From writing letters and carrier pigeons to “leave a message after the beep”, the days of waiting days or weeks to hear from someone are long gone. Conversations are happening all around. And while technology has changed the way we communicate, the core elements of communication have stayed the same. People naturally want conversations to be helpful, personal and understanding. Now, technology lets us do this much differently. That’s what makes conversational marketing so powerful. 

What is Conversational Marketing? 

Conversational marketing is a strategy that engages and builds relationships with customers in real-time. It leverages chatbots, live chats and social media messaging to interact with customers conversationally. It allows your audience to ask questions, get advice and receive personalized recommendations that seem human-like.  

How Does it Work? 

Real-Time Engagement 

Businesses communicate with customers in real-time through chat support, messenger or live chatbots, delivering immediate answers.  

Personalization 

Companies gather information from their customers and tailor responses and suggestions according to each individual’s preferences.  

Multi-Channel 

Reach can be made through a variety of platforms, from websites and social media to messaging apps and email.  

Automation 

Chatbots and AI usually handle routine inquiries and direct customers to the correct menu or to human support.  

Why Does it Matter? 

Marketing is all about communication – it’s what connects businesses to their customers. And yet, traditional marketing tends to be a one-way street, lacking the back and forth that makes communication effective.  

Engage on Social Media 

Instead of placing an ad on a billboard, a conversational approach on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn encourages customers to interact and respond, helping you have a deeper understanding of what your customers need.  

Humanizes the Brand 

When meaningful conversations happen, it shows that your business is more than just a corporate entity – it’s more of a group of people who care about their customers. Human touch can be the differentiator between you and the competition. Customers are most drawn to brands that are approachable and relatable.  

Improved Customer Relationships 

The goal is to turn shoppers into customers and customers into brand ambassadors, right? With the many chat tools available today, brands can customize interactions and respond quickly and efficiently. This builds trust and improves the overall experience for your customers, thus making them want to choose your brand every time.  

The most important things to focus on when it comes to conversational marketing are the channel, the conversation and how the strategy of implementation fits into your marketing plan. Don’t have a marketing plan yet or aren’t sure how to write one? We’ve got you covered in our recent blog post about writing a marketing plan.  

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become linked to customer experience in the modern business world. Let’s take a closer look at how. 

What is AI Customer Experience? 

AI customer experience is the practice of using AI technology – like chatbots and machine learning – to make every customer touchpoint as seamless and hassle-free as possible. Below are a few ways this technology can improve your buyer’s journey.  

24/7 Customer Support 

AI provides the advantage of giving your customers 24/7 assistance. According to customer service professionals, this is the most significant benefit of AI. When customers ask questions, chatbots can recommend help articles, guides and other resources they may find helpful. While many believe that AI chatbots are replacing humans, they’re actually working together to complete repetitive tasks and expedite workflows. AI can help answer simple questions while humans are able to spend more of their time resolving complex issues.  

Reduce Errors 

When things are manually handled, there is bound to be a mistake made. Whether it’s a typo or forgetting to include important information, we are only human. AI can minimize human error by capturing customers’ details automatically. It can also help make more accurate predictions about customer churn, offer personalized recommendations and better anticipate customers’ needs.  

Boost Sales 

AI makes it easier to alert customers with upcoming deals, offers, new products and anything else that encourages them to buy. Let’s say a customer is using a chatbot to learn more about your company’s products or services before making a purchase. Based on how the customer is answering questions, the bot could highlight certain promotions or upgraded features that would be a good fit for their needs. This conversation comes across more naturally and feels less like an up-sell and more like a genuine recommendation.  

Reroute Requests to the Right Agents 

Smooth background operations help deliver top-tier customer experiences. AI uses keywords found in messages and calls to direct the customer in the right direction to the right agent. This is called “skills-based routing.” You can define your algorithm to be as unique and elaborate as you want. Some examples would be based off time zones, working hours, languages spoken or department. This creates a seamless and more positive experience for the customer.  

Combining customer experience management and AI enables your businesses to curate the entire customer journey. Good account management makes customers feel valued, leading to better customer experiences. If you’re looking to improve how your customers feel after engaging with you, consider implementing AI technology into your daily operations.