Chatbots are basically a type of software program designed specifically to engage with online users. They are built in a way to automatically interact with human users via different mediums such as a website chat window, SMS texts, social media platforms, etc.
Table of Contents
How are Chatbots Useful?
It is quite common for brands to use Chatbots in Digital Marketing to grow their sales.
There are a number of good reasons why businesses adopt this strategy. But most important, it is because of their ability to communicate 24/7 with people.
In business, communication is everything. Chatbots are helpful in providing general help to interested buyers. They can remain active round the clock and be of value to customers.
Chatbots can be of assistance by answering potential customers’ queries, connecting them to a human customer service representative, resolving issues/concerns, and so on. Other important benefits of Chatbots are:
- Smooth Customer Journey: Chatbots can make it convenient and effortless for your brand to move your customer through your sales funnel.
- Better Team Performance: Chatbots can assist your team by streamlining and automating the brand’s instant response systems. They can hold them accountable and keep everything organized.
- Gather Customers’ Feedback: Chatbots are also helpful in collecting data on your customers, i.e. their feedback regarding your business, thus giving you an opportunity to analyze and monitor.
Learn social media tactics to increase brand awareness: How Can Social Media Marketing Increase Brand Awareness?
How to Get Started with Chatbots?
Follow the following steps to get a good start with chat bots;
Set a Goal
The first step to getting started with Chatbot software is to take some time and define specific goals. What are you trying to achieve here for your customer? Do you want to generate more leads? Do you want to provide better quality customer service?
If possible, collaborate with your social media and website teams to set one goal at a time and make it the basis of your next step.
Select Platforms
Choose the right platforms for digital marketing and introduce Chatbots there. Be aware of your targeted audience and where they are the most active.
Keep in mind that your audience on different platforms may need different messaging to fully engage with your brand.
For example, a customer seeing your business on social media for the first time may not know much about it. However, a website visitor is probably someone who already knows your brand fairly well.
Your Chatbot messaging should be in accordance with this.
Give Your Bot a Personality
Make sure that you invest time and energy into really shaping your bot’s messaging tone, content, as well as its overall personality.
Try to make the interactions as “human-like” as possible.
Social Platform Chatbots
Social media has over 4.48 billion active users as of the year 2021, so it is no surprise that businesses use social media Chatbots to facilitate client communication on there.
For example, WhatsApp alone has 1.3 billion users worldwide and Chatbots are proving advantageous for businesses that communicate with customers through WhatsApp Business.
Site Chatbots
Have you noticed pop-up chats offering to assist you whenever you visit a new site? This is called a website Chatbot.
Website Chatbots are a huge upgrade from the “live chat” site features of the past, and they have proved to be efficient by handling clients one-on-one.
Best Chatbots of All Time
H&M’s bots are some of the smartest in the retail industry. The Chatbot can show clothing options according to the customer’s preferences or show another option in case you dislike the shown options.
Adidas Women also saves big on operational costs – thanks to intelligent AI technology. The company’s Chatbots are really interactive and are available at all hours to assist customers.
Companies like CNN, Sephora, and Dominos also have great Chatbot integrations.
Use this guide to create a busget for your marketing campaigns: Your Go-To Guide to Digital Marketing Budgeting for 2024.
Best Chatbot Applications
There are some great Chatbot applications for business owners to get started. Tidio is one such application. It is a no-code, customizable Chatbot application for brands to use.
Other great examples include Drift, Wati, and Chatfuel.
Conclusion
Chatbots can be highly lucrative in digital marketing, which is why our digital marketing agency offers Chatbot integration services at competitive prices.