We’ve undoubtedly seen a fundamental shift in our overall marketing efforts.

Savvy business owners are primarily focused on activities that attract website visitors and, while this strategy is extremely important, the next wave in sales and marketing challenges businesses to think beyond this benchmark and evaluate what they are doing once visitors land on their site.

You work hard and spend valuable marketing dollars formulating a strategy that successfully increases awareness for your brand and drives users to your website, but what strategy are you employing once a visitor arrives there? Are you forcing visitors to fill out static forms and blindly explore your site or are you actively engaging in conversational marketing with the use of helpful tools like live chat bots?

Think of your business's website as a new home community. You generate tons of buzz through digital advertising, roadside signage and more to attract homebuyers to your community but when they show up there’s no agent to greet them, give them a home tour, or have a face-to-face conversation.

We have conversations everyday with our friends, family and colleagues, so why not keep the convo rolling and use tools that optimize conversations for business?

What Is It?

Conversational marketing is an approach in which businesses engage in personal conversations across any channel to learn about customers, nurture leads and shorten sales cycles with a more humanized approach.

Whether through email, phone, Facebook Messenger, or chatbot, conversational marketing is all about communicating with customers in the most timely, effective and personalized way possible. Simply put, conversational marketing is about getting back to the basics and having a real conversation.

How Does It Work?

Unlike traditional marketing, conversational marketing engages with customers in real time, when their interest and purchase intent are highest. Since consumers hold all the buying power, conversational marketing is all about being ready when they are.

Instead of asking customers to fill out a static form and wait for a response, businesses can converse with customers in real time with the use of chatbots and other messaging platforms.

For an example, click here and look for the WDC chatbot!

What’s The Value?

We’ve found great value in using a live chatbots to greet site visitors, learn about their wants and needs, and deliver information in a personalized way, all while the shortening sales funnel and creating a more wholesome customer experience.

People are increasingly turning to mobile to shop and make other purchasing decisions because it's convenient and simple. Likewise, consumers are actively engaging in message-based interactions to make their experience even more streamlined.

According to Harvard Business Review, your odds of qualifying a lead decrease 400 percent after 10 minutes of no customer follow-up. A chat widget eliminates this oversight since these conversational happen in real time.

How Can You Implement?

While the methods of this marketing strategy have evolved greatly, the same fundamental principles remain the same - people expect conversations to be helpful and personal.

Implementing a successful conversational marketing strategy doesn't have be a drastic change.

It can be as simple as establishing a thorough system for following up with your leads within a certain amount of time while they are still hot or finalizing language that comes across as a bit more personal.

Not sure how to transition to a conversational marketing strategy? Give us a shout, and let’s have a conversation!

Bill Hunter and the WDC team believe that honest business and innovative design go hand-in-hand. Their talented team of designers, marketers and developers are as diverse as their work. They offer a range of services, including marketing strategy, branding and creative web and application development, as well as digital marketing solutions specific to your business. Contact Bill at [email protected] or visit www.wilmingtondesignco.com.