Digital marketing has drastically changed the way businesses operate, both for the better and the worse. While the explosion of social media and technology means increased exposure and conversions for your small business, it also means more work and time needed to take advantage of it all. Fortunately, you can lighten your workload by utilizing artificial intelligence.
Chatbots are one of the latest trends that businesses are adopting because they have a wide range of uses and significantly reduce redundant time and expenses. With more and more businesses using this technology, chatbot marketing now plays a key role in their digital tactics. Having a purposeful, well-developed chatbot marketing strategy will increase your lead generation, boost conversions, and streamline the customer’s experience.
To help you build a solid marketing strategy, we’ve gathered a comprehensive list of chatbot tips that you can try immediately.
Gather information from your team or search online forums for questions related to your business. Also, use social media to ask people what questions they have/had when browsing your website, looking at your products, etc. Asking them directly shows that you value their opinions and are actively improving their business experience.
Develop a flowchart of answers based on specific questions that a user may ask. This will build a comprehensive tree with various conversation branches. Without a well-made flowchart, the chatbot will have a harder time delivering the right answer.
Access stored data of the user, such as name and location, to personalize their experience with the chatbot. It can also increase conversions by streamlining the payment process and allowing visitors to pay for products without leaving the chat itself.
Chatbots can only go so far, so include a live chat feature for more complex problems or for users who want to speak with real customer representatives. This provides a great balance so your support staff aren’t overworked and made to answer the same questions repeatedly.
Like their email counterparts, chatbot newsletters are great for lead nurturing and conversions because they increase the time people spend on your platforms and continually remind them about what your business offers. They’re also great for promoting discounts and limited-time deals.
Keep an eye on the effectiveness of your bot to know how well it’s performing and whether you need to make any adjustments. If there’s low chatbot activity, too few visitors signing up for your newsletter, or your live support agents are receiving too many basic queries, these are signs to improve your chatbot.
Adding too many features will bloat your chatbot and minimize its effectiveness. Develop your bot so that it masters one or two tasks rather than ten. Start small, then build upon the chatbot’s abilities over time.
If you’re struggling to build a chatbot or you can’t hire a professional, consider joining community groups designed to support you. With tons of other companies building their own bots, you’ll find answers to your questions, learn new things, and connect with fellow business owners.
Once you’ve developed your chatbot, consider using automation tools to help minimize the work required to maintain it. For example, Zapier links your apps so that you can easily transfer information between them.
If you already have an extensive FAQ section, add the questions there to your chatbot’s conversational flow so that you maximize its number of expressions and answers.
Think of your chatbot as an artificial customer representative. In the same way that real support agents act as a voice of your business, your chatbot must also present itself within your brand voice. For example, a chatbot for a law firm will likely have a more professional tone than a bot for a pizza company.
AI isn’t foolproof and will always need to be monitored so that the code runs well and the bot doesn’t accidentally say something you don’t want. Before launch, conduct internal test demonstrations and fix any mistakes or bugs. Be sure to run periodical tests after launch as well.
Not all users want to utilize your chatbot, so make sure it’s not popping up every time they click on a new page. Keep the chatbot visible but out of the way so that visitors know it’s there and can use it whenever they want to.
Similar to developing a great flowchart, make sure your chatbot gives only the right amount of information. Craft the wording so that it’s not too vague but also not too lengthy and drawn out.
A sound chatbot marketing tip is to allow visitors to specify their preferred language at the beginning. Not only will this provide tailored experiences, but it will also help you expand your global online reach and increase conversions and lead generation. Multilingual chatbots are especially useful in social media accounts.
An effective chatbot marketing strategy is to offer a menu of options the user can choose from when engaging with your bot. This can be as simple as a list of commonly asked questions.
Your chatbot shouldn’t only exist on your website. If you’ve established a social media presence, consider incorporating chatbots into them as well.
Chatbots can help you bring back prospects that initially abandoned your website before buying your product/service. For example, your Facebook Messenger bot can send a reminder about the service they were looking at and can also offer a time-sensitive discount code.
Don’t be afraid to promote the steps you’ve taken to improve your business’s user experience. Mention your new bot across social media, include a call to action on your website, or talk about it on your blog or email newsletter.
If you’re building the chatbot yourself or you’re not sure how to start, chatbot builders can make the process much easier by offering templates and other services.
For client-based businesses focused on lead nurturing and generation, consider developing questions that ask for the user’s name, email address, and/or phone number. This will create a list of leads that could then be followed up on.
Watch educational YouTube videos, take courses, join community groups, or read helpful articles to help you build a better chatbot and minimize potential errors.
Your chatbot won’t perform as well when faced with open-ended questions, so be sure to craft its conversational flow in a way that avoids this. For example, “how may I help you today?” is quite open-ended and the user’s response could confuse your bot.
Having specific codes that only your bot will promote means you can track its effectiveness by measuring how often those codes are used. It’s also a great way to entice people to use your bot if they get a code from it – resulting in more conversions.
Implement short surveys within your bot to improve your chatbot marketing strategy. For example, at the end of a chatbot conversation, the user is asked to rate the bot’s performance. Use this data to improve your bot over time.
If your business has a casual presentation, then consider adding visual components like emojis, GIFs, memes, or other media to retain interest and develop a more unique chatbot experience.
Your opening message plays a key role in your chatbot marketing strategy because it’s the first thing a user sees when engaging with the bot. Consider your business’s voice and objectives and base your message around that.
Within your chatbot, incorporate calls to action that direct the user to do something you want, such as inviting them to join your chatbot newsletter, hire your services, or follow you on social media.
Quick replies minimize the amount of time a user spends answering their questions and maximize their time spent buying from your business. Add quick reply options to streamline their chatbot experience.
Include a way to exit the artificial conversation or a structured set of questions by allowing the user to connect to a live support agent at any time.
AI technology is not perfect and chatbots will need consistent updating and reviewal, but the advantages they provide are well worth the tradeoff. Chatbot marketing boosts lead generation, improves visitor engagement, and supports remarketing. It also significantly lightens your workload and reduces the amount of time your team spends on redundant tasks – meaning a better team and customer experience all around.
The benefits of chatbots are vast and great, so take the time to incorporate the tips in this list, build a solid bot, and then relax knowing you’ve made a sound addition to your digital marketing strategy.
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