What most businesses need to realize is that marketing has changed in the last decade and is constantly evolving. It’s not just the fact that we’re living in a digital age with technological innovations but more about the fact that consumer psychology is constantly changing. This means that we’re way past walking into a store to buy products we saw television commercials of. It’s not that simple anymore with the amount of competition and market fluctuation.

Coming to the channels, marketers are aware that traditional marketing channels still work but digital channels work better today. It’s not just the fact that digital marketing is cheaper than traditional marketing but also because you can analyze how effective your marketing is. Not everyone can have their products on billboards, signs and TV commercials and to be honest, they don’t really need to. Most sales are now online so it’s more about your online presence which needs to be strong. This gave rise to search engine optimization, social media and content marketing, websites, print ads and so many others. However, when something is around for a long time, its hype deteriorates. A perfect example is the rise and decline of clickable ads on websites which was due to the constant increase or spam and scams.

Today, convenience is still important but authenticity, security, and trust is what customers are looking to gain before they buy a product or use your service. This is where conversational marketing comes in and it is exactly what you think; having a conversation with prospects regarding your products or services. Conversational marketing can be defined as a peer-to-peer communication approach to marketing that businesses use to reduce their sale cycle, generate relevant feedback from customers and even get to know them personally in a professional way of course. So, now your customers don’t only read, watch or hear about your product but can also talk about your product with you and this is the most efficient way to make the sale. Come to think of it, having a conversation seems easy but there is definitely more to it which is why everyone is.

Conversational marketing is a bit different as compared to traditional roots even though it has the basic roots of marketing being communication. Conversational marketing uses real-time targeted messaging, calling, and even AI chat bots to engage with prospects. This way they do not have to wait for follow-ups and marketers can even save time, money and expenditure on traditional channels. You can go on many websites where you’ll find a chat option with a representative, bot or both waiting to answer your questions in real time about different goods and services.

However, this is just the beginning. Drawing prospects to your website is the usually the check mate of the sale as this marketing strategy is much bigger than one channel or platform. It combines all the communication channels like calls, events, bulk texting, emails and even SEO to start a dialogue with the prospect hence making or breaking the deal. Plus, a customer making through all these check points to find you indicates that the customer is interested and the path they took to reach can often determine your approach to representing your business. For example, some people are comparing qualities of products or services whereas others are looking for products or services to solve a problem so marketers approach them according to the client’s requirement.

The mediums used in these marketing strategy may be different but they all have similar goals which are call-to-action, query assistance and feedback generation. And in the end, all you’re doing is having a conversation.

1. Affordability

Traditional marketing is often more expensive than digital marketing. Some digital marketing channels are even free like social media which you can use to engage with customers in their chat options.

2. Real-Time Communication

Real-time communication is what most businesses aim for as it eliminates the gap of information and also saves a lot of time, investment and energy.

3. Multiple Channels

Conversational marketing can be done across multiple channels both offline and online. It is so much effective that even time barrier has been eliminated. So, it doesn’t matter if you’re sending an email, a text or calling someone, information will be delivered one way or another.

4. Relevant Feedback

Feedback is important to every business as customers are the primary source from which they can improve the products and operations. So much so, that some world renowned entrepreneurs claimed that they improved their business by listening to their customers.