Conversational marketing is now a household word (at least for the likes of us marketing folk). And that’s a good thing. It’s important we continue to recognize that conversations are vital to advancing agendas and for refining, questioning, and learning more about ourselves and those with whom we converse.
Although bots are initiating our conversations these days, we need to remember conversations have been a powerful marketing tool since the start of civilization (campfires, town meetings, community forums, chat rooms, folk music…that last one might be a stretch). So in honor of the art of the conversation, here are three tips you need to consider BEFORE implementing a conversational marketing technology:
1. You still need to define your story. You still have to do the hard work of defining your story and determining channel-specific messaging relevant to your target audience. Bots won’t solve your conversion problems for the long haul if you don’t plug them into an existing content strategy. Anything less is a disservice to your audience and the makings of a poor, misguided conversation. BORING.
2. You need to remember you’re talking to a human being. Although Jay Baer seems to think we are on a trajectory where eventually we won’t even need hands to do our work, last time I checked, we were still in control of the technology we implement within our organizations. When implementing this promising, exciting technology we need to remember we’re talking to humans and that our brains are complex, funny, and easily distracted. So program your bots to respond appropriately — don’t forget the personality and the empathy.
3. Bots are an extension of your organization. They aren’t the sequestered cousin or the family black sheep. Yes, they can show their true personality from time to time, but at the end of the day, bots are not where you want to experiment with new messaging, voice, or tone. By the time a prospect is finding his or her way to exchange with your bot, they want to be assured. They’re looking for the right place, right time kind of vibe. Don’t go messing with a good thing.
If there are two things the team at Demand Spring enjoys, it’s conversations and technology. So stay tuned, as we will soon be announcing a partnership that will bring conversational marketing one step closer to your website. After all, it may be a while before those bots master the art of conversation on their own. We feel it is our duty to intervene.
Want to hear more? Book a conversation here.
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