Chatbots in Social Media Marketing

Social media is revolutionizing the marketing industry for countless reasons, including consumers’ increasing desire to interact and engage with the media they use. Chatbots – the guys behind those automated pop up windows that ask if you need any help when browsing a web page – provide the perfect solution to consumer needs without the hassle of a 24/7 customer service department. Through AI and deep learning capabilities, chatbots are changing the entire social media marketing game.

Most important to chatbots’ success in social media marketing is their ability to be integrated onto social media platforms. Social media marketing chatbots are commonly placed on Facebook Messenger, Twitter, WhatsApp, Kik and other social platforms, making it easier than ever for businesses to connect with consumers. The trick here is that chatbots catch people while they’re going about their regular media habits, making it easier to earn a response. 

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Additionally, social media marketing chatbots eliminate the responsibility of consumers to take action. Traditional marketing practices (print, mail, broadcast, etc.) require people to not only take the time to respond, but also remember to do so. It is unlikely for people to switch mediums – that is, to see a TV commercial and then go to their computer to find the advertised product – especially for a product that they don’t already know or trust. Whether by phone call, internet search, or physical relocation to a store front, it is never convenient to respond to traditional marketing and always a challenge to encourage people to test run a brand they have no ties to.

Now imagine: it’s 2020 and an overwhelming majority of products are bought online. Chatbots are able to prompt consumers with a sales link or phone number through their social media applications, which consumers are already using. This kind of direct, targeted and timely marketing via social media is the perfect way to convert consumers, and the one-on-one interaction experienced with a chatbot also helps build relationships with brands. 

Quick, 24/7 support is becoming more and more expected today, and for a good reason. Having a chatbot always ready to talk encourages people to trust in your brand and facilitates more marketing conversations, and therefore higher conversion rates. It’s no wonder so many brands are employing chatbots on their social media pages! Plus, by automating a huge part of customer service (without sacrificing helpful support), business can focus human efforts elsewhere.

Data collected by chatbots has proven invaluable to businesses. Chatbots ask questions and store answers, providing a bounty of information about consumers. This knowledge shapes future marketing endeavours by helping personify audiences and their habits. For example, if a chatbot has a significant amount of conversations with middle aged women on Facebook, a business can invest more paid media spend into their Facebook campaigns and craft content that better appeals to their consumer base.

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Social media marketing chatbot success suggests that they will continue to be developed across industries and platforms. With capabilities to automate workflow, provide 24/7 customer service, facilitate conversations via social platforms and collect data, there are obvious reasons why more and more companies are adopting chatbots to assist with social media marketing practices. 

Whether you’re looking to create your own chatbot or just learn more about the rapidly evolving tech industry, there are many different online chatbot resources available to inform, direct and connect chatbot enthusiasts. Chatbots have come a long way, but the future is sure to bring even more chatbot innovation.

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