chatbot marketing

While customer support is the most common way chatbots are used, that’s just one of the many applications. When done right, using chatbots as a marketing tool can grow your business and ensure that you don’t lose out on potential leads.

Chatbots and chatbot marketing have been around for a while now. Customers have grown comfortable with researching, browsing, and shopping online, and this trend is here to stay even when we beat the pandemic. 

According to a Facebook study in 2019, 53% of customers are more likely to buy from a business they can message. A one-to-one conversation with the customer can help ease them through the funnel. This is where chatbots are useful — managing processes, generating leads and customers.

 

What is chatbot marketing?

 

Chatbot marketing is a marketing automation technology that uses software to interact with prospects conversationally, either on your website or in an app, intending to convert visitors to customers. 

 Once set up, chatbot marketing allows companies to engage with leads around the clock, at scale, without inputs from your marketing and sales teams. Chatbots can be programmed to fulfill a variety of functions in the marketing realm from answering customer support questions, to starting conversations, collecting leads, and even upselling to customers. 

 While messenger chatbots don’t need a human to function, you need a human to set it up. A chatbot will carry out a conversation with your leads and potential customers, sending them the exact messages you assign, based on rules defined by you. You can even set it up to send messages based on whether visitors have been identified or not, or if they’ve been on a page, for example, a specific product page for longer than 30 seconds.

 

 

Why chatbot marketing has gained momentum in the pandemic-affected world

 

 

Even before the pandemic hit, chatbots and conversational marketing were already making waves in the marketing world and were touted to be the next big thing. Thanks to the new normal we find ourselves in, and the increased dependence on the digital world, the use of chatbots has skyrocketed. 

This popularity gain for chatbots can be easily explained with these key observations. First, consumers have discovered the advantages of online interaction over physical. And for the businesses involved, the customer is always right. That encourages companies to strengthen their online presence. With more people spending more time online, digital marketing efforts are paying off.

Another reason is the rapid advancement in technology, including AI. Chatbots are no longer restricted to robotic responses but can have realistic conversations with customers.

 

 

What are the benefits of chatbot marketing?

With the pandemic and the shuttering or restricted functioning of brick-and-mortar locations, companies everywhere faced a downturn, with loss of business and revenue. Moving the business online comes with its own unique set of challenges, and keeping up with customer requests and demands, while still maintaining a personalized approach is where chatbots are indispensable.

 

Chatbots are always on, offering 24/7 service

Even with the end of the pandemic, working from home will continue to be the norm for many people. This means more flexibility in their schedules and thus, a change in their online shopping habits as well. Customers may come looking for information on your website at any time of the day, late at night, early in the morning, or even in the middle of the workday.

With chatbot marketing, you have a tool ready to interact with your prospect and move the potential customer through to the next stage of the sales funnel. You’ll reduce the cost of your marketing by acting immediately on warm leads.

Chatbots can segment your traffic with just a few questions 

If you aren’t quickly segmenting the visitors on your website, you’ll lose out on good leads, or possibly spend too much time and money on visitors where there’s no potential to convert. 

Chatbot marketing can help you segment incoming visitors by directing the conversation according to the user responses. If a user asks about the price, your chatbot can serve up the information along with a call to action to buy, all within the chat. If a visitor is just browsing, the chatbot can provide more details about your products and services.

Chatbots reply instantly

Face it, consumers are impatient. We all are. People want instant gratification, even if they aren’t really in a hurry. And even a slight delay can mean the difference between converting and losing a lead. 

Chatbots can give potential clients what they’re looking for — instant answers to the questions they have. Even if the information is available on your website, having the chatbot deliver it makes it that much easier for the prospect to get it when they demand it instantaneously. 

 

Chatbot marketing helps gather valuable data

Analytics are the backbone of any digital marketing efforts, and gathering useful data for analytics can be tricky and time-consuming. Chatbots gather valuable information while conversing with the customer, making them excellent data gathering tools.

And while this information can be used to improve the chatbot itself, it also helps you realign your marketing strategy. 

Chatbots are also an excellent way to collect customer feedback, while the prospect is still engaged. At the end of the conversation, your chatbot can request feedback in the same chat window, meaning users are more likely to share their opinions.

 

Chatbot marketing is proactive 

Even if your marketing efforts succeed in driving traffic to your website, if you wait for customers to contact you once they’ve visited your website, you’re losing out. 

Chatbot marketing can help strike up an interaction when visitors arrive at your website, demonstrating a proactive approach. Without a chatbot in place, your marketing efforts (and dollars) spent to drive traffic to your website will be wasted, and your visitors will leave without you ever initiating a conversation with them.

 

Chatbot marketing can reinforce your brand image 

 

When set up right, chatbots can do an impressive job of showcasing your brand personality, helping you stand out from the competition

When the bot is programmed to reflect your personality, and embody your brand voice, it can leave a lasting impression. Add that to the 24/7 availability and the prompt problem-solving ability of chatbots, and you have a great tool to boost your brand image. 

 

Use chatbot marketing strategically, to build your business

Mystique can help.

Chatbots can grow your business by generating more leads, facilitating more conversions, improving your overall brand image, and more.

To see a demo of how chatbot marketing can support your efforts at each phase of your marketing funnel, we invite you to schedule a 15-minute conversation with us to understand how you can use chatbot marketing to build your business.

 Pick a time that works for you.

 marketing specialist at mystique brand communications

Viren Fernandes

Content Marketing Specialist
MYSTIQUE BRAND COMMUNICATIONS 

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Schedule time to review your current situation with us and discuss possible ways to optimize your brand experience to overcome your business challenges and reach your goals. Even if you choose not to use us, you’ll walk away with some great ideas to implement in your business today.