Artificial intelligence is completely transforming the world of digital marketing and advertising.   Chatbot marketing is the hot trend this year. Exactly what is it?  Marketing that uses a program to simulate conversations with a human user. Chatbots have been gaining in popularity and saw exponential growth in 2017.  So far, 2018 is living up to the expectation of being  the year of the chatbot.

One of the things that make chatbots so interesting is that they improve with continual learning algorithms to meet evolving demands. The more they work and interact with people, the more capabilities they develop and the more they start sounding like a real person. Another cool thing is that chatbots aren’t limited to talking to a single person at a time. Because they’re computer programs, they can run simultaneously with multiple users at the same time. This makes them much cheaper to run than paying real people and they deliver outstanding customer experiences. 

Chatbot Marketing Strategy

A chatbot marketing campaign can be simple or complex. We are using chatbots for many of our daily interactions. It is a pretty safe to say that chatbots are transforming digital marketing in 2018. Here are three ways chatbots are changing the marketing game.

Better Customer Service

Every company knows that the customer always comes first. The customer is a company’s lifeblood and how they interact with your brand directly impacts their purchasing decisions. Providing outstanding customer service has never been easier now that chatbots are commonly available. Your customer service will shine when you attach a chatbot to you website. It can provide  24/7 customer service that will work tirelessly with multiple users at the same time, answering their many questions and providing them with the information they seek or pointing them in the right direction to find it.  Chatbots can greet all visitors with a pleasant welcome message and then help them navigate the site. Chatbots are also fun to use. They act as brand ambassadors that simplify and streamline interactions while improving the user's experience.

Improved User Experience

A user's experience on your site is a strong influencer for customer satisfaction. Chatbots are improving user experiences as well as delivering excellent customer service. An example of how chatbots are providing great user experiences can be seen in the case of DSW, for instance. They paired up with Narvar to create a DSW Gift Concierge, a chatbot that leverages Facebook bot marketing to interact with shoppers on the platform of their choice.   As Amit Sharm, Founder and CEO of Narvar  said, shoppers today expect an effortless, personalized experience. They don't want to work for it. DSW meets shoppers where they already spend their time by using chatbots on Facebook Messenger. Chatbots customize the entire customer experience, from product discovery to delivery and customer support. By integrating contextual content with real-time information through the right channels, DSW nurtures the loyal community that their brand is known for.

Optimized Strategies

A big plus for using chatbots is that they can optimize marketing strategies. As users interact with the chatbot it gathers information that can be used to tailor recommendations that are more likely to lead to a sale. A chatbot interacts naturally with the other party in a conversation, gathering information as they answer questions. The best part is that the more they interact, the more they learn and improve. Chatbots can do a lot. They can integrate with a website, an application, and even a social media platform to deliver personalized experiences that, in turn, lead to positive brand experiences. They also gather information as they engage with users that helps a company customize their marketing strategies.