“Are chatbots really here for the long haul?” Is Chatbot marketing the future?
This question has probably been asked by every marketing expert out there. The answer? – Yes!
This is evident in the fact that a lot of brands are incorporating the technology into their operations (statistics say 80% of businesses in 2020 use chatbots).
In this article, we would be looking at the best examples of how top firms have implemented chatbot marketing in their overall business operations. But before we get into it, let us briefly look at what chatbot marketing is and how chatbots work.
What is Chatbot marketing?
For a while now, chatbots have been making marketing easy for businesses and marketers who use them to simulate chats (and conversations) between humans and computers
The majority of chatbots are used for customer support. The most advanced chatbots process full sentences and engage in real conversations.
How chatbots work
Chatbots perform two major tasks: Analyzing a user’s request and returning the response. First of all, a chatbot processes the request of a user to identify the user intent and extract relevant entities.
This ability to extract data and relevant entities found in a user’s request, while identifying the intent of a user provides businesses with the information they need to improve operations and scale-up.
Next, the chatbot will provide the necessary response for a request the moment a user’s intentions have been received. The answer would vary and could be a text gotten from a knowledge base that holds different answers, a predefined or generic text, a disambiguating question, or a contextualized information stored in enterprise systems.
Classic examples of Chatbot marketing
1. Universal Studios
Universal Studios primarily sells an experience instead of a physical product. Besides buying tickets and booking reservations, users can use this chatbot to collect practical information from the comfort of their homes.
The bot tells users where the nearest restaurants or restrooms are based on the last ride they got on. More impressively, the bot informs users of ride wait times in real-time.
2. Evernote
Evernote uses chatbots in a very seamless way that can be emulated by businesses. The chatbot has a ‘one-pager’ that highlights all its key service touchpoints. Evernote also uses its chatbot to encourage their best service type, while encouraging customers to contact their Twitter support team, as well as make use of their email support and community forums.
3. GoPro
In addition to its stunning social media content, GoPro has an equally impressive chatbot. To begin conversations, the bot introduces itself, before suggesting actions like shopping for cameras. The bot then helps users get the camera that suits their needs.
GoPro also added aesthetically appealing social videos and GIFs to their responses, providing social proof to sell their products.
4. Adobe
Adobe’s chatbot is one of the most simple and seamless bots on this list. That doesn’t mean it is not effective, however. It plays the role of a knowledge base where users question and resolve common product errors.
Solutions based on specific prompts are available on the bot for users. The bot also directs users to humans or better detail troubleshooting on-site pages, based on their issues.
5. Levi
Levi teamed up with tech giants Mode.ai to create a Facebook Messenger-based chatbot that helps customers get the perfect pair of jeans.
Their chatbot behaves like an over-the-counter salesman., and asks customers and site users questions like the type of jeans they want, processes purchases, and allows customers speak to a live agent if need be.
Customers can scroll through Levi’s catalog, and draw inspiration from a section called ‘See it Styled’ that shows items purchased and worn by others. Marketing at its peak.
6. Sephora
Sephora’s chatbot is multi-choice based. It enables users to take a series of important actions without exiting Messenger and plays the role of a digital concierge. It also allows the company’s customers to share images when they want color-matched products, book appointments, and find store locations.
7. Patron Tequila
If there is any chatbot that has managed to successfully blend content delivery and customer service, while maintaining the brand’s face, it is this one. To begin, the bot introduces the company’s ‘Bot Tenders’ to provide a range of cocktail suggestions.
Then it offers recommendations based on the customer’s preferences. Questions like “what would you like to pair with a bunch?” or “what would you like for dinner?” is asked. A classic example of marketing personalization is this one.
8. Buoy Health
Need to communicate with a doctor from the comfort of your home? This bot does that. Buoy Health’s chatbot is basically an online symptom and cure checker that makes use of an intelligent algorithm backed by medical data to diagnose patients.
Thanks to a database of numerous clinical records, this bot provides answers to healthcare questions posed by users.
9. Domino’s Pizza
With the increase in mobile shopping and social selling, brands are increasingly searching for ways to get more sales from their social platforms.
How does this happen? – Chatbots!
The Domino chatbot allows users to repeat their favorite order (thanks to its database) or build their perfect pizza order (thanks to specific questions like “what flavor would you like” or “what size are you having today”).
Domino’s Pizza shows us the perfect way to get marketing done through mobile while keeping it equally good (if not better) on social platforms.
10. Arsenal Football Club
Yes. Even superstar sports teams utilize chatbot marketing.
English football club, Arsenal demonstrates how bots can be used for timely content delivery and breaking news. For instance, their chatbot sends out live scores of the team to users that cannot tune in.
11. Plum
Unlike the other examples on this list that are businesses making use of bots, Plum is virtually a bot of its own. The onboarding process of this platform stands out. It prompts conversations, providing users with a sign-up choice, or a choice to get more information in bits.
Plum’s interaction with users supersedes the boring traditional Q & A or wall of text. Add the bot’s conversational CTA, emojis, and casual tone, and you have a textbook example of how to guide customers through engaging conversations that bring about sales.
12. Hello Fresh
This one ticks every box on how a chatbot should operate. It is self-aware, maintains the firm’s brand voice, and doesn’t come out as a customer service representative. It provides a series of prompts that take customer conversations from one point to another without sounding too mechanical.
All questions suggested by this bot are mostly derived from common ones gotten by the firm’s in-person representatives, so they are properly tailored. Then, besides answering questions, the Hello Fresh bot also has a built-in social selling component by offering bot-exclusive discount codes.
13. SnapTravel
This bot is for people trying to find the best B & B or hotels near them. SnapTravel tries to find these through SMS, based on the customers’ preferences and budget. The bit makes use of a perfect blend of human and artificial intelligence to look up Priceline, Expedia, and other sites for the perfect deals.
All customers need to do is provide criteria, while the bot does the hard work. The criteria would usually include things like location, cost, reviews, etc.
14. Hipmunk
Thanks to a bot that uses a location-based approach to book cars, hotels, and flights, Hipmunk has been able to stand out in a very saturated and competitive travel industry.
With their chatbot, Hipmunk kills two birds with one stone – they simplify the otherwise stressful process of solving travel needs while offering a proactive outreach. Users can easily get to their destinations without going on a travel site to find deals.
15. Kia
Kia has utilized its chatbot to convert Messenger into a reliable source for information, engaging over 115,000 users every week, converting at least 21% of them, and generating 3x more interactions than the average corporate site.
Kia’s bot provides a store locator so users can meet live salespeople, bill payment options, and roadside assistance. It also answers all user questions about any car model like a live salesperson would.
16. Duolingo
Duolingo makes use of a native chatbot that helps users learn conversational skills and practice all they’ve learned at the end. There are varying language tutoring bots with different personalities on the platform to provide more personal experiences for users.
Users can practice at any point with their chosen character bots until they are comfortable with talking to other speakers. Learning with Duolingo’s bot is fun.
17. NatGeo Genius
There’s a new TV show on National Geographic called ‘Genius’. This show chronicles the lives of important personalities such as Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein. To promote this show, NatGeo programmed its Messenger bot to converse with users in the voice of the featured personalities.
Innovative right?
The bot follows the user’s conversation, replies with information about the show, and talks about topics relating to these figures (Einstein’s relativity for instance).
Conclusion
As chatbots grow, they get even more versatile. Businesses and marketing firms already use them for a host of important tasks, so they are bound to remain a huge marketing asset in the nearest future.
If you run a business and would like to reduce costs, as well as increase efficiency and productivity, you should join the chatbot marketing bandwagon.
