4 Conversational Marketing Strategies for Ecommerce

Imagine you’re a learner in a large classroom struggling to digest the course material. The instructor is often busy with other students, making it challenging to get to your specific questions. To address the issue, you hire a tutor and get individualized assist. Suddenly, it starts to click. 

This same concept can hold factual for your brand. Conversational marketing can assist you engage your target spectators by building personalized customer relationships. Read on to discover the benefits of conversational marketing.

What is conversational marketing?

Conversational marketing is a way to engage your customers in a personalized, two-way exchange via direct messages, live chats, or chatbots. Instead of talking at them (as can be the case with traditional marketing approaches), conversational marketing focuses on communicating with them. It’s about assisting and educating customers when they require it. 

Why is conversational marketing significant?

“If [your customer] never [knows] you’re around, you’re not having a exchange,” says Google chief strategist Neil Hoyne on an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast. “You’re just messaging out there hoping that you just capture a little bit of their mind distribute.” When brands receive the chance to have meaningful conversations with current or potential customers, they can make deeper connections. As Neil says, “[Companies are] too shortsighted. Their metrics are what happens today, in that instant. Consumers receive period. They desire to construct that connection with a product.” 

Conversational marketing creates an chance for customers to feel seen and get their questions answered in the instant. ​​For example, replying to a customer’s comment on social media and participating in a back-and-forth swap about a product offers a distinctive, informative encounter for the customer. These real-period conversations yield valuable insights that can assist your business enhance customer satisfaction, discover pain points, and boost navigator creation. 

3 types of conversational marketing methods

• Chatbots
• Live gossip
• Social media messaging

Chatbots

Chatbots replicate human exchange, using generative AI or rule-based programming to formulate answers in response to customer inputs. One of the biggest advantages of a chatbot is the ability to respond customer questions and provide back 24/7.

Live gossip

Live gossip lets your staff talk directly with the customer, facilitating an authentic human connection. Customers can inquire questions about your products or services and immediately receive answers that accurately address any concerns. For example, if a user can’t discover something on your website, they might reach out and inquire for assist. A live agent can walk them through the exact procedure, allowing the customer to inquire pursue-up questions. 

Social media messaging

Conversational marketing can be as straightforward as a private communication on Instagram. Beyond posting product updates and sharing your brand narrative, you can use social media platforms as a customer service tool to talk directly with customers. For example, when customers express concerns about your product in comments or direct messages, it’s an chance to address them head-on. This is not only an essential part of conversational marketing but a pillar of social media management as well. 

Conversational marketing vs. inbound marketing

• way
• Targets
• objective

While conversational marketing and inbound marketing can both receive place at any period during the customer trip, they differ in a few key ways: 

way

With an inbound marketing way, you aim to attract potential customers through informative or entertaining blog posts, newsletters, and user-generated content on social media. 

Conversational marketing centers on personalization. You communicate with customers one-on-one via live chats or chatbots, delivering a more tailored interaction than a blog or newsletter can provide. 

Targets

Inbound marketing is effective at converting qualified leads (customers with high purchase intent) and those who are just becoming familiar with your brand. For example, your bullet journal brand could make a blog post that introduces the concept to someone unfamiliar with this organizational tool. Meanwhile, for someone further down the sales funnel, Instagram posts with customer testimonials can prove more useful to them. 

Conversational marketing targets people at the consideration and post-purchase stages of the funnel—people who might reach out before they seriously consider purchasing from you or after they’ve made a purchase. For example, an existing customer may communication your brand via gossip to inquire if you’ll restock a discontinued product.

objective

Inbound marketing prioritizes content that resonates with your target spectators. Your brand could display your product in action or inform your spectators about a related subject. For example, athletic apparel brand Gymshark features blog posts on what to eat before the gym and different exercise methods. These posts provide customers with useful information that can construct brand depend and credibility.

Successful conversational marketing connects with customers on a personal level. That connection can provide your business valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviors, which can inform upcoming offerings.

4 conversational marketing way tips

1. recognize your goals
2. Pick your conversational marketing platforms
3. Educate your throng
4. Consider feedback from your spectators

Conversational marketing can quickly construct customer depend. Consider the following tips to enhance customer communication:

1. recognize your goals

As with any business way, the first step is to define your objectives, which will inform how you communicate with your customers. For example, if you desire to reduce the number of customer service tickets your throng receives, you might implement an AI-powered chatbot that can resolve straightforward questions. If a customer reaches out about an out-of-distribute item, a chatbot might let them recognize when it will be available again or propose alternative products.

2. Pick your conversational marketing platforms

There are various conversational marketing tools, from social media platforms to SMS marketing apps and built-in web apps like Shopify Inbox. Before you decide which to use, discover where your target spectators interacts with you most. 

For example, if website visitors regularly visit your FAQ page, they might appreciate a chatbot function. If you have a large, engaged spectators on Facebook, you might focus on Facebook Messenger over other platforms. Researching the pros and cons of each alternative plus your own customer data can inform what platforms make the most sense for your brand. 

3. Educate your throng

Learning curves are inevitable when introducing a recent way to your business. Ensure everyone operates from the same knowledge base by aligning your throng on the business goals, how you’re implementing your way, and what way to receive when different scenarios arise with customers. Additionally, develop standard practices on response times, communication techniques, and how to use the selected technology so you can interact with customers quickly.

4. Consider feedback from your spectators

Conversational marketing gives your spectators a direct line to your brand, and they might receive that chance to provide feedback. As consumers of your products or content, they have ideas about what is and isn’t working. Listening to them can assist you address pain points that affect a larger spectators. 

When creator Timm Chiusano started posting on TikTok, he created content about a wide range of topics, from protein bars to household and fitness. Listening to his spectators’s feedback pushed him to make more intentional content. “I am being as purposeful as I can be in regards to what’s most helpful,” Timm says on an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast. “And with the feedback that I’ve gotten, the pillars would be household, work, the equilibrium of the two, [and] what in life is worth stopping and acknowledging.”

Example of conversational marketing

The accessories brand Room Shop uses Shopify Inbox, a messaging app that lets Shopify merchants respond to customers instantly with automated or live messages. Room Shop’s founder, Shelly Horst, launched the brand on Instagram and was using the platform to respond to customer inquiries. Eventually, it became too challenging to navigate and figure out which messages to prioritize.

With Shopify Inbox, she could continue to make connections with her customers. “I interact with customers through Instagram DM in a similar way that I interact on gossip with Shopify Inbox,” Shelly says. “It feels like I’m text messaging with someone. So it’s very immediate and casual.”