Sometimes we get so caught up in the front-end aspects of marketing, we forget that the whole point is to drive conversions. Beautiful Instagram posts and a well-designed website are certainly important weapons in your marketing arsenal, but chat is seen as less glamorous and often gets neglected. Here are some reasons why your business should immediately start using chat to speak to potential customers.
1. The connection is instant. Customers don’t want to be kept waiting, and slow lead response time can kill a business. Chat skips right over forms and emails and lets customers get in touch with you instantly, which in turn helps them to make a faster decision.
2. The connection is personal. Data shows that consumers are more likely to buy from you and recommend you to others if the buyer journey is personalized. Chatting is the pinnacle of a personalized service – even if you have a chat bot set up to handle the initial pleasantries, the responses quickly take the customer through to the exact person they need to be speaking to get what they need.
3. Chat gives you an opportunity to answer questions. As an expert in your field, you might not necessarily be aware of what your customers don’t know about the products and services you provide. Chat gives them a setting to ask those questions, which gives you a chance not only to demonstrate your knowledge, but also to discover what kind of educational information you could be sharing through your online channels.
4. You also have an opportunity to be conversational. People like connecting with other people, not with faceless companies. Now that we’re all having fewer face-to-face interactions, that conversational element can be somewhat lacking. Chatting with customers online from the moment they arrive at your website is a great way to help them recapture the experience of being able to talk to another human being.
5. Chat helps you understand how to do better. Customers aren’t shy – they’ll tell you exactly what they want, and they’ll also let you know if what you’re providing is missing the mark. Those conversations can be difficult, but ultimately they help you adjust your process and become better at what you do, which will in turn lead to higher sales.
6. You can find out what your competition is doing. If a customer is looking for a specific product or service, chances are they’ve already contacted a few other businesses in your niche. When they chat with you, they’ll tell you what they liked about those other companies, but also why they hesitated on making an actual purchase. This can help you tailor experiences so that your business is the one that ends up with the sale.
7. Chat offers a great return on investment. Some aspects of marketing are about sharing content and knowledge, while others are about getting potential customers to engage with you. Chat offers both sides at at the same time, which is the best possible scenario – both you and your customers get a lot back for the amount of effort put in.
Setting up a chat facility for your website is not difficult, but there are different options to consider depending on what your business specifically wants to accomplish. Contact us for a free consultation and we’ll help you discover exactly what you need to do to make a stronger connection with your leads and get a higher conversion rate.
Cogo Interactive is an award-winning digital marketing agency specializing in online marketing strategy, web design, SEO and social media marketing. We work with clients in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC and across the nation.
