Interested in surveying friends, making plans, or sparking viral conversations on Messenger? The platform‘s native polling feature makes it easy to create real-time polls centered around topics ranging from silly to serious.
In this comprehensive 2100+ word guide, we‘ll explore expert strategies for building custom Messenger polls from start to finish, troubleshooting issues, usage ideas, limitations, and more. Whether you‘re a casual user or a social media manager looking to boost engagement, this in-depth walkthrough has got you covered!
Why Use Polls on Messenger?
Before we dig into the step-by-step process, let‘s highlight some of the key reasons you may want to try Messenger polling:
Drive Engagement
Interactive polls boost participation by giving group members direct input. Rather than passively reading messages, polls turn audiences into active respondents.
Quick Consensus
Need to make group decisions or plan events? Polls provide immediate feedback to gauge consensus so you can align on next steps.
Viral Discussions
Fun, topical polls can take on a life of their own and create viral threads. Debates around pop culture opinions or personal questions often elicit lots of responses.
Get to Know Your Audience
As a brand, polls offer valuable consumer insights and feedback. Segment groups demographically for targeted market research.
Lead Generation
Incentivize poll participation by offering special promotions or exclusive content to respondents. Capture lead details upon voting.
Boost Engagement Metrics
Polls lead to more messages sent, responses received, and time spent messaging – key metrics for brands managing Messenger pages.
Across various use cases, Messenger polls unlock more interactive, engaging messaging compared to standard text-based conversations.
Now let‘s walk through constructing your first poll from start to finish.
Step 1: Open an Existing Group or Create a New One
Messenger only allows native polls to be created directly within group chats – they are not accessible for one-on-one messaging.
So first, you‘ll need to either:
- Open an existing Messenger group from your main messages list, OR
- Create a brand new group chat from scratch
To start a new group:
- Tap the pencil icon in the upper right corner
- Select "New Group"
- Name your group (optional)
- Use the search bar to find and select people to add
- Tap "Create" to finalize members
Pro Tip: Polls work best for smaller, targeted groups (ideally under 50 members). Response rates tend to decline in larger chats. Consider creating distinct poll groups based on demographics or interests for optimal participation.
Step 2: Tap the (+) Plus Symbol to Open the Menu
Once your target chat is open:
- Access the composer box at the bottom
- Tap the +(plus) icon on the left side to open an attachment menu
This menu houses links to photos, GIFs, files, and more that can be shared into chats.
Step 3: Select the Poll Icon to Open the Poll Creator
Scan the top row of this attachment menu for a bar graph looking icon, typically located in the middle. This represents the poll feature.
Tap it to launch a popup where you can begin constructing your customized poll.
Step 4: Enter Your Poll Question and Answer Choices
The poll creator popup contains two text fields:
-
Question field: Type the question you want to ask here. Get creative based on your chat topic or goals.
-
Options field: Provide at least two answer choices. Though you can technically have one option, giving respondents alternatives generates more insights.
Poll Question Tips
- Pose timely, debatable questions to spark discussion
- Localize questions to your group‘s location or demographic
- Leverage trends, holidays, or recent news as inspiration
- Use yes/no or A/B/C formats for decisive data
Here are just a few example poll question ideas:
- Harry Styles or Louis Tomlinson?
- What should our fantasy football team name be?
- When are people free for happy hour next week?
- Beach vacation or mountain getaway?
- iOS or Android?
Keep your answers concise, numbered/lettered, and directly related to the question.
Step 5: Tap "Create Poll" to Send Your Custom Poll to the Group
Once your question and options are crafted, tap the blue "Create Poll" button at the bottom to publish your poll.
This will instantly push the interactive poll into your group chat as the latest message for all participants to view.
Step 6: Vote on the Poll and Watch Real-Time Results
After receiving the poll, group members can immediately begin casting their votes:
- Tap the "Vote" button
- Select an answer choice
- Hit "Submit" to record response
As users vote, the poll dynamically updates to display current results – no need to constantly ask for updates!
Brands can also dive deeper by clicking into poll results to analyze response data. Metrics include:
- Total votes
- Votes per option
- Breakdown by demographic
- Names of respondents
- Date/time voted
Tips for Creating Compelling Messenger Polls
Now that you know the basic process, let‘s explore some pro tips for building truly engaging, high-performing polls:
Get Creative with Interactive Elements
Expand beyond basic multiple choice polls by incorporating images, GIFs, or videos within your questions and answers. This adds visual interest to stand out in busy group chats.
Promote Ongoing Conversations
Rather than one-off polls, create threaded debates that live for days or weeks. Ask a polarizing question then share follow-ups to fuel the dialogue.
Incentivize Responses
Offer exclusive content, coupon codes, or prizes to group members that participate in your poll. This drives higher response rates.
Target Key Demographics
If polling a broad audience, slice your data by age, gender, location, interests, purchase history, etc. Segment users into distinct polls for targeted insights.
Schedule Recurring Polls
Don‘t just poll once and forget it! Use third-party schedulers or your own recurring calendar reminders to continually re-engage chat groups.
Promote Polls on Other Channels
Before launching a poll, build buzz by promoting it via your Facebook page, Instagram story, email subscribers, etc. Cross-channel promotion expands reach.
Common Poll Issues and Troubleshooting
Of course with any platform feature, you may encounter the occasional hiccup when creating Messenger polls. Here are some frequent problems and fixes:
Don‘t see the poll option? Verify polls are available in your country. Due to restrictions, the native feature may not be accessible in Japan, certain European regions, or elsewhere globally.
Polls not loading? Check your internet connection and restart the Messenger mobile app or desktop browser page. Server outages can sometimes temporarily disrupt polls.
Can‘t add lots of options? Messenger limits polls to a maximum of 10 possible answers per question. For longer surveys, use a third-party platform.
Participants can‘t vote? Only members that were in the group at the time the poll was launched can view and submit votes. Others won‘t see historical polls.
Small group but low response rate? Depending on member notifications and activity levels, not everyone may have seen the poll yet. Consider sending a reminder message.
Key Takeaways
With this detailed walkthrough, you‘re now equipped to begin launching your own polls on Facebook Messenger:
- Open or create a Messenger group chat
- Tap the + icon then the poll icon to access the builder
- Enter your question and answer choice options
- Submit to publish the interactive poll
- Vote and watch results pour in from the group!
So whether you want to make social plans, debate topics, conduct market research, or boost engagement, Messenger polls deliver an easy, built-in option for instant feedback.
What will you poll your friends or followers on next? The creative possibilities are endless!
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