While inbound marketing has long emphasized the importance of initiating a dialogue with prospects rather than one-way communication, we are now entering the era of Inbound 2.0, which emphasizes two-way communication. As marketers and sales professionals develop new strategies for targeting leads and customers, they look for tools that allow them to communicate directly with prospects and customers – a practice known as conversational marketing. How does conversational marketing work and why should you use it for your own business – these are two important questions that need to be answered.
WHAT IS DIALOGUE MARKETING AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
With the rapid development of technology, our communication methods and response times are also evolving at a rapid pace. The fact that we’re constantly connected to friends and family via apps and smartphones has changed our expectations of the speed at which we should receive answers. As we live in an age of instant gratification, consumers expect to get answers to questions or information as quickly and effortlessly as possible. Brands have had to adapt to serve customers and prospects in this way, because fast communication is now considered a hallmark of a positive user experience .
Thanks to conversational marketing, consumers can now communicate with companies in real time, just as they do with their friends and family. It all started with people interacting with companies on social media, with brands being praised for their quick response to crises. We have now arrived in the age of real-time communication. In the field of business-to-business technology, it is crucial that companies are willing to help their website visitors in any way they can.
WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT TODAY?
For some companies, however, this can be a daunting task. Demanding an immediate response can seem intimidating, but it can mean the difference between closing a deal and losing a prospect forever. As we discussed earlier, the customer experience is becoming increasingly important to many consumers, and the ability to communicate with a business prior to a purchase is becoming increasingly important to that experience.
Accessibility and transparency towards customers are important, but they are not the only factors to consider. Conversational marketing is also beneficial for brands because it allows them to get real-time information about their customers and prospects. What are the characteristics of the people who participate in chats and messaging? Is it possible to find out the most frequently asked questions and create content on your website to answer them in the future? What are your prospects’ most pressing problems and how can you best help them with products and services?
WHY SHOULD YOU CONSIDER GETTING STARTED?
Growing businesses may not always be able to be reachable 24/7. While it’s unlikely you’ll be able to employ customer service reps who talk to customers 24/7, there are a plethora of new tools available to keep lines of communication open.
During business hours, live chat is an excellent tool for engaging with potential customers. It shows potential customers that a real human is available to answer their questions and discuss their requirements. It can support your branding by giving a face to your business and showing that you care about solving problems for your prospects and customers.
When a real person is not available to engage with customers, chatbots can bridge the communication gap. You can write artificial intelligence messaging programs to answer specific questions from your customers. As their popularity increases, so does the public’s willingness to use chatbots and see them as a viable alternative when a human is unavailable. It goes without saying that immediate engagement, rather than leaving a message in the inbox until the next business day (or longer), will make a significant difference in your brand’s overall user experience.
Conversational marketing doesn’t have to be a new, costly, and time-consuming endeavor as there are a variety of ways to get involved in conversational marketing. Also, keep in mind that responding promptly will increase your lead-to-customer conversion rate because you respond promptly and put the customer first. A small investment in improving customer retention can pay off in the form of new and even returning customers. Technology and consumer behavior are constantly changing, and it is now crucial for businesses to keep up with the latest trends in order to remain competitive and prosper.
The goal of inbound marketing has always been to put the customer’s needs first, and with the advent of conversational marketing, this becomes even more important. In today’s world, being able to connect and be available to your prospects and customers is critical to providing a great customer experience. When you take advantage of the new tools available for open, real-time communication, you’ll find that conversational marketing is also an effective and important part of your marketing and sales strategy.
How can you benefit from conversational marketing in your company? We would be happy to advise you.
