Consider conversational marketing a form of instant communication — and instant gratification. When you visit a website these days, you’re likely to notice an icon that pops up, asking you if they can answer any questions or if someone can help you. So right away, the visitor doesn’t need to keep scanning the website for what they’re looking for — they can begin a dialogue with that bot. It’s the online equivalent of being in a retail store and having an employee walk up and ask if you need assistance.
Those live chats are being embraced by website visitors — and they’re an increasingly popular method of marketing known as conversational marketing, one that gives customers the feeling that you’re immediately accessible to address their needs. Conversational marketing is also growing more popular with companies because the dialogue your team enters into with the prospective customers provides a sense of what your prospects are like for a sale, what customers are looking for, and the best method for giving them what they seek.
It’s worth considering if your website can experience significant growth without these chatbots. Several years ago, a survey by Oracle predicted that 80% of enterprises would be using chatbots to respond to customer inquiries — by 2020. Can you afford to ignore this technology?
What are the Direct Benefits of Conversational Marketing?
Adapting to the new reality means recognizing that conversational marketing is an ideal way to shorten your sales cycle while strengthening your ability to communicate with potential clients. It’s a way of enabling meaningful dialogue and relationships with existing and new customers.
Chabot software programs use “natural language,” or pre-programmed responses to start a conversation, and they’re popular with users because it feels like a more human approach to customer service. Those “conservation starters” let you tailor the message to fit your product, service, or landing page content, and it encourages your visitors to click on it to start an online dialogue.
Live chat software lets your visitors send a message directly to a team member so the visitor gets friendly questions in real-time, and it also gives your company a better sense of what visitors are looking for, including:
- Answers to general questions
- Information about products or services
- Sales assistance
- Customer support
There’s real value here for your sales team; this can help them complete transactions more quickly and keep the visitor on your site. In real-time, you’re helping to guide the visitor through the various options available to them, courtesy of a live messenger. That’s an effective way to provide superior service and quality using personalized conversations with your website visitors, as well as creating a pipeline for generating more sales. Chatbots have become extremely versatile and adaptable to virtually any kind of business.
Can Conversational Marketing Work for Law Firms?
As a promotional tool, conversational marketing can be particularly beneficial to law firms, which can use chatbots not just to bring in new clients, but also to keep the existing ones satisfied.
Let’s say your firm practices personal injury law. Anyone who is new to your site, who may be looking for answers about the specifics of their case gets an immediate response, literally seconds after they come to your site when they engage with the chatbot. You’re providing value to your clients by offering them useful information — and a conversation that isn’t aggressively sales-oriented. That’s how you build relationships and gain trust.
For law firms, it may be particularly advantageous to adopt a technology that many of their competitors have already started to use. But it’s also crucial to understand how best to take advantage of conversational marketing. To use chatbots most effectively, be certain to offer:
- Instant action, so visitors can immediately start a dialogue and don’t need to fill out a form to get an answer
- Relevant information and problem-solving that addresses their concerns and doesn’t give them any reason to leave the conversation
- A lack of pressure on the customer to make a quick decision
- A personable approach that makes the visitor feel comfortable engaging with your site.
- 24/7 support, with responses available long after the 9-5 workday is over.
The reason more businesses are embracing conversational marketing is they understand that customers have much higher expectations today and want an improved online experience. You’re leading the customer through the sales funnel one question at a time. That’s going to help you convert leads faster, and find more relevant leads. Chatbots are also useful to law firms that want to educate clients about their available services.
Discover More of the Benefits of Conversational Marketing
We get it — embracing any kind of new technology can seem challenging at first. But you also want to keep in mind that you have competitors who have already invested in conversational marketing software — and are successfully using it to their advantage. There’s no reason why you can’t do the same.
If you’re looking to take a more comprehensive and sophisticated marketing approach, come talk to us for a risk-free marketing consultation.