There’s lots of debate over whether chatbots are worth the investment in your digital marketing strategy. While some point to a rapid upsurge in leads as a result of using bots, others are cautious about relying on them too heavily.
We’ve compiled a list of some of the main reasons marketers are using bots in their digital marketing strategy. To help you decide whether bots are right for you, we’ve also included the pros and cons of each.
1) Collecting data
Companies across all industries are using data analytics to learn more about their customers. While there are lots of different ways companies collect customer data, one way you can do it is by using chatbots on Facebook Messenger or other messaging platforms.
As strange as it might seem, people are more likely to open up to strangers (or, in this case, bots) if they receive a private message. Use bots to send friendly, unintrusive messages and to find out customer interests and needs. Sophisticated bots can even analyze the emotions users might be feeling based on the context and the words they use.
Pros:
- You get the customer data that’s so valuable to targeting the right leads and guiding your customers through the sales funnel.
Cons:
- If your strategy lacks subtlety or is too aggressive about gathering user information, users could be deterred from your brand.
2) Customizing for your users
These days, personalization for different customer types is both trendy and effective. Just as marketers are customizing ads to target them to the right users, they’re also using bots to personalize the customer experience.
Based on the user data you collect, your bots can deliver users an experience that feels personal. For example, you might use a chatbot to ask which types of articles a user likes to read, and then show that user an article it thinks she’ll like. Or it might ask what their food preferences are so that it can suggest relevant restaurants.
Regardless of what products you offer, the point is that you can’t just take their personal information; to make them happy, you also have to give them value in return.
Pros:
- You’ll please users by giving them extra value, while gaining further information about potential customers.
Cons:
- If the way your bot asks questions isn’t friendly, light, and fun, users could get creeped out by all the personal questions.
3) Improving customer service
One way marketers successfully use bots is to improve their company’s customer service. This is where chatbots come in handy. By consistently checking in with your customers via a messenger app or your own website, chatbots can help customers feel valued, appreciated, and taken care of.
Chatbots can ensure regular communication with customers, which is crucial for driving leads, retaining existing customers, and increasing engagement with your brand. They also let brands interact directly with customers, giving them a personalized experience that feels like friendly conversation rather than aggressive marketing.
Pros:
- When you offer customers good service, you bring them the value that drives customer loyalty and retention.
Cons:
- If you don’t put effort into checking your grammar and developing the right tone, you could come across as annoying or intrusive rather than friendly and helpful.
4) Communicating with website visitors
Just as marketers are using chatbots to engage customers and leads in conversations, they’re also using them to communicate with site visitors and address customer questions about their product or service.
Potential customer might be driven away if they can’t immediately find the answers they’re looking for on your site, or if they’re struggling to understand your company’s product or service. If you have a small customer support team, site visitors might not have the patience to wait for a rep to answer their questions. Being able to live chat with a bot and get instant answers can keep customers browsing on your site.
Pros:
- You can please potential customers by offering them immediate responses to their questions and concerns.
Cons:
- If your chat bot isn’t sophisticated enough to be genuinely helpful and address specific customer needs, the lack of proper answers could only end up frustrating potential customers.
5) Qualifying your leads
In addition to using bots for market research, many companies are successfully using bots to help them qualify their leads. People aren’t likely to become customers as soon as they become leads; instead, leads require quite a bit of nurturing before they’re ready to buy. Nurturing these leads can be exhausting, and bots can facilitate the process.
You can use a chatbot on your site that looks just like a normal live chat. Not only can the bot answer customer questions, but the bot can also ask questions as a way of helping customers determine which product or service is best for them. Based on customer pain points and needs, the bot can then help marketers figure out exactly where those leads are in the sales funnel.
Pros:
- You can couple your live chat service with techniques that help you nurture your leads.
Cons:
- If your bots come across too aggressively in offering services to your leads, site visitors could think that your live chat is better for you than it is for them.
To bot or not to bot?
That is the question for all digital marketers. Still, there’s no one right answer to whether or not chatbots are worthwhile for your company. While you certainly shouldn’t rely on them as a marketing panacea, you should start adapting bots to help you with your marketing efforts. After all, solutions driven by artificial intelligence are the way of the future, and they’re rapidly being adopted by companies in all industries.
