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Should you use a chatbot for marketing or email marketing in your business? Facebook Messenger bots or chatbots are becoming a popular way to connect with customers and prospects because it’s quick and automated, allowing you to focus on your marketing and client calls. But does that mean you should give up email marketing?
Don’t give up on email marketing
Chatbots are a very cool form of Artificial Intelligence but it is merely another avenue for connecting with your market, not a replacement of other tried and true marketing methods.
Take email marketing, for example. People complain all the time that their inboxes are inundated with emails and some do a bulk delete without even scanning a single message, just to open up some space for the important stuff.
But according to recent research, 77% of consumers prefer to receive permission-based emails with promotional offers compared to direct mail, text, or social media. In the business-to-business market, email is the third most influential information source behind colleague recommendations and opinions of industry leaders.
In short, there is room for using both bots and email marketing. Consider it another gear in the marketing machine, meant to get your message out to your public. Relying on simply one marketing method will limit your reach whereas using multiple methods will expand your reach considerably.
Survey Your Target Market
If you’re questioning whether to add a chatbot to your business, a quick solution is to ask those in your target market how they prefer to be contacted. You may find a good mix between both email marketing and chatbot replies or you may be surprised that one form is much more popular.
You may also find that those who are not connected to their phones 24/7 prefer email communication because they can check it at their leisure.
Maybe those who conduct business with their phones prefer the bot because they can read your offers quickly and make a speedy decision. You truly won’t know the minds of your market until you ask them.
And then there’s Facebook itself, not everyone likes to use Facebook for various reasons. Some may prefer other social media platforms like LinkedIn.
You can ask your audience questions on a social media platform with the poll option where people can choose an option. Or you can have them fill out a questionnaire with Google Forms or Survey Monkey.
You can ask your email list and offer a little incentive for them to complete it like a free downloadable or ask through your messenger bot subscriber list where you can add tags to them based on what option they choose. For example, if they choose to learn more about blogging, you can tag them “interested – blogging”.
Effective Writing Tips for Wooing Your Audience
Whether you’re using email marketing or chatbots, your audience will respond kindly to your authenticity. Show your true personality; write your messages as though you’re speaking to your best friend. Casual talk is perfectly acceptable.
Focus on one primary topic per message to avoid confusion. Always include alternate ways to contact you because some people just prefer to speak to a live person when they have questions.
For bot messages, make them short and to the point, especially since people will most likely view these on their phones. Make the messages and responses sound human, just like you’re talking to a friend. Chatbots are meant to drive the conversation forward.
For example, if your customer asks a simple question about a product, your bot should ideally lead them toward the purchase while answering questions along the way.
The primary difference with email messages is the number of details. Most consumers won’t want to read a novel in your email but if you’re making a limited-time offer on a new product, they will want details before making a decision.
Here you can give all the details in one communication as opposed to using a bot and going back and forth with the consumer.
Why not use both email marketing and a chatbot?
In the end, both email and Facebook Messenger bots are beneficial marketing methods. They are meant to work together to reach different segments of your broad target market. And both are inexpensive to set up in your business, especially for DIY chatbots.
You can ask for email addresses with your chatbot and you can have a messenger bot link in the emails that you send out to your mailing list.
Which one are you going to use in your business? Email marketing, messenger bots, or both?
