What Is A Conversational Marketing Strategy?

Marketing today has changed from the traditional methods of the past. Marketing strategies to build awareness for products and services that once were the "go-to" in sales have quickly become outdated marketing techniques from past decades. There was a time when marketers’ ads were shared through newspapers, magazines, tv commercials, and mailers. These different advertising types are being replaced by an entire customer journey through experiences online. We have entered a digital form of communication such as online customer service, leaving marketing on billboards, and radio ads, a thing of the past.

Conversational Marketing Involves Obtaining Information Through Many Different Forms of Conversation Channels

The type of communication includes live chats, and social media, along with phone, email, and text interaction. A dialogue approach drives conversational marketing. It is an effective way to build a relationship with the customer.

Customer engagement is one of the most significant ways to increase sales. Customers want real-time conversations with personalized experiences in company brands. Over the years, digital sales have become personalized. Two way conversations between the consumer and the seller open opportunities to guide the sales funnels, answer questions, and quicken response times.

Get Personal with Consumers Using Conversational Marketing

Consumers today are savvy – they know when they're being advertised to. Potential customers do not want to feel like a "sale" when shopping. Studies show that genuinely building relationships and sharing information about products and services leads to brands growing in sales at a higher rate. Building consumer relationships through an effective conversational marketing strategy encourages the buyer to make informed, personal purchasing decisions.

Today's shoppers are research-heavy when it comes time to purchase. They are watching social media platforms, talking about products, and are seeing friends get results with these same products. They are researching these items on search engines. Using effective conversational marketing examples builds genuine relationships and trust. Using a conversational marketing approach to deliver the information the consumer wants opens up opportunities for better sales.

There are many ways to use a conversational marketing. Conversational marketing services have become a powerful tool to optimize the conversations in the channels that your audience prefers. In addition, it helps brands achieve increased authentic two-way conversations.

What is Conversational Marketing?

Many customers are looking to have conversations with brands over simple questions. They do not want to be referred to read the "Frequently Asked Questions”. Instead, they want fast responses through 24-hour conversational marketing software like chatbots and a quick turnaround in getting their services or products. Studies show blogs, forums, social media platforms, and digital channel ads have become the popular choice for marketing activities. Consumers want real-time interaction with company brands with real-time responses.

Being there for consumers when they need you is key to successful growth in sales. What sets apart mom and pop shops from the major corporations? They remember your name, the products you often buy, and even make small talk with you when you come into the shop. These smaller businesses do an excellent job of delivering a personalized customer service experience every time.

If your brand can do this via the web, you can turn customers into loyal fans and even brand advocates. In addition, conversational marketing allows you to focus your marketing efforts on creating a more personal customer experience. Finally, conversational marketing opens doors to access the analytical data, which will improve your marketing strategies.

Different Ways of Delivering a Personal Experience

How do brands deliver a personal experience? Many companies today are making a "personal experience" the top priority. Some examples of personal experiences could be:

• Brands emailing and texting prospects with special product deals related to their past purchases
• Specific emails can be sent to potential consumers who have been researching their brand
• A reminder can be sent to customers regarding items left in their digital shopping cart

Brands can use consumer search information to promote landing pages. While the consumer scrolls social media, pop-ups can show products they searched for the day before on Google. This natural experience beats sending an email blast to your entire subscriber list. Email blasts can be impersonal and often don't send the correct information consumers are looking to purchase. Delivering different ways of personal experience will help your brand connect with a potential sale.

Your conversational marketing rates can rise as you focus on the data you collect during each interaction people have with your brand. For example, the data can show the analytics for where they live in the world, their gender, purchase history, online search patterns, "favorite" or saved items, etcetera.

Marketers can use this data to personalize their offers to potential customers. They can also take this information to create lead questions in the chatbot, scripts for social media marketing, or follow-up emails. Conversational marketing is a must if you are ready to take your marketing to the next level.

The Tools in Digital Marketing to Lead in Engaging Interaction

Over the past years, conversational marketing has taken on many different definitions—the term and concept were created by the company Drift. David Cancel, CEO, and co-founder of Drift, states, "We founded Drift because we recognized that we were going through a paradigm shift. We were moving from a world where the company controlled the buying process — to one in which the buyer was in control. This is even more true now — and we're just getting started."

Statistically, we think of conversational marketing as just that, conversations. Thankfully, with so many different personalities and consumer needs, online conversational marketing offers many routes to connect consumers and potential clients to the business. Consumers and website visitors can talk to an influencer on social media, live agent by the chatbot on websites, connect through email, text, or even make virtual appointments. Links can be scattered throughout social media platforms, landing pages, and websites. SMS, DMs, or IMs are available on almost all forms of online marketing.

Of course, there is a large drive toward more popular and successful conversational marketing platforms. This type of marketing builds trust and relationships with clients allowing the businesses to engage on a deeper, more intimate target level. Potential customers here can have human interactions within social media channels. They can connect with social media influencers through posts, stories, or messaging apps, like Facebook Messenger.

Turning Virtual "Conversations" into Long-Lasting Relationships by Building Relationships on Social Media

The power of real-time conversations is first to build a relationship with your marketing audience. Studies show in a report from Social Media Examiner that businesses were able to increase exposure and traffic through social media conversational marketing, stating that exposure grew to 93%. In addition, it generated leads up to 74%, and sales improved by almost 25%.

