Conversational Marketing: More than empty words

“Hey there, how you doin’? What can I help you with today?”

As digital storefronts have become more popular than physical ones, brands have lost the art of conversation. With fewer human brand representatives (on the shop floor, at the end of the phone...) two-way chats between businesses and customers have become less effective. Instead, brands have resorted to shouting at customers.

“Look at our stuff!”, “Woohoo, over here!”, “Check us out, aren’t we awesome?”... they all cry, and audiences have had enough of the racket. The customers want brands to have genuine interactions with them, with 64% looking for an online connection with businesses. When talking about a product, 88% of customers want a conversation with brands, while 87% will reach out about a problem at checkout.

Particularly on social media, brands are discovering they can increase their reach and engagement by having genuine chats with their audience. So, what exactly is conversational marketing and how can brands do it well?

What is conversational marketing?

Conversational marketing is when brand activities are focused on having real, valuable interactions with their customers. Responding to queries accurately, quickly and through customers’ preferred channels is a key element of this strategy. Whether it is a question about a product or a problem they’re looking to solve, brands need to genuinely listen to what customers want and respond meaningfully.

The right technologies are key to recreating the traditional in-store experience in the digital world. From email personalisation to full AI experiences that tailor marketing to customers’ preferences, online actions and other data points, using the right tools helps brands create one-to-one interactions at scale. However, for conversational marketing to be effective, the use of these technologies has to be informed by the real-world engagements customers want.

What impact does conversational marketing have?

By having more genuine interactions with customers across all their digital touchpoints, brands can recreate the same feelings they have with the best in-store experiences. By following a conversational marketing strategy, businesses can benefit from:

– Caring for their customers more effectively by tailoring responses to their needs in real-time
– Getting a better picture of brand perception by listening to what customers think of your business more carefully
– Gaining a thorough understanding of all customer journeys, how they may change and what conversations or content are required at each stage
– Being able to handle more interactions effectively at scale and at a lower cost, by integrating technologies in a customer-first way
– Generating better leads faster including quicker qualification and getting improved insights into customer behaviour.

How do you start a conversation?

Think about the best conversations you’ve had in your life. Were they led by facts and cliches? Or were they intimately woven with people’s opinions and feelings? Brands who want to do conversational marketing effectively need to understand what their customers think and feel and create a response that chimes and engages with them.

Talk like the customer

“F**king great blades” without the fuss and delivered to your door for just a dollar a month - the Dollar Shave Club is for no-frills guys and isn’t afraid to show it. Their brand voice is relatable, every day and very manly. They know their customers and what makes them laugh, and they regularly leverage it to their advantage across all of the business' communication channels.

Their digital journeys are straightforward, with an easy-to-follow website. Their content is helpful in a no-nonsense way, with grooming advice that’s informative yet funny. Even their product names and descriptions get straight to the point with no frills. Plus, their online responses are friendly and full of humour which (along with their low price point) creates a club men want to be part of.

Get into the customers mindset

When brands really understand customers, you get to know what they’re thinking. Gymshark has leveraged this in its most recent marketing campaign ‘We Do Gym’. The creative repeats gym-goers’ thoughts back to them, whether it’s ‘never skip egg day’ or ‘squat rack, shorts hack’. By reembracing its gym-first personality, the brand shows it understands the workout community.

With the first-person messaging and the edgy imagery, this campaign brings the brand back to its roots and reemphasises its allegiance to gym-focused customers. By talking back to its audience using their own words, Gymshark sets itself apart from other sportswear brands – from flexing, mirror selfies and motivational quotes, its digital channels communicate direct to the customer mindset.

Hit the customer in the feels

Bet you didn’t know you could ‘Believe in Chicken’? KFC has taken a widespread feeling of despondency and turned it into a brand campaign. With customers being increasingly sceptical about the world around them, the fast-food icon offers reassurance and truth with design and messaging that returns to their original ingredients.

Instead of opting for the glossy perfection of AI, KFC’s campaign embraces the imperfection of the human hand and the delicious crevices of fried chicken. This helps customers feel safe enough to place trust and loyalty in the brand. The power of this marketing is in how it plays on a national feeling of distrust and unexpected change.

KFC's campaign reinstates its widespread appeal of being something the customer can trust won't change, resonating with a sense of dependability and loyalty from the audience.

Fancy a chat?

You’ll be glad to know that we’re all real people here in the Designmc studio, and we're ready to talk about what your customers need from your brand.

If you would like a conversation about how we can open up new, more valuable interactions with your customers, call us on 01926 754038 or drop us an email at hello@designmc.org