Astute marketers are always looking for ways to engage better with the customers. One trend that is catching on is conversational marketing.
But what is conversational marketing, you may ask? A simple definition is ‘a feedback oriented approach’ to customer service. Companies use live chat, chatbots, and targeted messaging.
The aim is to create genuine conversations with customers. The advantages to the company are many. It helps give customers a good experience resulting in higher engagement. With higher engagement comes the opportunity to collect rich leads. ROI is clear to see in the conversions The Company achieves from loyal customers.
Our article will focus on the use of chatbots. They are a critical component of conversational marketing. We will show you how this technological innovation can benefit digital marketing.
Chatbots in Digital Marketing — How Your Company Benefits
A chatbot is a software or computer program that automates conversations with customers. You set it up by programming it with responses to frequently asked questions.
It helps to understand what information customers want. You also look at all the possible scenarios that could generate questions. You may refer to such chatbots as rule-based because you designed them for a specific purpose.
AI chatbots are a more advanced version of the typical chatbots. They use artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing.
These technologies give AI chatbots almost human-like abilities. You will need to pre-program it with specific instructions. But, that is where the technology kicks in. the more it interacts with customers the more intuitive it becomes.
It can understand the sentiment, intent, and much more. It then fashions appropriate responses and can even make recommendations.
So why do you need chatbots in digital marketing? Let’s get into it.
1. You can achieve higher conversions
Think of the times you have not completed an online purchase. It could be because you could not get information? You find that you have to restrict yourself to particular business hours.
Many companies cannot afford 24/7 customer service. You can only reach the teams during working hours.
A chatbot does not have any time restrictions. It is available throughout. It can guide the buyer on the best products. It may even make recommendations depending on past purchasing behavior.
With such interaction, customer engagement is better. The longer they stay on your website, the higher chances they are to buy.
2. You collect data relevant to your digital marketing
Data is a critical component for any marketer, whether digital or offline. Such information forms the basis for any activity the marketing team will take. You get to learn the customers and know what their preferences are.
Yet, unless the company has a big budget, market research can be very difficult. It is a costly and time-consuming exercise.
With chatbots, you get access to data. You have information such as the buying history of specific customers. What time do they shop and what kind of information they look for?
An AI chatbot can give you even more in-depth information due to its intelligence. The advantages for the digital marketer are:
- The use of data to target messaging
- Opportunity to improve the product offering with what the customers want
- A chance to get relevant data without spending tons on market research
- Ability to mine more promising leads that are likely to turn into conversions
- Availability of customer feedback to correct issues that may affect the customer experience.
Chatbots are fantastic for proactive engagement with customers. Follow-ups, retargeting and continuous engagement are easy. You can also use them for campaigns or to announce new products.
3. Chatbots can assist with social media engagement
Social media platforms are integral for digital marketing. Yet, many marketers struggle with managing the different accounts. Some companies have the budget to hire a specific team to handle the different platforms.
For those that cannot afford it, it becomes a juggling game for the marketer. It can be difficult to engage and respond to all the comments. In the end, audiences start to feel like you are ignoring them.
They then shift to the competitors who interact with them better. A chatbot is a fantastic solution in managing social media accounts. It brings automation to the process.
They can respond to queries or comments on time. The result is better engagement with audiences.
4. Increase engagement on your website with chatbots
Do you know that high bounce rates on your website can affect your ranking in the search engines? It is a signal that there is something wrong with your site.
It could be a problem with the layout resulting in a poor user experience. Your content may lack relevance resulting in low engagement.
Chatbots can help in many different ways. The chatbots engage the customer in conversation that keeps them longer on your site. They can also assist the customer find what they are looking for.
Set it up to be more interactive and fun. Let’s say you sell maternity and baby products. You can program the chatbots to focus on questions around new babies.
Think of the things that challenge new parents the most. It could be something as simple as deciding the baby’s name. For others, it could be about finding the perfect baby shower gift.
Your online visitors will have a good time on your website. Engagement levels will be high. And, you can almost be sure of returns.
Final Thoughts
There are so many benefits to the use of chatbots for digital marketers. We have highlighted a few of them, but there is so much more. The most significant advantage is you improve customer engagement. Quick responses to queries and relevant information can lead to conversions.
AI chatbots are intuitive and learn human behavior. The digital marketer will get rich data. It allows for more specific and personalized marketing. Chatbots are available 24/7, so you never have to shut down the customer care desk.
While the initial installation cost may be a bit high, think of it long-term. Calculate how much you would spend on wages. Other expenses are office infrastructure, and even medical insurance.
Also, think about how much business you may lose because the agent did not handle the customer well. When you compute these costs, installing chatbots makes complete sense to any business.