In today’s digital age, customers crave two-way communication with the brands they choose to interact with. Gone are the days of static marketing messages – consumers expect personalized experiences and real-time engagement. This is where conversational marketing takes center stage.
Conversational marketing is all about fostering meaningful dialogues with your target audience. It’s the reason social media began and is often the one thing lacking in local businesses’ social media marketing. Imagine having a conversation with a potential customer, understanding their needs, and addressing them directly.
Well, you can if you would just respond to comments, Google reviews and messages. Other conversational marketing tools like chatbots and live chat features allow you to do that, on a larger scale, and throughout the customer journey. We’ve said it time and time again, if you’re not being social on social media, you’re wasting your money. In Atlantic Canada, you’d be better served attending all the in-person networking events.
Why Conversational Marketing Matters for Fredericton Businesses
Here in Fredericton, building strong relationships with your customers is key to success. Hell, in all of Atlantic Canada, that’s the key to long-term business success. People here want to know that you care about their business. They want to feel valued and if they are Gen Z, if they take the time to message you, you better respond quickly and authentically otherwise you’ll lose their engagement forever. Conversational marketing empowers you to do exactly that anytime, anywhere.
- Increased Engagement: Respond to customer inquiries instantly, answer questions, and provide support in real time. This personalized approach keeps your audience engaged and fosters trust. It’s said that up to 80% of people now EXPECT a response to their Facebook message within 24hrs. Respond within one hour and you’re golden.
- Lead Generation: Chatbots, when automated correctly, can qualify leads by asking targeted questions, allowing your sales team to focus on high-potential opportunities. It’s important to note that there are entire jobs now focusing on prompt generation for machine learning and automation tools, so tread carefully. An automatic message is great, but if it says “Thanks for reaching out to us.” And that’s it, it won’t sound very natural in response to “Can you tell me more about this product?”.
- 24/7 Availability: In the digital world, customers expect they can connect with you anytime, anywhere, removing the barrier of traditional business hours. Again, find ways to respond promptly and you’ll avoid stale conversations and annoying an audience into thinking you don’t care.
- Valuable Customer Insights: Conversations with customers provide a treasure trove of data on their needs, preferences, and pain points. Leverage this data to personalize your marketing efforts and improve overall customer experience. This will also help with customer retention, which is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of building a business. It can cost up to five times more to reach a new customer than it does to keep your loyal customers.
Conversational Marketing Tools for Fredericton Businesses:
- Chatbots: These AI-powered virtual assistants can answer frequently asked questions, provide product recommendations, and even schedule appointments. Just make sure you know which questions are being asked. If you’re unsure where to start, check your CRM (if you have one). Platforms such as HubSpot and Zoho already offer these features and they have the tools to teach you how to use them if you have the time.
- Live Chat: Connect with website visitors directly through a chat window, offering immediate support and personalized guidance. Facebook Groups and Instagram’s new (as of April 2, 2024) Flipside feature act in similar ways. But again, make sure you have the bandwidth before choosing this route. The conversations will be much more authentic than computer-generated, but this takes a lot more time.
- Messaging Apps: Integrate popular messaging apps like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp into your marketing strategy to connect with customers on their preferred platforms. Think about this option as well if you’re paying to advertise on these platforms. They offer targeted ad campaigns with the sole purpose of getting people to send you a message about your products and/or services. We are currently using this feature for a client and helped them reduce the cost of acquisition by 63% through a proper advertising strategy that included a direct messaging component.
Getting Started with Conversational Marketing:
- Identify Your Goals: What do you hope to achieve with conversational marketing? Lead generation, improved customer service, or increased brand awareness? Clearly define your goals to guide your strategy.
- Know Your Audience: Tailor your conversations to resonate with your target audience in Fredericton. Understand their preferred communication style and the questions they might have. How to get to know your audience? Check out our other blog post here.
- Choose the right tools: Select the conversational marketing tools that best suit your needs and budget. Consider the size of your business and the level of automation you require.
- Focus on User Experience: Ensure your conversations are informative, helpful, and engaging. Train your chatbots or live chat representatives to provide exceptional customer service.
By embracing conversational marketing, your business can create a more interactive and personalized customer experience. This not only fosters stronger relationships but also generates valuable leads and drives business growth.
Want to learn more about how conversational marketing can benefit your business? Contact Kiers Marketing today!