As the COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging the planet, marketing teams are discovering new tools for lead generation and retention.
Chatbot marketing has been around for a while. However, with millions of people spending long hours at home, this approach took on an entirely new meaning.
Consumers found a variety of benefits of doing their shopping, choosing, and researching online. This trend is here to stay long after COVID-19 ends. That’s why chatbots are becoming an integral part of the strategy for many growth marketing agencies.
Why Chatbot Marketing Will Gain Momentum After the COVID-19 Pandemic
Before the pandemic, chatbots and conversational marketing were already poised to be the next big thing for marketers. Thanks to recent events and the following shift to digital, the rise of the chatbot has been accelerated to hyperspeed.
Here are some key reasons why chatbots are becoming so valuable:
- Companies can increase their digital presence.
- Consumers discovered the advantages of online interaction over physical attendance.
- More people are spending time online, creating a fertile ground for digital marketing efforts.
- Technologies accommodate high demand and offer new AI functionality. Today, chatbots can answer many consumer questions and help streamline the sales process.
Benefits of Chatbot Marketing Post-COVID-19
Companies all over the world are losing money due to the limited functions of their brick-and-mortar locations. As businesses are migrating online, it’s hard to accommodate the influx of digital requests and the need for a personalized approach. That’s where chatbots come in.
1. Round-the-Clock Service
After the pandemic is over, many people will continue working from home. This generally entails a flexible schedule, which in turn changes consumers’ shopping habits time-wise. They may be looking for information late at night, early in the morning, during lunchtime, etc.
A chatbot is always available to provide advice and take the potential customer to the next stage of the sales funnel. This reduces the costs of your marketing efforts tremendously and saves you from losing warm leads.
2. Traffic Segmentation
A chatbot can be a full-fledged member of your marketing team. With users flooding the internet during and after the pandemic, you need to segment your traffic quickly. Otherwise, it’s easy to lose good leads and spend too much time on visitors without potential.
A chatbot can segment the incoming audience by taking the conversation in different directions. For example, when a user asks about the price, the bot can offer the information along with the option of buying within the chat. In case the client is “just looking”, the bot can provide useful details about products and services.
3. Instantaneous Reply
Impatience is the new consumer reality. People want things done fast even if they aren’t really pressed for time. A one-minute delay can cost you a warm lead.
A chatbot can take care of the potential client’s needs instantaneously. Even if the question is too complicated for the bot to handle, it will buy your sales or marketing rep time. Quick replies go a long way toward building trust and improving your brand image.
4. Analysis
The analysis is the pillar of any digital marketing campaign. Collecting data for analytics can be complicated and time-consuming. Chatbots gather valuable information as they work to provide clear and transparent data for further analysis.
This information doesn’t just improve the chatbot marketing strategy, it helps you tweak your business performance.
As a bonus, chatbots are excellent feedback collection tools. When consumers have an opportunity to leave feedback in the same chat they use for research and purchase, they are more likely to do it.
5. Lead Nurturing
Chatbots are an integral part of the lead nurturing strategy. They can move the potential clients down the marketing funnel so your sales reps have hot leads to work with.
By greeting the visitor and showing readiness to answer questions, chatbots are promoting interactions. These bots make sure that none of the leads is ever left waiting.
6. Proactive Approach
As the number of “just lookers” is rising, companies exercising a passive approach are losing out. By communicating with the audience AFTER it contacts you, you could be falling behind the competition.
A chatbot welcomes visitors when they arrive at the web page, demonstrating a proactive approach. Without it, you may never initiate a conversation with the customer.
7. Brand Image
Bots can do an impressive job making your business stand apart from the competition. All you have to do is give the program a little personality. A dash of humor can go a long way toward leaving a lasting impression.
Coupled with the 24/7 availability and quick problem solving, a personal touch can improve your brand image tremendously.
Chatbot Marketing Tips During the Pandemic and Beyond
These tips can help you boost your chatbot marketing campaign to acquire and retain clients after the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Ask for information — design your bot to ask for contact information during the interaction. A client is likelier to share the info within a chat than to fill out a contact form.
- Personalize your bot — a user feels more comfortable talking to Jane or Joe (picture recommended) than to a faceless “Hello, I’m a helpful chatbot” program.
- Promote the chatbot — make sure website visitors know about the chatbot. Include information about it in your promotional emails and social media posts.
- Test the chatbot — before launching the chatbot, ask friends and colleagues to chat with it. You may discover unexpected blunders.
- Don’t mix — for website pages aimed at low funnel visits, add a sales chatbot. For upper funnel pages, go with the marketing bot. Each chatbot should have a narrow specialization to avoid misunderstandings, which lead to low satisfaction levels.
- Exercise smart placement — putting chatbots on webpages with the content you want to be read or watched diverts the reader’s attention and ruins your initial marketing goal. Remove chatbots from lead generation landing pages, blogs, and “about us” pages.
Chatbot Marketing Is the Future
Chatbots reduce customer service costs, improve brand reputation, assist in lead generation, and much more. With the influx of internet users and the growing popularity of digital shopping, chatbots turn into a vital part of your marketing efforts.
As a Growth Marketing Agency, we explore the latest marketing solutions extensively. For more information about chatbot marketing and implementation, don’t hesitate to contact WEBITMD at any convenient time. Also, check the Demand for Agency Services During Covid-19 article for further reading.
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