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With the recent increase of chatting apps and channels, it's no wonder that chatbots are gaining ground. People are getting more and more used to them, and so are businesses. Still, many companies are slow to adopt the technology because they think that it needs to be used in stead of their other marketing channels.
Sounds logical, but it's not true.
The beauty of chatbots is that they are like a loud speaker, they can amplify your marketing efforts.
This is especially true of your social media strategy. Let me tell you how. Here are three reasons that chatbots should be part of your social media strategy.
1. Faster buying decisions
Chatbots help your customers purchase your product on the go. People are able to speak into their device and order a product, or at least add it to their cart. Research shows that 45% of all Amazon Echo users have used their device to add an item to a shopping list at least once.
2. Faster access to information
Do you remember those annoying moments when you are trying to find some piece of information you need and you can't seem to find the spot for it on a company's site? Chatbots are perfect for cases like these.
I have often delayed either making a transaction or signing up for something because the site was hard to navigate on my mobile device.
You can use a chatbot to search for any piece of information on a company and get it within seconds.
You can use a food bot like BellyHungry to get information about your favorite meals, or an e-commerce chatbot like Nordstrom's chatbot to get product recommendations and information about store hours.
3. Boost your content conversions
The primary application of social media for any business is driving leads. So if you are using content to get people to your site or to a landing page then chatbots is a great way to convert those visitors. One study found that the chatbot conversion rate was 266% higher than an average social ad.
The main reason for this is that people hate formality. Formality kills conversations. People wouldn't make a phone call to a business just to ask a simple question if they could write a text message or chat with a chatbot.
A great way to combine the high conversion rates of chatbots is to use them in conjunction with your email marketing strategy to get leads. Instead of an email opt-in place a Facebook messenger button and send out the information or lead magnet to the visitor through chat.
Here is a brilliant example of Josh Fechter using this exact strategy:
If you notice in the center of the page is the blue button that says "Give Me Tactics via Messenger". When you click that button you get sent a message on Facebook Messenger and you get signed up in Josh's system. You're in fact subscribing to his weekly updates, without even realizing it. Then, each time you receive some content from him via chat it's usually super short, to the point, and informal.
How do you create a chatbot?
There are numerous ways to create a chatbot. You can either program it yourself, use a cheap service or hire an agency. Each approach has its pros and cons. I found it better to use a cheap service to be able to manually create the bot.
One of the best ways to create a chatbot that I have found is through ManyChat. They make it super simple to create the chatbot and provide really powerful features for marketers. They have customizable landing pages and popups that display the "take me to Messenger" buttons. They also have powerful analytics on the backend that display how many subscribers you have and how you are growing.
Recap
Chatbots are an incredible tool to use in your social media strategy. Perhaps the best reason is the ease with which customers can purchase your product or service. People can literally add your product to a shopping list or cart on the go, or complete checkout in their car.
It's also much easier to find information using a chatbot. And lastly, if combined with your email marketing and lead generation web pages/popups, then a chatbot can help you send out your content and get the highest conversion rates you have ever seen.
Are you already using a chatbot? If not, what's stopping you? Share below in the comments.
