In the past, marketing was a one-way affair. You would make your pitch and hope that customers would take the bait. Today, however, things are different. Marketers have learned that there’s real power in two-way communication — in listening to what your customers want and responding to them quickly and appropriately. The idea is called conversational marketing and it can help you build stronger relationships with customers who might otherwise leave for greener pastures or forget about you entirely. This article will explain how conversational marketing works, why it works so well, why some marketers are still skeptical, and how you can use this strategy to increase your customer engagement.
Customers like to be heard, and they like to be acknowledged
When customers engage with your brand, they want to feel like they are being heard. Customers want to know that their needs and opinions matter. Most of all, customers want to feel valued and respected by the companies they do business with.
To make sure that you are keeping customer engagement sky-high, your brand must be able to keep up with the changing ways in which customers communicate with businesses today.
Conversational marketing works because it acts as a magnet for low-hanging fruit
Using conversational marketing is a great way to reach people who are already interested in your product or service. And why wouldn’t they be? If you’ve got something good going on with your brand, then odds are that others are already talking about it and sharing thoughts about what makes it so great. These conversations form the foundation of this type of engagement strategy – they’re where people start to share their ideas and experiences around what makes your product special, which creates an environment that fosters engagement.
This also means that it will be easier for you to engage with them because they’re already interested in what you have to offer. You won’t have to spend time convincing someone who isn’t already interested in making the switch from their current provider. Instead, all you have to do is provide them with easy access through email campaigns or tools like Intercom’s messaging features.
Use conversational marketing to nurture customers through the long term
Next, you want to use a conversational marketing tool to nurture customers through the long term. This will help your customers find the right product, solution, and answer. At this stage in their journey, you can use conversation marketing tools to allow them to engage with you in a natural way and gain access to the information they need at exactly the right time.
Give each customer a highly personalized experience
When you provide customers with personalized, relevant experiences at every touch point along their journey, they will feel like they are getting the very best service. And when you listen closely to what they have to say and act on it, you build trust and loyalty that lasts for years. This is conversational marketing in action—and it’s an approach that makes customers happier than ever before.
If you can’t bring yourself to mention sales directly, try a softer sell
Like most things in life, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to conversational marketing. However, it is recommended to use personalized messages and tailor them to each customer’s needs at different points in their journey. This way you can nurture customers through the long term while also making sure they always have relevant information handy.
Conclusion
Conversational marketing offers a whole new world of possibilities, and it’s up to you to explore them. The best thing about this strategy is that it has no set path. It can be as simple as sending a customer an automated message that thanks her for her loyalty or congratulates her on reaching a milestone—or it can be complex enough to include live chat sessions with your team members or customized ads based on what your customer likes to buy from other companies in their industry. It all depends on where you draw the line between traditional marketing messages and those personalized touches that make customers feel like they matter most at all times during their interaction with you.
