesterday, if possible. You’re eyeing automation tools, and someone (maybe you) suggested Manychat. This isn’t a fluffy review. I’ll walk through how Manychat actually fits into a B2B go-to-market strategy, which features matter, which don’t, and a few hard-won lessons from teams who’ve been there.
If you’re hoping Manychat will magically fix bad messaging or a confusing funnel, well… save your money. But if you want to make your sales and marketing workflows smoother—and you’re willing to keep things simple—there’s real value here.
What Is Manychat, Really?
First things first: Manychat is a chatbot builder. It started on Facebook Messenger, but now works with Instagram, WhatsApp, SMS, and your website. You can use it to automate conversations, qualify leads, and even trigger emails or CRM updates.
It’s not a CRM, it’s not an all-in-one marketing platform, and it won’t replace your sales reps. But for handling repetitive questions, scheduling, and basic lead capture? It’s fast, cheap, and doesn’t need an engineer to set up.
Where Manychat Can (and Can’t) Help B2B Go To Market
Let’s set expectations:
- Where it shines: Streamlining lead capture, speeding up initial qualification, handing off warm leads to humans, and automating simple follow-ups.
- Where it struggles: Handling complex sales conversations, syncing perfectly with custom CRMs, or replacing thoughtful outbound.
If your B2B go-to-market is all about relationships and high-touch deals, use Manychat as a helper, not a replacement. It’s best for smoothing out the tedious stuff—think: FAQs, event registrations, or screening tire-kickers.
Key Features That Actually Move the Needle
Here’s what’s worth your time if you’re a B2B team:
1. Multi-Channel Automation
Manychat lets you build flows that work across Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs, WhatsApp, SMS, and your website. Why care? Because B2B buyers aren’t just on LinkedIn or email. They’re everywhere, and they expect fast replies.
How this helps: - Capture leads wherever they contact you (trade shows, ads, website). - Route inquiries from different channels into one workflow.
Honest take:
Don’t try to be everywhere at once—pick two channels where your buyers are most active. For most B2B, that’s your website chat and maybe Instagram or WhatsApp if you’re big in certain markets. Skip SMS unless you’re sure your audience likes it.
2. Visual Flow Builder
The drag-and-drop builder is Manychat’s bread and butter. It lets non-technical folks design conversation flows—think “If they say X, send Y, or tag as Z.”
What’s good: - Fast to build basic lead capture or FAQ bots. - You can map out multi-step qualification (e.g., “How big is your team?” “What’s your main challenge?”).
Watch out for: - It’s easy to overcomplicate things. The more branches you add, the messier—and buggier—it gets. - Don’t try to script the entire sales cycle. Qualify, capture info, and pass the baton.
Pro tip:
Keep flows short. Your aim is to get the prospect’s info and intent, not to have a 20-message chat. The best flows usually take less than a minute to complete.
3. Lead Qualification and Tagging
You can set up questions to qualify leads (“What’s your company size?”), then tag them based on answers.
Why it matters: - Your sales team can focus on real prospects, not spam or students. - Tags can trigger different follow-ups or route leads to the right rep.
What to ignore:
Don’t go overboard with 10+ tags and branching logic. Start with 2-3 key qualifiers, like budget size or decision-making authority. You can always add complexity later if it’s actually useful.
4. CRM Integrations
Manychat connects to tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, or your own CRM via Zapier or native integrations. You can push new leads, update contact records, or trigger actions based on chat responses.
The upside: - No more manual copy-pasting from chat to CRM. - Faster follow-up = fewer lost leads.
The caveats: - Integrations sometimes break or miss data, especially with custom fields. - Test everything before you go live, and plan to revisit mappings as your process changes.
Pro tip:
If your CRM setup is a Rube Goldberg machine, Manychat won’t fix it. Get your CRM basics right first, then automate the handoff.
5. Automated Follow-Ups and Reminders
You can schedule messages to nudge prospects—think “Thanks for your interest, want to book a call?” or reminders about demos.
Good for: - Re-engaging folks who ghost after first contact. - Reducing no-shows for demos or webinars.
Don’t bother if:
Your buyers hate bots, or your sales cycle demands a human touch at every step. Automated nudges are best for the early funnel, not closing deals.
6. Embedded Website Chat Widget
Manychat offers a website widget that pops up to greet visitors, answer common questions, or offer a lead magnet.
Why use it: - Captures leads who’d never fill out a boring form. - Can instantly qualify or route to a real person via live chat.
Limitations: - Some folks ignore widgets or find them annoying. Test placement and wording before you roll it out everywhere. - Don’t expect it to solve deep website UX problems.
Pro tip:
Set expectations. If a human’s not available right now, say so. People appreciate honesty.
7. Broadcasts and Drip Campaigns
Once you have leads, you can send bulk messages (broadcasts) or time-based follow-ups (drips).
What works: - Announcing webinars, product launches, or event invites. - Onboarding sequences for new customers.
What doesn’t: - Spamming everyone who’s ever chatted with you. You’ll get blocked fast, and channels like Facebook crack down hard on abuse.
Keep it clean:
Only message folks who’ve opted in. Make it easy to unsubscribe. Treat chat like a privilege, not a given.
8. Analytics and A/B Testing
You can see open rates, click rates, and drop-off points in your flows. Manychat also lets you test different messages or flows.
Why bother: - You’ll spot where people get bored or confused. - You can improve conversion rates with simple tweaks.
But be realistic: - Data is only as good as your setup. If you have a mess of tags and flows, your analytics won’t tell you much. - Don’t chase tiny percentage gains until you’ve fixed the obvious drop-offs.
What Doesn’t Really Matter (For B2B Teams)
Some features sound cool but are usually a distraction:
- AI-powered responses: Unless you have a huge FAQ database or lots of repetitive questions, simple flows beat “AI” almost every time.
- Gamification: B2B buyers aren’t looking for quizzes or games. Focus on clarity and speed.
- All-in-one dashboards: You’ll still need your CRM or analytics stack. Don’t try to run your whole go-to-market from Manychat.
Setting Up Your First B2B Manychat Workflow: A Simple Blueprint
If you want to get started without getting lost, here’s a bare-bones setup:
- Pick Your Channel(s): Start with website chat or Messenger, wherever your buyers show up.
- Map One Core Flow: “Hi, how can we help? → Qualify (company size, role, intent) → Capture contact info → Route to human or schedule call.”
- Integrate With CRM: Push qualified leads into your CRM with tags or notes.
- Set Up a Simple Follow-Up: Send a thank-you or booking link if they qualify.
- Test With Real Users: Watch where people drop off or get stuck. Fix that before adding more.
- Add Analytics: Track completion and conversion rates. Ignore vanity metrics like total messages sent.
Honest Pros and Cons
What works: - You’ll save hours on repetitive lead capture and qualification. - Sales can focus on real conversations, not basic screening.
What doesn’t: - It’s not a magic bullet. Bad messaging or a cluttered funnel won’t get better just because it’s automated. - You’ll need to maintain it. Bots break, integrations change, and flows need tweaks.
Biggest pitfall:
Trying to do too much, too soon. Keep it simple, prove the value, then expand.
The Bottom Line
Manychat can absolutely help B2B teams smooth out their go-to-market, but only if you stay focused and keep your flows simple. Automate what makes sense, hand off what doesn’t, and don’t fall for shiny features you’ll never use. Launch, learn, and iterate—don’t wait for perfect. That’s how you’ll actually get to market faster.