One of the most talked about marketing trends of late is the chatbot. This is software that makes it possible to converse with someone immediately and naturally, to provide a solution to the user’s needs without them having to wait on the website.
The final objective of the chatbot is to obtain sales leads or to provide assistance to the user by resolving their doubts, which will depend on the needs of each company. This would translate into an improvement in customer service and the company’s brand image.
The chatbot: a trend supported by statistics
Surveys on the incorporation of chatbots in companies have not been long in coming. And while the statistics need to be interpreted with some caution, what they do clearly reflect is a trend. It is already predicted that by 2021, 80% of companies will be using some kind of bot as part of their growth strategy.
At the same time, it has been detected that more than 50% of users expect customer service at all times, and 56% prefer to consult via chatbot rather than via a form or phone call.
This consumer tendency to require immediacy in responses is a consequence of the instant messaging to which we have become accustomed in our relationships, both personal and professional. It was inevitable that the same form of close and immediate communication would be expected with businesses.
On the other hand, companies have found that a chatbot allows them to give instant answers to users twenty-four hours a day, Monday to Sunday. And at a much lower cost than a human operator.
How to implement a Chabot on a website
First of all, it is necessary to design the structure of the conversations that are of interest. This is done on the basis of questions that will have to be thought through carefully, as they will trigger conversation flows with the user. This design of the conversation has to favour interaction with the user so that it is natural, fluid, capable of retaining their attention and achieving a conversion.
Thus, the structure of the chatbot can be based on the following parameters:
- Start by greeting and offering a willingness to help: for example: “Hello, I’m at your disposal. My name is Paul”. This conversation starter will catch the user’s attention. And when they perceive that they are being addressed, they usually answer by reflex. From that point on, the conversation can begin.
- Formulate a direct question giving options: “Can I help you with anything”, “Are you interested in a specific product/service? The idea is that the user chooses the question that best suits his or her current needs. Questions can be of two types: non-committal, like the first one in the example, or more direct, like the second one. Depending on the type of business, it is a matter of looking at the type of question that offers the best result.
- Offer predetermined answers that provoke a reaction from the user: this will engage them in the conversation and provide information about where they are in their buying process. For example, they may respond: “I’m interested in more information about product/service X”, or “I’m just browsing, I don’t need anything, thank you”.
- Get the basic contact details when the user is interested in the product/service: name, email and telephone number. This means having a lead to our credit, and the sales team will be able to take action.
- Take every opportunity to interact: when the user responds “I’m just browsing, the possibilities are endless. One of them is to share some ideas for inspiration, and say “We hope you find them interesting”. We can also add that, if they wish, they can give us their email address so that we can send them similar content, which would end up in a Newsletter subscription. Or you can also invite them to something related to the user’s interest, such as a webinar. You can even ask them if they are missing something specific on the website, which will serve as a guide to improve content and SEO.
The positive impact on SEO
So far the benefits of the chatbot for improving ROI are clear, but in parallel there is a positive impact on SEO. When implementing a chatbot there are two metrics that typically experience a favourable change:
- The time spent on the website is increased. The conversation, however short, prolongs the time the user spends on the page before leaving it.
- Influences the bounce rate: this metric is also positively affected, because chatbots usually generate events that are processed by Google Analytics. In this way, a single page visit is no longer identified as a bounce.
Broadly speaking, these would be the main advantages of fitting chatbots into a digital marketing strategy. The significant return it can bring to the company, coupled with how easy it is to implement, makes it worth at least trying it out.
If you want to know more details about the Chatbot or you have already decided to integrate it into your company, count on Somos Sinapsis. We will accompany you in your new strategy and guide you in future ones.