Introducing Email marketing automation in your online marketing strategy is a great way to provide your clients with immediate help and your employees with more time to focus on other tasks. Email marketing automation is also becoming a very essential part of your marketing strategy. If you are already using a chatbot, you probably already see the benefits of AI-powered tools for generating sales.
The main purpose of a chatbot is to help customers get the information they are looking for and your set-up should provide that. You can create multiple lines of communication depending on the type of help the visitor is looking for. Some examples are: “Request a quote,” “Product Demo,” and “Talk to a customer service representative.” These can and should be optimized for your customer journey.
A secondary benefit of using chatbots is that AI can collect data for your business. This can, in turn, help your sales agents to facilitate a purchase, especially in business-to-business situations where the decision-making process takes longer. While this is a great way to increase your sales, another even more efficient method is to use email marketing automation as a follow-up to the chatbot discussion.
Gaining email addresses with your chatbot
The reason why chatbots are so successful at gaining leads is that their conversational nature is very instinctive to clients. Each and every one of us is used to chatting online. As a result, even if a chatbot asks us multiple questions, the experience does not feel forced, and we are more willing to answer with information that we would not give out as easily in a Contact form.
You can use this to your advantage and ask for email addresses in a non-intrusive way that is focused on helping potential customers get the help they need. From then on, you can use automated emails to guide your lead down the sales and marketing funnel and grow a fruitful relationship with your clients.
Here is exactly how B2B email marketing automation can extend your chatbot experience for a seamless purchase journey:
#1 Use data to nurture leads
Aside from gathering email addresses, your chatbot can learn much more about your prospect.
From their first press of a button, you can learn exactly what your visitor is looking for and, consequentially, where they are in the customer journey.
If they are looking for a helpful eBook, then they most likely are in the awareness phase, and your emails need to make them more acquainted with your product or service. What experts suggest is to initially use automated emails to send content about the topic they were interested in the whatsapp chatbot conversation. After one or two emails, you can move on to basic information about your product and how it can help them
On the other hand, if they request a quote, you know you have a warm lead that will be more enticed to buy with a special offer sent via email. If they abandoned a chatbot conversation inquiring about your prices, then you can send an email offering a discount or a free month of usage. This principle can be customized to the specifics of your business.
#2 Personalize the customer experience
Personalization goes a long way in email automation. Much like you try to make the chatbot conversation as human-like as possible, the email you send out should have a personal touch.
You can use the data collected from the chatbot conversation to personalize emails based on their name, location, personal interests, business details, and other details.
That being said, make sure not to annoy your potential client. Even though they are more willing to give out information, this should pertain to their inquiry. For instance, if your visitor is looking for a product demo and you are asking about their usual reading habits, the disconnect between the purpose and the information required will make them reconsider continuing the conversation. A way to attract customers is by earning their trust. To do so, make sure you have an email reputation, by integrating SPF and DMARC protocols in the process and regularly using the DMARC report analyzer. You can also look into using temporary emails or email warmup services to avoid getting marked as spam.
According to a 2021 report by Drift, 56% of marketers that use conversational marketing solutions saw an increase in sales productivity. Therefore, once you learn how to leverage the gathered information, you will be well on your way toward excellent results. Extending the personalized customer journey through email automation is an effective way to create meaningful relationships that might launch your business to the next level!
