Why does your brand need conversational marketing?

What is conversational marketing? Does it work?

Customer-centric and dialogue-driven is the essence of conversational marketing. Conversational marketing is based on 1-to-1 interactions in real-time across multiple channels. A conversational marketing strategy can utilize any form of two-way communication (phone, email, chat).

In conversational marketing, it's essential to assess and understand what channels are most preferred by your customers and to use the tone of voice that reflects that - for example typically, chatbots and live chat mimic casual in-person conversations and mimic an informal tone of voice. Whereas an email, or social post might have a slightly different tone depending on the channel.

Quick stats:

• 82% of consumers claim that instant responses to their questions are critical when contacting brands. (Business 2 Community)
• 69% of consumers prefer to use chatbots because they provide instant responses. (Salesforce)
• 40% of web users don't care if they are served by a bot or a human agent as long as they get the customer support services they need. (HubSpot)

A conversational marketing strategy is a must for your website.

There is now an easier way to engage in conversational marketing thanks to chatbots in particular. As a communication channel, chatbots play a big role in conversational marketing. The reason for this is that chatbots are conversational in nature and mimic face-to-face interactions.

With conversational marketing, chatbots can automate the process of gathering data, providing product information, and further qualifying leads. There is no denying that chatbots are becoming more and more common on websites and social media platforms. This is bound to raise expectations for customers. Bots need to demonstrate that they are efficient in communicating and providing information that customers find valuable.

Always continue to iterate and understand the tone that best supports the needs of the customer. When done well this conversational marketing strategy will lead to solid growth.

What is conversational advertising?

Advertising that is conversational is, at its core, based on the idea that you can provide a unique experience to each consumer from the very beginning of your funnel. With the popularity of messaging and the advent of new AI technology, advertising itself has taken steps to create one-to-one connections that marketers have been striving for a long time.

Brands measure advertising in a variety of ways depending on the tactic: impact on brand awareness, click-through rates, cost-per-click, total views, viewability and an endless number of KPIs that indicate how engaging, informative, and effective their campaigns are at converting consumers and improving revenue. Conversational advertising is becoming more and more valuable is brands dial in what that typical conversation looks like.

How to have conversations at scale with email?

Inbound marketing is a "pull" strategy for attracting customers through their preferred channels. In contrast, conversational marketing involves actually conversing with customers on these channels.

A conversational email starts a discussion with an existing lead/contact on a specific topic. Your target market can be reached quickly without seeming pushy, and good quality CTAs will encourage people to respond to the email. These can be as simple as "We can't wait to hear back from you!", or "Schedule a time now".

So no matter how you approach conversational marketing it all comes down understanding what channels are most preferred by your customers and to use the tone of voice that reflects that.

Additional reading:

• Just starting out? Take a look at this beginners guide to conversational marketing.
• Honing your skills and improving marketing your strategy.
• The Complete Guide to Conversational Marketing - IBM