AI and the New Era of Conversational Marketing

Conversational marketing enables brands to communicate with existing customers and prospective leads in a way that is much more personalized and casual, empowering consumers to go deeper than the traditional pushed offers that they are used to.

We’re living in a customer-focused time, with a lot of marketing directed towards the individual. People want a conversation and who can blame them after the year we’ve had?

Chatbots or conversational agents aren’t new, but they are becoming a necessity for many businesses. Today, more than half of all consumers are willing to exchange their personal data for quicker and more personalized customer service experience. The divide is closing fast and with good reason. Bots are now more personalized, polite, and programmed with a ton of information.

Many companies are offering instantaneous conversations between their brands and their customers. It’s a more cost effective and personalized experience that can provide 24/7 customer service and improved lead generation, while moving customers further through the sales funnel at a faster pace. It has become normal for customers to receive automated responses on a conversational interface, which has increased the expectation for businesses to be able to act quickly. Conversational AI (Artificial Intelligence) has made it possible for businesses to respond in real-time with a customized experience, resulting in not only moving customers down the sales funnel quicker but also an increase in customer satisfaction.

We’ve witnessed conversational technology mature rapidly since the start of the pandemic. Over the last year and a half, many businesses were forced to go virtual in a short period of time and as a result, had to find digital solutions to be relevant and meet the increase in customer support load. A perfect scenario for chatbots and AI. Almost overnight, millions of people were using chatbots to get things done without any real human mediation, which we should expect to continue even without the pandemic.

It’s almost funny that conversational marketing in it’s true meaning, exists to make brands feel more human, while AI, sounds like something designed to remove all human interaction. They really shouldn’t go together. However, AI has proven to have the power to make brands more human and engage with consumers on a more personal level. Creative marketers across all industries are beginning to unleash the new possibilities with AI and chatbots.

AI can create customer service conversations unique to each buyer. Until recently, marketing technology was not capable of delivering this type of enhanced and engaging personalized conversation. Artificial intelligence-powered chatbots implemented in essential marketing channels like SMS/MMS can make this a reality.

Utilizing an AI bot and SMS within your direct marketing campaign can allow you to finally enter the new age of conversational marketing.