Social media influencers are well within the sales funnel campaigns. Some believe influencers are at the bottom of the funnel, focusing on driving sales. Others believe influencers are top of the funnel by introducing your brand to new potential leads. An influencer's work is about the target audience, who will value and use your brand. Influencers can have a dialogue-driven approach to guide engagement and experience while growing revenue.

Utilizing influencers for an effective conversational marketing strategy has many wins. First, this type of work encourages the influencer to work hard. As influencers make sales for the company, the commission opportunities are heightened. As they answer questions and share information on all their channels, they also contribute to saving the business money in those past decade ads. This marketing strategy is genius! We know society doesn't like to be "sold to"; however, people scrolling through social media don't even recognize they are being sold to. They want to see what their social media “friends” are worried about, their joys, vacations, and watch their kids growing up. They enjoy how the influencer's family life looks and what products they use.

Conversational marketing through personal experience strategy marketing is a cost-effective way for business. Potential customers become intrigued! "I want to have what you have!" "I see your happy posts!" "I want that energy!" "You said I could do this!" Inspiring the people inspires the sale. It is the building of a relationship.

Influencers have codes and links to direct these potential customers back to their brand’s digital channels. Some potential customers will take it into their own hands and research, using search engines like Google to find more information. Once the potential customer reaches your website, either through Google or the influencer link, what kind of immediate responses are available to interact with on your landing page?

The Interaction on Your Online Store

Pop-ups for email marketing, contact information, and immediate response to customer service representatives using chatbots are all great solutions to lead the personalization through your sales funnel. However, to have a successful conversational marketing strategy, you must continue to build trust and a relationship with the consumer. Sharing prices too soon or pushing for a sale too quickly is a fast and easy way to lose them.

Just as trust was built with the influencer, trust can be created with potential customers by having customer support available. Customer support through chatbots is the best way to improve your inbound marketing. Smooth and engaging websites are a popular way to convert qualified prospects into today's consumers. Chatbots can make this the fastest way to guide your customers and support their journey through the sale.

Now that you have potential leads looking through your online store, you must use this new personalized approach to move your qualified leads through your sales funnel with real-time conversations using conversational AI (artificial intelligence). Conversational AI uses intentional and natural language with chatbots. Conversational AI can even have voice-assisted programs to be the ultimate guide through tons of different areas of your website. Utilizing the data from your conversational AI gives you the best chance at personalized customer data. Having personalized data allows you to understand better how to mold your campaigns and create goals for your future sales. Personalized data can also help how you follow up with the customer through email or text offers.

Conversational marketing chatbots are a powerful tool to help communication during the user's experience. Chatbots are a great way to give exact information, facts, and feedback so your website can help the customer through the sales funnel.

According to the Digital Marketing Institute, a new research fact states that by 2025, global chatbot marketing will reach $1.23 billion. Since 2020, we have seen a surge in chatbot use for customer service. Consumers have stated they prefer the use of chatbots. The Institute also claims that chatbots have improved consistent customer service by 75%.

Small businesses and large corporation business owners have decided to join in adding intelligent chatbots to their online stores. As a result, those businesses are finding their customer base is using fewer phone calls with their sales team and getting more questions answered with their bots. For example, online stores such as Sephora use their bot for "Sephora Color Match." This bot helps consumers select colors by using their camera to interact with the program to match swatches.

Pizza Hut uses messenger bots to consider the personality types of millennial customers and the older generation. Their chatbot can save previous answers from online orders, so when the customer returns, the bot can offer past preferences. Pizza Hut uses messenger bots to also take orders without the user having to download the app. This is an example of being mindful of the customer relationship and the customer's needs. These conversational marketing examples are skill level to human experiences and interactions; it feels personal. The use of AI allows restaurants and other local businesses to free up an internal sales rep that would typically be taking orders over the phone. Positive interaction with artificial intelligence that is quick and seamless will improve customer relationships with the sales team upon picking up the food.

One of the most popular chatbots is Fandango. Fandango's bot helps you book your movie. However, Fandango has taken this a step further and had their artificial intelligence work right through social media app Facebook Messenger. This chatbot technology is known for its user's experience to be easy. Users enjoy personalized information being sent to them through the Facebook Messenger app.

Artificial Intelligence Can Support the Company's Brand

Not long ago, the first artificial intelligence program was written in 1951 by Christopher Strachey. Vendors from all over the world now use many different conventional methods of artificial intelligence. Some people are afraid of successful digital, artificial intelligence. They worry that artificial intelligence will take away humans' jobs in an ever-changing economy. However, Harvard Business Review says successful digital marketers are not replacing human intelligence but augmenting a successful way forward. Artificial intelligence can support the company's brand by keeping a log of customers' needs. Astounding conversational marketing stats prove the benefits of having this type of marketing for your company's brand growth not only in online stores but also by placing orders by phone.

Conversational marketing works wonders for businesses large and small. Do you need help having meaningful conversations with your customers and prospects? Talk to one of our growth specialists at gardenpatch today!