Conversational marketing is a term that’s been around for some time. However, it’s coming back to the forefront for marketing pros these days. Conversational marketing is a segment of inbound marketing that involves participating in one-on-one conversations with customers and prospective customers whenever and wherever they want to interact. If they want to communicate via Slack at 7 a.m., make that possible. If they prefer to connect via text at 9 p.m., ensure that you can accommodate that request.
Building relationships and growing sales requires two things: 1) The desire to improve your results, and 2) the tools for doing so. One great new suite of interaction enablers is the Service Hub from HubSpot. It's a comprehensive set of tools that empowers your team to deliver an exceptional customer experience. I'll blog more about it soon, as it's proving to be a game-changer for our clients and can surely help any organization that wants to have more fruitful conversations with its customers. For now, just know that Service Hub has features like live chat, automatic email routing, support ticket generation, and much more.
Conversational marketing mimics the positive, human interactions a shopper might have with the sales rep at a brick-and-mortar store. The person wanders past the checkout counter and asks, “Where can I find hiking boots?” The rep replies, pointing them in the right direction. Sometime later, the person comes by again and inquires, “Do you have this style in green?” The rep answers. And the conversation continues like this at whatever pace the customer is comfortable with.
Why Conversational Marketing Now?
Why is conversational marketing back in the spotlight? Two reasons. First, advances in technology are making it possible. Back in the day, a phone call or email were the only ways for a consumer to reach out to a company. Today, there are a whole host of platforms a person can use to get in touch. Plus, with the advent of lifelike chatbots, companies can scale their communication capabilities, letting the bots handle simple or initial inquiries.
The second reason for conversational marketing’s resurgence is customer preference. Drawn to a company by its inbound marketing efforts, consumers want to continue the relationship in the same organic way. And that means connecting with your company when it’s convenient for them and in a more genuine fashion. In that regard, it’s interesting and somewhat ironic that technology enables a more human connection.
Benefits of Conversational Marketing
Conversational marketing provides unique benefits, both to customers/prospects and to your team. They include:
- Real-time interactions that create forward momentum toward a purchase
- Scalability through the use of chatbots to handle initial interactions
- Personalized communications based on information you have collected about a person
- Enhanced engagement that is desirable for consumers and profitable for you
- Greater depth of insight on individual customers that only a conversation can uncover
In short, conversational marketing is a natural extension of inbound marketing that allows you to develop strong, business-building relationships with people in your target market.
Ready to Get the Conversation Started?
How can you implement a conversational marketing strategy for your organization? As a leader in inbound marketing with offices in Colorado Springs, CO, and Springfield, MO, we help clients in a wide variety of vertical markets around the country engage with their customers and prospects in a more relaxed, comfortable way. If your company wants to enjoy the tremendous benefits of talking “at” consumers less and “with” them more, we'd love to help.
