.png)
Emails and SMSs have worked amazingly for decades in marketing. People still use these platforms, which makes them relevant marketing channels today as well. But, the effectiveness of these traditional channels is reducing gradually.
AI chatbots and live chat, on the contrary, are in the spotlight of marketing:
67% of consumers wish to connect with businesses via messaging apps.
80% of companies have either already adopted or about to implement AI chatbots.
63% of customers return to companies that help them with live chat.
The advancement of chatbots with AI, ML, and NLP has created segments of marketing channels like:
Email marketing vs messaging marketing
SMS marketing vs messaging marketing
So, which way is better? What method of marketing should you choose? Should you leave one and get on with new channels?
There are many questions bothering business owners and marketing managers nowadays.
First of all, there’s no need to completely abandon email and SMS, as they are still fruitful. However, you can definitely modify your digital marketing strategy with a messaging-first strategy to maximize outcomes via customers’ favorite channels such as:
WhatsApp
Facebook Messenger
Here are more questions answered to help you understand why you need a messaging-first marketing strategy:
#1 – Are you just telling and not talking to your customers?
This is probably the biggest difference you can spot when comparing email and SMS marketing to messaging marketing. While emails and SMS let you just tell your message to customers, messengers allow two-way communication. Traditional channels don’t let you set up a dialogue, you just get to share stories, updates, news, and other information.
On the other hand, messaging marketing is not possible without talking to prospects and customers. It requires one-on-one conversations to resolve queries, answer questions, and help customers at different stages of their buying journey.
#2 – Do you spam your customer’s inbox?
With so many businesses doing aggressive marketing on emails and SMS, the inbox of every customer has turned into a collection of spams. So, no matter how genuine your message is, it’s very hard to convince customers that you aren’t trying to spam them.
But when you smartly use messaging platforms for marketing, they bring your brand closer to each and every customer. Powered by an AI bot, you can initiate conversations, which would smoothly lead to spreading your message, and encouraging prospects through marketing and sales funnels in a natural way.
#3 – Does your marketing strategy run on a one-message-fits-all model?
Personalization is the ultimate demand of customers no matter which industry or business size you look at. People visit digital channels with specific questions and requirements. So, you can’t impress them with generalized messaging. Though emails and SMSs enable personalization to some extent, they can’t reach the level of AI-powered messaging chatbots.
When using a conversational AI strategy for messaging marketing, you can align every message/conversation perfectly with every individual’s preference. An AI messaging bot goes beyond first names, and identifies and remembers product choices, emotions, and intents of every user. This makes messaging marketing hyper-personalized, resulting in 100% customer satisfaction.
#4 – Do your customers wait for ages to get your reply?
Buying products online is a tricky job for customers. They have a lot of questions and want helpful answers instantly. So, their buying decision depends on how fast you can respond to queries and inquiries.
If you make customers wait even for a few hours, they might choose another brand with a similar product. In such situations, you can’t rely on emails or SMS platforms where instant personalized assistance isn’t possible at all. This you can achieve only with messaging platforms powered by AI bot and live chat.
#5 – Are you unable to identify good quality leads?
Lead capturing and qualification are perhaps the two biggest reasons why messaging AI chatbot marketing is booming right now. It offers remarkable convenience to business owners and marketers with automation.
Look at it from a customer’s point of view – why would a customer want to go all the way to email or SMS platform to send or read a message when he is using WhatsApp and Facebook?! This is why messaging marketing automation has become a priority for both small and large businesses.
Customers are getting their answers, product details, and placing orders via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and other messaging platforms within seconds.
#6 – Is the lead acquisition cost too high to handle?
When you target messaging platforms for AI-powered chatbot marketing, it saves you big bucks. A single bot can be integrated across all digital touchpoints like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Google, and websites. Such AI chatbots can keep on collecting and validating lead information 24*7 and segment good leads from bad ones into your CRM.
Results?! You get a massive increase in conversion ratio, which balances the cost of acquisition effortlessly.
Build Your Messaging-First Strategy with ORAI [Conversational AI + Live Chat]
ORAI’s ‘Conversational AI + Live Chat’ platform lets you interact with customers where they prefer- WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and your website of course. Our platform simplifies efforts and magnifies marketing and sales results for you through:
Interactive conversations with customers
Personalized messages and query resolution
Instant support available 24*7
Predictive intelligence for lead assessment and validation
Platform with AI-Powered automated text, voice and IVR capabilities
What Next!
Let’s set up a call with our experts to help you get your conversational AI platform and kickstart a messaging-first strategy for higher message open rate, engagement, and sales closures.
Book a FREE DEMO now!
Stay connected!
Swapnil Jain
CEO-ORAI Robotics
Stay in contact with ORAI