How to Use AI-Powered Chatbots for Digital Marketing
Entrepreneurs can simplify the process of relationship-building with customers by using chatbots at various points throughout the customer journey. Create memorable and personalised customer experiences using AI technology, which makes intelligent chatbot technology accessible to all business regardless of their size, budget, or in-house capabilities. Here’s how to use chatbots for your business.
What are chatbots in digital marketing?
Over 1.4 billion people use chatbots on a regular basis (smallbizgenius.net). Chatbots grew in popularity when Facebook launched Messenger in 2016, allowing developers to use Facebook’s API to create bots to interact with social media users. It is essentially programmable software that can execute a particular set of actions, like answer questions about deliveries and troubleshooting, provide information on business hours, and connect users with live agents in case the chatbot is unable to help them with their queries.
What makes chatbots such an excellent option for businesses is that they’re cost-effective and can be set up on messaging apps quite easily. But more importantly, they can help boost engagement, allowing you to start conversations and connect with more customers with a higher degree of personalisation. They can also automate the first few steps of the marketing process, enabling you and your in-house staff to handle a higher volume of conversations and potentially drive more sales.
- 67% (or two-thirds) of consumers around the world used chatbots in the past year, which shows that consumers are aware of the technology and are receptive to getting automated support
- 34% prefer to communicate with AI while online shopping
- 40% don’t care if they are assisted by a chatbot or a live agent as long as they receive the support they need
- 82% say that instantaneous responses are very important when communicating with brands
- 58% say chatbots and voice assistance have impacted their expectations of businesses (source: salesforce.com)
- More than half, or 64% of users say that 24-hour service is the main advantage of using chatbots
What are the benefits of using AI chatbots for business?
Engaging and intuitive, AI chatbots can be useful for business. When communicating with a chatbot, consumers don’t have to leave the page or transfer to another app or channel. It’s as simple as clicking on the conversation window, usually located on the lower-left corner of the page. The ease of communicating with chatbots can help create more positive and satisfactory experiences for consumers.
When consumers come to your site and can’t find answers about the products or services they’re interested in, there’s a chance that they might not come back. That’s why providing assistance to prospective customers should be a priority. But this can be difficult when you have a small customer support team or no team at all.
This is where chatbots can be helpful for business. They can mimic live agents and provide assistance for basic concerns. Additionally they can fill the gap between marketing and sales, with chatbots offering a more efficient way of collecting information and qualifying leads. By implementing a robust chatbot strategy, you can potentially convert more prospects into paying customers and first-time buyers into loyal, long-term customers.
How to use chatbots for business and digital marketing
Integrate chatbots with messaging platforms. Chatbots are highly effective on messaging platforms like Slack and Messenger. While Slack chatbots are great for internal use with in-house staff, Facebook Messenger chatbots are more effective for business leads. You can also set up a chatbot with carefully scripted conversations built and integrated into your ecommerce store using the chatbot platform of your choice.
There are several considerations that go into chatbot integration. For example, where on the page should the chatbot be located, and will you give customers the option to connect to a live agent?
Engage customers post-sale. Aside from answering customer inquiries, chatbots can be used for outbound digital marketing through a more form of proactive customer engagement. For example, chatbots can send users follow-up chat messages after they’ve made an inquiry about a specific product or service. If they’ve already made a purchase, they can contact customers and make sure that they’re satisfied with their purchase. Chatbots can also encourage customers to post reviews or to tag the business on social media posts featuring the product.
Announce new launches and offers. Chatbots can widen your reach when it comes to business promotions by announcing new offers, product launches, sales, discounts, company updates, and more. Informing customers of these promotions via Messenger can make business announcements feel more personal. It also keeps customers in the loop, making them feel included. If they have yet to become paying customers, sending offers and discounts might convert them.
Program chatbots to collect data. Chatbots can be programmed to provide valuable metrics for customer engagement levels, brand mentions, lead generation, conversions, and more. While interacting with customers, for instance, they can collect data, keep tabs on buying patterns, and monitor customer behaviour.
With this data, you can gain insight into consumers’ mindset and buying behaviours. This can help you understand the market value of your product and develop your digital marketing strategies accordingly.
Work with Contevo today. If you want to use chatbots for business, but don’t know where to start, Contevo is here to assist you. We’re a digital agency with more than 15 years’ experience in digital marketing. Visit our Melbourne office, or call us for a consultation.
