January 25, 2018
The digital marketing industry has been growing rapidly over the years, with search, display, video, and email expected to spend over $120B by 2021.
Along with constant growth, digital marketing is also constantly changing. With every algorithm update and every new technology, there’s always a lot of talk about how it will impact the way consumers interact, discover, and locate the answers to their specific questions or queries.
While the days of typing in specific queries into a search engine and perusing the SERP are far from being over, consumers today want simplicity and ease when getting answers to their questions. Voice search and smart speakers like Google Home and Amazon Echo are part of this development.
That’s where conversational marketing comes in. Conversational marketing is when brands have real-time conversations with consumers.
Where are we headed?
While search queries are seeing the biggest change as of right now, the future is pointing towards consumers being able to quickly communicate with brands. While this can take many forms, some believe this will be in the form of already established messaging apps.
Look at Facebook Messenger. Over 1 billion people are actively engaging each month on this app. With such rapidly growing popularity, businesses can find a way to capitalize on this development and engage on these apps.
This can take the form of implementing bots, or computers, on these apps. Many companies have already realized the value in this space and have begun to populate it. Now, you can order an Uber within Facebook Messenger, or easily find products within a website. Take a look at what Shop Spring has already implemented.
As AI becomes smarter, consumers will be able to find exactly which products they are looking for and check out within seconds, all without having to navigate on the website.
While some may believe that not engaging with a website might be detrimental, remember that over 53% of mobile users exit a site if it doesn’t load within 3 seconds. AI will mitigate this issue by being able to instantaneously converse with consumers to find exactly what they’re searching for, as they did with our good friend Alan.
What’s the benefit for businesses?
Investing in conversational marketing makes sense for businesses seeking to optimize and improve their current offerings, website structure, and most importantly, create a voice for their brand.
When implementing AI, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel nor are you tasked with having to develop a vast amount of knowledge that is required for Siri or Alexa. Instead, you can develop AI to best understand your offerings, like “men and women’s jewelry.”
As the AI learns your offerings and gains immediate access to your customer database, AI’s will be able to individualize and best serve each consumer’s specific needs. This would increase conversion rates and leave consumers happy and willing to share their positive experience with the brand.
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Interested in learning more about voice search? Read this.
Analyst, Search & Social Advertising
Max Engler is a Minnetonka, Minnesota native who trekked to Indiana University for college. When he’s not working in digital marketing, Max enjoys researching and reselling men’s clothing. He nerds out over the different label designs on the back of T-shirts.