Conversational Marketing has been proven to be one of the fastest ways to move buyers along the sales funnel from top to bottom. All through the power of real-time conversations.
This type of marketing builds relationships and creates authentic experiences with customers and buyers.
But do you know exactly what Conversational Marketing is all about? Do you know why it is being used more and more? Do you know its main mechanisms and tools?
If you have any questions about the subject or want to know in more detail, then this text is for you!
After all, what is Conversational Marketing?
Conversational Marketing is a method of engaging and converting leads through dialogue-oriented activities. It is from this dialogue that the term “conversational” (derives from “conversation”) comes.
This model of Inbound Marketing focuses on interactions with the consumer, not just the one-way transmission of the brand. That is, in addition to receiving information, the customer also sends it, establishing a dialogue with the company.
Conversational Marketing aims to create consumer relationships by building trust through conversations and improving the user experience. It is also a way to solve various problems and facilitate the purchase of the product or service.
In this way, Conversational Marketing is a method of engaging with web visitors and converting leads through dialogue-oriented activities. Therefore, it is a tool that seeks to connect marketing activities with the sales team.
Although not mandatory, the use of an already structured online platform is recommended. Thus, the information will always be in pre-established locations and the user will have a smoother journey through the funnel.
This smooth journey is achieved through mechanisms that facilitate communication between company and consumer. It is important to give the consumer the possibility to express themselves however they want. Apps and tools like WhatsApp, SMS, social media and even phone calls are widely used for this purpose.
What is a Conversational Marketing Solution like?
A Conversational Marketing strategy is built on a set of solutions capable of reaching and engaging your website visitors. A typical solution might contain the following elements:
conversation starter
You know that message that appears in the lower right corner of your screen when you enter a website? So this is the conversation starter. It serves to encourage visitors to interact with the company. The button appears along with a message that can be fully customized. Thus, the visitor can click and be directed to a page or product that will solve their question.
Lead capture tools
After clicking on the start of the conversation, users enter a short dialog with a lead capture tool such as a chatbot. It is in this process that the chatbot will ask a series of simple questions in real time to understand if the user needs customer support, sales assistance or if they are looking to complete a transaction. This is a good opportunity to bring in some personalization and make the visitor feel like they are really talking to the brand.
The chatbot qualifies the leads and completes the sales process (in the case of a simple purchase intent). Or take the user to the right collaborator to handle more complex questions and requests. In general, the chatbot is linked to a social media account, but its use can also occur unlinked to external channels.
The idea is to segment sales as quickly as possible, adding value to the user. With this, the user will be able to complete transactions more quickly and reach a specialist in the sales team without having to change their communication channel.
live messenger
Qualified leads are then put in contact with a member of the sales team. The Conversational Marketing platform should provide the team with notes on user eligibility and answers to questions asked.
This is where the real value is added. Sales reps or call center agents must be able to guide users through the options in order to build the qualified lead's trust into a customer.
Live video streaming
Arguably the most challenging aspect of a Conversational Marketing solution is capturing visitors and turning them into qualified leads. Sophisticated solutions allow sales staff to broadcast live product demos or conduct real-time Q&A.
This means that the conversation starter gives users the chance to participate in the broadcast and interact with the presenters simultaneously.
Just like the other mechanisms, this one can also be shared on social media and other marketing channels.
Why do you need Conversational Marketing?
Many difficulties (and even problems) involving marketing activities ended up leading the solutions to this new development. But in a nutshell, we can say that Conversational Marketing has become necessary today simply because people are demanding more.
Most companies would agree that their customer base wants more from their services and products. And want to have a better shopping experience.
Um Forrester study suggested that 87% of companies know that a traditional shopping experience is no longer enough to satisfy their customers. Conversational Marketing is a response to this demand for a better experience in the digital age.
Conversational Marketing is not just a buzzword
Um Gartner's 2018 report on digital marketing and advertising points out that Conversational Marketing is increasingly present in the vocabulary of marketing professionals, including managers and decision makers. Furthermore, the calls early adopters (companies that like to use new technologies) can benefit greatly from this.
Conversational Marketing is particularly powerful for complex or high-involvement purchases like financial products, luxury cars and travel.
Customer experience is as important as the product
The world of commerce has never been more competitive. Furthermore, the growth of the internet has brought with it a wave of cheaper alternative products and services to capture market share from established brands.
This means that the consumer now has more choices and also that many products and services look extremely similar, evidencing that the shopping experience now plays a much more important role.
However, as several surveys point out, a huge slice of consumers would consider opting for an alternative brand if the shopping experience was better. This means that today's consumers prefer services and products where the process is easier, more fluid and faster. Furthermore, Conversational Marketing helps to produce this.
Consumers want to send you a message
Um 2019 Study found that most consumers actually want to message businesses. That is, we customers not only want to send a message to the company (as we used to do with emails), but also to receive a response in real time.
However, traditional web forms go against this understanding. This is exactly why page abandon rates are so high, with an average conversion per landing page spinning. around 2,3%.
A page that only has a lead capture form is completely out of date. It's like expecting that at the time of Netflix you open a video store imagining that movie lovers will rent physical media...
Conversational Marketing Drives Sales Through Dialogue
Conversational Marketing is the platform and technology used to engage, qualify and convert leads who want unassisted sales. however, it's basically the way you can find out exactly what your users want, understand their pain points, and give them the appropriate service in real time.
For potential customers who need further assistance or have questions, they are put in touch with a team member. For a Conversational Marketing strategy to work, the concept of dialogue must not stop after qualification. It should also be implemented in the sales team and among the relevant stakeholders. Title:
“Conversational sales” is what happens within the platform between the lead and the team member — and it’s a crucial part of the customer journey.
Hybrid sales platform
In many ways, a conversational approach comes more naturally to salespeople than marketers. in this way, that means getting your sales team to do presentations and video calls.
That way, we can avoid a disconnect between the online marketing experience and what a lead might have while on the sales team. If it's well connected, it will create a smooth shopping experience and help you bring customers to your business faster. And with lower lead generation cost.
