Chatbots - How AI Can Work for You | Parua Digital
We've all been on a website and seen a chat box pop up in the corner, usually asking us if we have any questions or need any help. Sometimes these are manned by real people, but more often than not these are, to begin with at least, operated by artificial intelligence, commonly called a “chatbot”. These chatbots are programmed to respond to common queries and direct the user to the right place to answer their question. Chats are frequently used as a customer service tool although they can be leveraged as a marketing tool too.
Chatbots can also be used on Facebook, and other social media platforms like Instagram, to engage with people who are on a business page or post. These can also be pre-loaded with various scripts which depend on the demographic profile of the user, meaning your messages can be closely targeted and personalised to each user, which makes the whole experience feel more authentic. Added to this is the fact that people naturally feel more engaged during a conversation than a one-way fact finding exercise. This makes a very compelling argument for using online chats as a way of growing your business.
If you're new to the idea of using AI and chatbots as a marketing or lead generation tool then start small. One easy way to grow your email list and pre-qualify leads is to use a chat window to offer website visitors something of use, perhaps a whitepaper or some research you have conducted?Your chat should greet the website visitor and ask if they want to receive a free copy of your report or paper if they submit their email address. One US based marketing company did just that, and found that over 98% of the chatbot messages were opened and read.86% of people who opened and read the message submitted their email address, instantly adding thousands of records to their lead database.
Using Facebook Messenger to engage potential customers with your AI can be even more personal than using a bot hosted on your own site.As we said, responses can be tailored to the information that Facebook already has about that person, making them more likely to engage and be interested in the content of the chat, as they feel it is relevant to them personally. Good examples include flight providers who can tailor their offers to your location, or awareness raising campaigns which ask those who engage with the content to share it with their personal network through Messenger. This technique was used to great effect by On Spot Automation, who used chat marketing with a giveaway hook to grow their email list, adding people who had personally been contacted by a friend of theirs in order to gain another entry into the giveaway promotion. This unique example combines AI with word-of-mouth marketing.
Setting up the message sequence requires some imagination and testing to create a compelling sequence of messages which keep the lead engaged without asking too much of them at this initial stage. You need to understand where your potential customers are in their purchase journey, (information that can be gleaned from the chat messages) and where you want them to end up. Do you want to convert quickly or are you looking to raise awareness and grow brand engagement? What is the next stage of the customer journey after they have engaged with your chatbot?Understanding the details at every stage makes your chatbot campaign much more likely to succeed.
If you have a high volume of web traffic but you're struggling to convert this into enquiries and leads a chatbot is a great idea, engaging potential customers into their purchase journey right from the start without you having to lift a finger. You'll then be dealing with pre-qualified leads rather than attempting to convert from a cold lead. Chatbots are going to become more widely used as AI becomes more sophisticated, so if you want to be ahead of your competitors start your chatbot journey today.
