Imagine that you get into a physical store. You discuss with a kind business employee, and you describe your needs in your own words. Then, he shows you some products trying to find together what fits your needs the most. If you revisit the same store, the employee would ask whether you were satisfied with what you have bought previously. Knowing your purchasing needs, he will suggest you something relevant. Then, he may probably inform you about an offer on something you would like to purchase or the new arrivals. The customer service you experience will be a crucial factor when leaving a review for the business.
If we take this example to the digital world, we can understand Conversational Marketing. It is the direct, two-way, and personalized communication between a company and its customers. This communication can be via phone, video call or chat, social media, or even a forum or a review site. The key in any way is interaction.
The benefits of Conversational Marketing
Other digital marketing tools your business is using are probably one-sided. The banners, paid ads, email and SMS marketing, and retargeting promote products and services. But, they cannot work two-way.
With Conversational Marketing, you give voice to your customers, you learn more about their preferences, you can answer questions the moment they arise, and improve the services provided. In this way, you gain fluctuating customers, boost the loyalty of your existing ones, create lifelong customers, and ultimately increase your business profit.
The rise of Conversational Marketing
The pandemic situation and restriction measures have dramatically changed the way looking for products and buy. At the same time, there is a greater need for human contact and service in an environment where everything is digital. We notice that most purchases now are online, and most of them are via mobile phones. So, your business must be able to answer the customer’s questions immediately at the time of the purchase.
Your potential customer may want to know whether the products on your website are immediately available. Maybe he wants to ask about product features, guarantees, and shipping costs or wants to see other related products. If these questions get answered on time, it is more likely that he will proceed with the purchase.
You can even integrate video chat & voice calls to your customer service for more immediacy. Your customers will use these services more. Especially, if they intend to make complex and expensive purchases, such as mobile phones, computers, or cars.
Live chat και Chatbots
By integrating the live chat into your Conversational Marketing strategy, you are gaining in your contact with the client regarding the human factor. But this may cost you time or money. Particularly, if your business mailbox is full of messages and you cannot answer them on time. After all, most questions are repetitive and can get an answer automatically. In this case, chatbots help you save time and money.
The chatbot will be able, for example, to start the dialogue with answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), as a first-aid line. Then through the dialogue, it will emerge whether the customer is satisfied with the answers and guidance received. Otherwise, a business representative needs to take over.
Although the chatbot gives the impression of more impersonal communication, the texts and the style do not need to lack personalization according to the situation. For example, if the client has just seen a product page, the bot can ask if there is any question related to the product or suggest similar ones.
Instant Messaging
We can say a lot about the time spends an average user on his mobile phone. The truth is that if your potential customers stay connected to their mobile devices, this is where your business Conversational Marketing should focus on.
So, the role of the various messaging applications, such as WhatsApp, Viber, Instagram και Facebook Messenger, is therefore crucial, especially if combined with artificial intelligence technologies, such as chatboxes. The users are much more familiar with this type of communication. So, they are more likely to open messages sent via applications and interact with your business. This way, you can keep open a communication channel with your clients by sending regular personalized messages based on their interests and what you have learned about them in previous discussions.
In this communication, keep a personal style that differentiates your brand by making the conversation more personal and pleasant for your customers. You can also use emojis, gifs, or images if this fits your business style. Also, a definite advantage for your business is to integrate the ability to order via IM, DM, etc. thus ensuring fast conversions.
Use feedback
Through a Conversational Marketing strategy, you will receive feedback from your customers concerning their needs, degree of satisfaction, possible problems on your site, and bugs that need correction. The key is to use this data to improve your product or service. Here, too, analytics tools and artificial intelligence can help you understand the data and draw conclusions. Especially, when the data comes from multiple channels.
In closing, this process needs to be dynamic as consumer needs evolve and change. Through the feedback you receive, you will be able to identify these needs as soon as they arise and meet them, gaining a comparative advantage over the competition.
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