Responding to consumers in real time is the cornerstone of conversational marketing, leading businesses around the world to implement tools driven by artificial intelligence (AI) as part of their customer outreach. Taking a more personalized and interactive approach to automated communication makes it easier for businesses to guide consumers toward specialized solutions that will meet their needs.
Success with conversational marketing can be achieved using many different methodologies. Here, 12 experts from Forbes Agency Council talk about the most creative conversational marketing strategies they’ve seen employed successfully, demonstrating how well AI can support business goals.
1. Leverage Chatbots For 24/7 Service
The best example of AI being used to help customers in real time is the advent of the chatbot. This simple bit of code can make your customers feel like they are chatting with a real person at any time of day, and it is sophisticated enough to solve most problems. If it can’t, it can get the customer in touch with someone who can. A chatbot is like a customer service rep that works 24 hours a day. – Jason Hall, FiveChannels Marketing
2. Increase On-Site Engagement And Conversions
You can use chatbots to increase engagement on your website, encourage conversion and direct visitors to take the required call to action based on their queries or requirements. This will ultimately improve the overall user experience and increase conversions from the website. – Ajay Prasad, GMR Web Team
3. Use An AI-Driven Gift Guide Or Product Finder
As conversational marketing and the desire for more personalized interactions with brands are growing daily, chatbots have become a must-have for brands. One of the most creative and impactful ways brands can leverage an AI-driven chatbot is by using it as a gift guide or product finder, where the consumer answers a few relevant questions and is then presented with the best options. – JP Johl, AdTribute
4. Give Automated Conversations A Human Touch
The most successful AI-driven conversational marketing is both targeted and specific. When a consumer is viewing an item on a website, an AI assistant can start a conversation by mentioning that specific product and inquiring whether the consumer has questions or needs help comparing products. The customer will feel more of a human touch, increasing the chance of that lead converting to a sale. – Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, Hawthorne LLC
5. Filter And Respond To Inbound Messages
AI-driven conversational marketing can definitely help companies engage with and respond to customers in real time. One creative way we successfully apply conversational marketing is by automating real-time responses to inbound messages on social media and websites. We create chat flows that help filter inbound inquiries and facilitate in getting customers the solution they seek. – Jonathan Durante, Expandify Marketing Inc
6. Communicate On A One-To-One Basis
The best thing about AI-driven conversational marketing is the ability to communicate on a one-to-one basis. For instance, I’ve used a behavior-driven algorithm that combines location data with implicit and explicit behavioral patterns. When a pattern is recognized, a personalized communication is sent to that individual. – Roger Hurni, Off Madison Ave
7. Spike Awareness As A Differentiator
Sleep experts at a mattress company created a late-night chatbot designed to keep you company when you just can’t sleep. On its own, the tool creates a solid PR moment to spike awareness as a differentiator. But it also has evergreen possibilities when people share their conversations on social media well after the bot’s initial debut. – Kathleen Lucente, Red Fan Communications
8. Engage Via Text-Based Conversations
A great application is text message-based conversational marketing. This underutilized channel is often overlooked because it is tied to different restrictions than others are. However, if used correctly, it can be a powerful way to speak to your customer in real time. – Corbett Drummey, Popular Pays
9. Take A Help-First Approach To Online Sales
I recently visited a site to get a new skin for my phone, and the conversational marketing chat prompt not only welcomed me back by name, but also asked if I was “still using a OnePlus 7” device. This was helpful because, when I clicked “yes,” I was directed to the latest skins for my device. The goal may have been to sell a product, but because they used a help-first approach, I almost forgot. – Bernard May, National Positions
10. Capture Real-Time Feedback To Scale CX And Drive Campaigns
Capturing real-time feedback using sentiment analysis and then routing potential problems or opportunities to the appropriate human is an easy way to efficiently use AI to scale customer experience. Over time, these datasets can be used to build segments within paid and email channels for win-back or loyalty campaigns, using the voice of the customer to drive creative and copy. – Jacob Cook, Tadpull
11. Listen To Potential Customers Across Social Media
We have used AI and big data analytics to listen to business leaders across social media in order to understand their confidence level in their business or industry. This information has been pivotal in understanding what solutions business leaders are looking for, which has allowed us to create relevant content and service offerings. – Stefan Pollack, The Pollack Group
