Are ChatBots the Future of Marketing?

What is a ChatBot?

A chatbot may sound kind of creepy and a bit complicated but in reality, it is rather simple to explain. A Chatbot is a computer program that automates certain tasks, its main purpose is to chat to a user through a conversational interface, similar to that of Facebook chat or LinkedIn messages.

The more advanced and most lifelike bots are powered by artificial intelligence, which helps them to understand complicated questions or queries, generate personal responses, and improve their dialogue as they get to "know" the person they are talking to. Basically, they will learn how to respond to you effectively. This technology is still in the early stages of its development and the possibilities for the future are endless. Most bots that are already live and working follow a set of rules programmed by a human via a bot-building platform. It's very straightforward and involves ordering a list of if-then statements and writing simple but informative responses, often without needing a single line of code.

The bots currently being used by smaller businesses are very generic and you can often tell that you are speaking to a bot, but the ones that are being deployed by the larger technological giants are becoming more and more life-like meaning sometimes you cannot tell whether you are speaking to a bot or a human.

What Does a Chat Bot Have to Do with Marketing?

Chat Bots have many advantages when it comes to marketing, one thing that is a huge bonus is that many bots will be able to integrate with your social platforms such as Facebook chat, WhatsApp and even WeChat. This will free up a lot of time for you to focus on other business aspects whilst being handed valuable information that the bot gathers about that particularly enquiry or question so you can jump straight in and finalise the sale. This is great as it cuts out the long-winded discussion where you have to answer lots of questions about the products and services you offer as the bot will do it all for you, this will make your life a lot easier and allow you to allocate time to more pressing matters.

Bots can also be used within the pages of your website. This is great as it makes your website more interactive and more user-friendly. For example, if you are on a computer website looking to order a brand-new computer and you know the exact spec and model that you want, normally you would go to the computer section or search bar and then scroll down or go to the customise a computer section and build your perfect computer. Either way, you end up scrolling or taking to time to find and build the computer you want. With a Bot, you could simply tell it what you want and it would guide you through the payment process to place the order cutting out the time you would have wasted trying to find the correct computer.

Behind the scenes, the chatbot will lead you through a number of independent questions to gain the vital information it needs to understand the outcome that you desire, then it will deliver the exact content required to satisfy your needs.

Essentially, Chatbots will make life easier for both business owners and prospects looking to make a purchase, they will save time and gain valuable information whilst completing orders and making your business more interactive.

Put simply, Chat Bots are going to play an important role in the future of marketing and customer interaction. Watch this space.

For more information on any of the above or if you would like to discuss your marketing requirements call 01934 643961 or email info@equinoxmarketing.co.uk