What is conversational marketing?

In a nutshell, conversational marketing is all about creating a more human experience for your customers. In a rethinking of one-size-fits-all methods of marketing, the conversational approach operates on a one-to-one level. It does this by focusing on customer concerns and feedback. As such, this method of marketing aims to open up, you guessed it, conversations.

The idea may sound simple but conversational marketing is transforming the way companies interact with their customers. By creating a clear and personalised dialogue with their audience, companies are more likely to boost engagement, customer loyalty and most importantly, revenue. But how does it work and is it right for your business?

Conversational Marketing in Action

There are several methods associated with conversational marketing. Many of these have developed from social media. But methods don’t have to be limited to platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Social media

Even the most seasoned social media users find it hard to start engaging conversations with their followers. Rather than sharing offers, discounts of company news, conversational marketing seeks to open dialogues with customers.

In social media terms, that could mean discussing current affairs, asking questions or starting debates. Acknowledging new followers is another great way to boost your conversational marketing. A simple mention can make users feel valued and respected.

Live chat

Perhaps the most obvious method of conversational marketing is live chat. Though some may consider customer support as an entirely separate department to marketing, any representative of your brand plays a vital role in the marketing process.

So consider offering a 24 hour phone or web chat service to deal with customer queries. If this is beyond your budget, develop a specific hashtag customers can use for help and advice.

Emails

Developments in AI technology have allowed for hyper personalised email marketing campaigns. By acknowledging names, birthdays and buying habits, bespoke emails are a great way to improve your conversational marketing.

Customer loyalty and success

While many companies have adopted loyalty schemes for long term and recurring customers, more and more are taking on customer success managers to improve engagement past the point of sale.

This could involve satisfaction surveys, tutorials and newsletters. The more informed your customers are about the capacity of your product or service, the greater your chances of renewal.

Some things to remember

Now we’ve explored some methods of conversational marketing, here are a few useful tips to bare in mind when implementing them.

Keep it swift

In the age of instant access, companies need to respond to customer concerns quicker than ever. So keep your social media feeds updated and ensure all emails are responded to as quickly as possible.

Keep it personal

Every customer wants to feel unique. So wherever possible tailor your conversational marketing methods to meet their specific needs. Do this by harnessing as much data as possible to create valuable, relevant insights for your customers.

Keep on top

It’s vital to keep tabs on customer engagement. Thankfully, with so many great analytic programmes available, it’s easier than ever to stay on top. Though Google Analytics offers a useful one stop shop, try using HubSpot for comprehensive marketing support.

Check out our marketing roles here. For more information on marketing, see our blog posts on what is digital marketing, and what is social media marketing.