With so much of the world trending toward automation, it’s no surprise that automation software like chatbots are popping up everywhere, particularly in marketing.
Automated bots are undoubtedly helpful and cost-efficient when managing operations and creating leads and customers. However, it is still vital to be hands-on with any marketing strategy.
Chatbot marketing is an excellent automation method. This digital marketing technique helps automate customer communication until the customer or user is directed to a live person for support.
There’s more to it than that!
Let’s understand how chatbots work, how to use them, how chatbots can change the digital marketing game, and what to avoid in chatbot marketing with Blue Dragon Digital Marketing.
What Are Chatbots?
A chatbot is a computer program or software that automates conversations with a user. They are programmed with different responses based on user choices or requests.
Advanced bots are powered by AI (artificial intelligence), but most chatbots are programmed with specific responses and built-out conversation trees.
For example, a chatbot can ask a user which of a business’s services they want to learn more about and provide a response. A conversation tree covers every possible customer response and tells the chatbot what to say based on that response.
Many third-party services make it easy for businesses to build a chatbot conversation tree without special coding or development skills.
What Is Chatbot Marketing?
Chatbot marketing is a strategy that utilizes a chatbot to market a business. A chatbot marketing strategy ensures your customer service requests aren’t going unanswered; many can even help with lead generation and sales.
This strategy became popular when Facebook opened up the ability to integrate bots with its Messenger feature.
Previously, many Facebook Page Messengers were going completely unused. Customers would submit questions or concerns, and even less often would a business respond.
How Can You Use Chatbots in Marketing?
AI-powered chatbots are beneficial for automating basic processes, answering common customer questions, and making sales.
1. 24/7 Customer Support
A chatbot can be a huge help if your business receives many customer service requests on your website.
You can create a chatbot that helps customers narrow down their customer service issues to a specific category before directing them to the right person to talk to or the correct answer.
2. Chatbots for Sales
A chatbot can help to lead people into your sales line. Whether you use it to set consultation appointments or collect emails for your newsletter, it can be a great start to a customer journey.
Many customers don’t want to pick up the phone and call, so adding an easy way to start online communication can be helpful.
3. Chatbots for FAQ
Let customers or potential customers ask common questions of your chatbot. Programming a bot with question options and corresponding answers is a great way to offer up information to your audience in a more interactive setting.
It can be fun for customers to engage with your chatbots, making them more likely to choose your company over a competitor.
4. Chatbots for Shopping
Chatbots will allow your business to provide an in-app shopping experience. You can customize it to allow customers to browse products and make purchases directly within the chatbot.
5. Chatbots for Marketing
Many different marketing tactics use a chatbot. You can use it as a lead nurturing device.
Once someone willingly messages your chatbot, you can continue sending them helpful and informational messages to nurture them into making a purchase or signing up for services.
This can be a powerful tool in your digital marketing(even more powerful than email marketing) because it’s an even more direct form of one-on-one communication.
How can Chatbots Change the Digital Marketing Game?
Online marketing has been intimidated by search engine optimization and marketing in the past few days.
Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is transforming the face of digital marketing, and chatbots are the biggest example.
Chatbots carry out multiple conversations with your audience in an efficient manner. This AI-powered software allows brands to connect and engage with their customers directly.
Chatbots serve as virtual assistants for customers, similar to how Siri creates reminders or Alexa plays music from your favorite artist.
You can program your chatbot and add it to your websites, applications, or emails.
Chatbots enable you to reach out to potential customers, get helpful information, respond to their queries, and mentor them in making purchases.
AI chatbot’s ultimate goal is for technology to have a form of general intelligence similar to a human’s. It is among the most far-reaching scientific objectives ever invented.
What to avoid in chatbot marketing?
- Don’t use them exclusively.
Use other channels as well, such as SEO and email marketing. If you want to get the most out of your chatbot marketing campaigns, combine them with other channels and live chat.
- Don’t forget to update it.
You need to work on, improve, and update your chatbots constantly. This technology is not something you can set up, launch, and expect great results.
It will always need improvements and updates, as well as reviewing the results to keep track of the performance.
- Don’t abuse it.
Don’t spam your potential client with too many marketing messages. Remember that sending too many messages to your visitors can lead to them opting out.
Your site will become associated with spam, and it can ruin your brand image!
Virtual reality and chatbots
Virtual reality and chatbots are cutting-edge technologies that represent scientific advancements in how we perceive our surroundings.
Both can be commonly associated with gaming, but it is also used to support sales, facilitate learning, simulate travel, and communicate, among other things.
FAQ
- Is chatbot digital marketing?
Chatbots are a form of digital marketing. They are most useful in the initial stages of the marketing process, like collecting leads and answering customer service questions.
- Are chatbots the future of marketing?
Marketing chatbots are becoming more advanced, and chatbot marketing is used more widely.
Their use will keep growing in the future, becoming more visible in different industries for marketing purposes. But chatbots will not replace traditional marketing; instead, they will be an addition to it.
- How can I use a Messenger chatbot for marketing?
You can link your business to your Facebook Messenger and set up a marketing chatbot.
A chatbot marketing campaign on Facebook Messenger can help your followers get answers to frequently asked questions, recommend products, and subscribe to your blog or service.
In the modern world, having a reliable chatbot is essential for any serious business or service.
Chatbots are considered an emerging technology, but they are quickly maturing and becoming a staple in many businesses’ customer service, sales, and marketing operations.
Business owners must understand that poorly executed chatbot protocols can still fall short and offer a poor customer experience.
Brands must focus on implementing chatbots to simplify existing processes rather than going for the fanciest promises.
Offer guidance to customers set expectations, and teach customers to interact with chatbots in a way that ultimately benefits your brand’s growth.
So, chatbots can help your digital marketing strategy!
Chatbots can be the connecting bridge between a brand and potential customers.
Contact Blue Dragon Digital Marketing today to learn how to use chatbots to help with your marketing strategy!
