Dialogues, Not Monologues: The Rise of Conversational Messaging in Business
Marketing, customer service, and messaging used to be a monologue from customers. The company told them what it had to say, and the customers had to be able to find the messages and act accordingly, if at all. This monologue format may have worked well at one time, but it’s no longer a competitive way to present information. Today’s customers want to engage with brands and not just be told facts by them. They want to be able to complain when necessary and ask questions when they need to. The next level in customer communications is conversational messaging.
Conversational messaging is a type of marketing that uses real-time contact with customers across several different communications channels. It’s a communication method that gives immediate attention to the messages the customer needs and engages with them in a personal way. When companies use conversational marketing, they often use omnichannel messaging to ensure customers get the messages using the functions they already use. It could be Facebook Messenger that’s used, SMS, social media posts, chatbots, WhatsApp, etc. Using various channels of messaging allows a business to reach a large percentage of their customers and do it inexpensively. It’s a win for the company that can get messaging out far and wide and take care of problems, and it’s a win for the customers who find out about sales, get questions answered, etc.
Conversational Messaging
When your business is available to customers through things like SMS campaigns and social media posts, this can help the customers who engage with the messages feel closer to your business. It becomes a more personal way to do business. The social relationships people form today with businesses are important to the way they feel about those businesses. It keeps those businesses in their thoughts and drives a stronger relationship with them.
When you can reach such a wide number of customers with omnichannel messaging from a company like Mitto, you can start a dialogue. Instead of people being talked to, they can respond and be a part of a dialogue. Many customers today expect this type of accessibility and personalization. In today’s competitive business world, it’s all about keeping up with expectations. You want good reviews, sure, but you also want people to know you’re accessible. A business that people see answering questions and responding to customers may be one they’re more willing to try. They’ll know that if something goes wrong, you’re reachable.
Conversational messaging can also be things like letting people know when something is on sale, giving them product recommendations, reminding them when they have an abandoned cart, and helping make the purchase process easier. Being accessible can help people to get answers to questions that would have kept them from buying in many cases. There are so many ways to use omnichannel messaging that a company without a real conversational presence soon gets buried by the companies that do use this messaging.
Omnichannel Messaging
One of the reasons that conversational marketing through various channels is successful is that using various channels increases the likelihood that your message will be seen. Running a commercial on TV would depend on people being able to watch that station or service at that time and to look at the message. When an SMS is sent, it’s right there in front of them. Modern marketing has the advantage of reaching people personally instead of relying on the chance that someone may see the message. And because they can communicate back, they are more likely to read what you have to say and to reach out when there’s a problem. Don’t let a simple problem keep customers away when conversational messaging can be used to bring them back to make a purchase.
