Is Messenger Marketing Better Than Email Marketing?
I’m sure by now, you have already heard about the importance of using chatbots to connect more spontaneously and creatively with your customers. For beginners, a chatbot is a unique communication tool that answers customer inquiries with programmed conversations, updates your clients with new product releases, takes your customers orders (like your pizza!) and re-route your social media posts for better engagements and of course serves as the brightest way to build your leads.
Fact: The very first chatbot was named Eliza. It was created in 1966 by Joseph Weizenbaum and it used only 200 lines of code, with the ability to imitate a therapist language.
Fast forwarding till today, according to the Business Insider, 80% of US based businesses want to incorporate chatbots by 2020. Now, that’s something any business owner should take advantage of.
But if you’re still unsure about choosing chatbots over the good ol’ mailing list then let us help you understand the similarities and differences between the two channels and why you should put your focus on messenger marketing.
Chatbots VS Mailing List
How They Are Alike
1. Signing-up
New leads will sign up by clicking a button. In chatbots, you can simply click on the message button and voila! You are automatically on the system. Just as getting newsletters, chatbots will send you important updates regarding new product releases, discounts and offers and some really cool social blog posts. You can also unsubscribe by telling the chatbot and you’re automatically removed from the system. This is pretty much the same as the traditional way of people subscribing to get a newsletter from you via email.
2. Call to Action
Chatbots, just like newsletters allows you to make your audience respond and take action to your messages. You can bring your audience to your sales funnels, make them view your newest blog posts, have them purchase items on sale and so much more. You can place CTAs as conversation breaks and drive your audience to a landing page, sales page, your website or your shop.
3. Scheduling of Content
Both chatbots and mailing lists can be used to schedule content according to their time zone and automate the sending process. This part requires experience and careful analysis. You need to play smart and establish the right time to contact your audience. Remember that whatever platform you use, customers will lose interest if they are contacted frequently. It will just lead them to unfollow you as they get too overwhelmed with all your messages.
How They Differ?
1. Better Stats
Did you know chatbots can have CTRs ranging from 15%-60% while the average email marketing CTR is only about 4%. Not only that, chatbots can have up to 98% open rate while email marketing results only as much as 25%.
Why? Let’s face it.
Most emails are spam simply because your email can be added easily to thousands of email servers, with or without your permission. Your inbox and spam folder is filled up by hundreds of newsletters a day. That’s overwhelming! And what can you expect someone to do about that? Of course, you mark all of them, delete them and move on, right? I’m sure you’re well familiar with the process.
Unlike with chatbots, you initiate the conversation, get sucked in to their very entertaining script and once you have engaged with the bot, you will be have no choice but to wait for new updates daily!
2. Personalized User Experience
Chatbots can help brands personalize customer experience. Chatbots collect customer data helping them know their customers better. Unlike with email marketing, the best that it can do is to just send updates, announcements and newsletters without making any engagements. I mean, have you ever tried replying to one and get continuous conversation?
Chatbots also create long term relationships with your clients as well.You can program them to send birthday greetings, get them to check in with your clients to see how they are doing or ask them if they are enjoying your product. That kind of repeated contact is valuable for customers. Let’s admit it, it’s nice to receive unexpected messages from someone (even if that someone is not a human at all).
3. Quick and Easy Conversation
With chatbots, your customers can get immediate result-driven communication. All you need is to chat with the bot, send your inquiry and in just a second, you will receive the answers you’re looking for. Unlike through traditional email inquiry, you get to wait 24 hours for a one-liner reply. And, you can reply to them anytime.
In conclusion:
Chatbots are far more flexible than traditional email marketing. Chatbots, however counter-intuitive it may sound, humanize your brand by building long-term connection with your clients. Your main goal as a brand is to understand your clients better so you can improve your services and make better customer satisfaction. With the proper programming, you can build the most friendly, result driven bot that suits your marketing needs.
If you need help making one for your company, contact us today and we’ll help you create your very own bot!
