Bots for Business, Conversational Marketing

How to Include Bots in Your 2021 Digital Marketing Strategy

Chatbots have seen a rise in popularity and functionality over the years, and that growth is projected to continue at a more rapid pace in 2021. Many businesses have been forced to pivot and rely on digital assets and operations because of the global pandemic and restrictions placed on businesses. Many companies are trying to […]

Chatbots have seen a rise in popularity and functionality over the years, and that growth is projected to continue at a more rapid pace in 2021. Many businesses have been forced to pivot and rely on digital assets and operations because of the global pandemic and restrictions placed on businesses. Many companies are trying to keep up with business as usual while trying to navigate the digital landscape, which is lesser-known to many.

The question is, who has time to manage it all? The answer is, no one. There are so many elements of running an online business that can be time-consuming and hard to manage. The good news? You don’t have to do it all yourself or hire out to ensure that it gets done. Chatbots can save you both time and money, freeing you up to handle what is most important—running your business.

So how can chatbots help you?

These chat machines that are charged by artificial intelligence (AI) have become so adept at handling multiple services that not taking advantage of them is doing yourself a disservice. In almost all facets of your business, they can be an asset to you. That is not to say they can take the wheel and drive your business without you in the driver’s seat giving them directions. They need your input and human touch for guidance, but in times like these, when there never seems to be enough hours in a day, chatbots are here to slow downtime for you by increasing productivity.

Enrich your website’s capabilities

As entrepreneurs, we spend so much time and energy attracting potential customers to our sites that the last thing we want is for them to leave without making a purchase, signing up for a service, or getting their questions answered promptly. But it is unrealistic to have a team member staffed 24 hours a day to wrangle in those late-night visitors. We want everyone that ventures onto our sites to leave having had a positive experience, and this is where chatbots shine, as they are there when you can’t be.

Let chatbots do the talking

Chatbots began making a name for themselves in the last few years while handling customer service on business websites. Thanks to several bot developers, you can now skip the coding classes and easily install bots, while still being able to program in exactly what you want them to ask and how you want them to respond in all types of scenarios. This simple action can save you countless hours because now, before a customer ever reaches a human to ask a simple question, they can get assistance and the answers they are likely after from your trusty AI assistant.
Nurture the client relationship

Once you have a site visitor, you want to give them the attention they need and deserve so that they take that final step and make the purchase or sign up for your service. This takes nurturing, which chatbots were created to do. Because of the quality of the AI that is implemented into these bots, if you now have a customer on the fence, your chatbot has the sense to be that calming, reassuring voice. It is there, available to answer any questions that may arise from your customers, explain the benefits of what you are offering, and ensure them that taking that leap is the right move. And this is all happening behind the scenes, while you are spending your newly gained time elsewhere, bettering your business.

Make the sale

We have moved beyond the times when a chatbot could only give someone the location of your business and hours of operation. Now, while messaging with customers, you can build in a feature that allows your bot to go as far as making a sale. As 2021 gets underway, this will become more and more common. With fewer people turning to pick up the phone and more devoting all of their energy online, having a bot that can welcome, nurture, and close a sale on your behalf is the easiest money you will make.

Get an AI hand with research

Whether you are writing articles, blog posts, or trying to get a more detailed understanding of your clientele’s analytics, research can chew up a lot of your time. With the enhancement of chatbot intelligence, bots can now handle all of that for you. A simple installation will have those specific articles and data sent directly to you while you focus on more important factors of your business.

Empower your own teams

One of the more underrated benefits of these bots is that they are no longer only beneficial on the customer side of the business, as they can now help with your own team’s performance. In times like these, when so many people are working remotely, these bots can monitor each team member’s progress while updating everyone in real-time. Not only does this make your business more efficient, but also it eliminates the headache of keeping track of where everyone is.

Adopt and adapt to your business needs

When the internet first appeared, to some—although it was exciting—it felt like this futuristic unknown that was all too overwhelming. It was easy to think that it would be nearly impossible to integrate into everyday business life. But then it became more efficient, we grew to understand it better, and now it’s improved our lives in ways we could not have ever imagined.

Chatbots, though on a smaller scale, inspire a similar feeling. They arrived—we may not have been sure how we would ever use them ourselves, but now they’ve become smarter and they are forever changing how we will operate our businesses. Please don’t shy away from them. Don’t try to push them off. They are here to stay, and in times like now, when time is so precious, they can genuinely help simplify your day.