One of the newest tools to invade digital marketing is bots. The platform that is making the most use this new tool is Facebook with their Messenger mobile app.

Haven’t heard of bots? Bots are a type of algorithm that are powered by AI (artificial intelligence). Developers can create bots to perform any number of tasks – from quizzes to news feeds to placing orders and more. They can be used as assistants to send you the latest weather or remind you to take the trash out every week.

Want to play around with some? Open your Facebook Messenger app and click in the Search bar. Under your most recent People contacts, you will see suggested bots (note, these are not ALL the bots – Facebook now has more than 11,000!).

Check out the Emoji News app and get the last news presented with emojis.

Or play hangman against a bot with the Hangman bot.

Check out your favorite sports league with the NFL, NBA or MLB bots. You name it, there is probably a bot for it.

So what does this mean for you and your business? Does your research show that your customers are mobile-first? Do you normally perform routine tasks with those customers? Perhaps a bot could be a way for you to interact with them in a new way. You should examine if this new tool should be added to your digital marketing toolbox.

Find a complete list of bots over at Botlist.