Beyond Email Marketing: How Chatbots & SMS Marketing Engage Your Audience

When it comes to marketing automation, you need to start thinking outside the inbox.

That’s not to say email marketing is no longer effective. Business is booming, to say the least. There are approximately 4 billion daily email users — a number that is expected to climb to 4.5 billion by 2025 — and 37% of brands are increasing their email budget, as email marketing revenue is estimated to reach almost 11 billion dollars by the end of 2023.

But consumers are always looking for different ways to connect with a brand, and there are a variety of marketing automation tactics outside of email that can also deliver content to your target audience, helping turn leads and prospects into paying customers.

Two automation strategies worth exploring: Chatbots and SMS marketing.

Enhance Your Customer Experience with a Chatbot

If you’re old enough to remember Clippy — the animated paper clip that would appear and offer support when using a Microsoft Office product — consider him a precursor to the modern chatbot.

Fortunately, today’s chatbots are far more sophisticated than Clippy, using rule-based language applications to perform live chat functions in response to real-time user interactions. Put simply, they are programmed to mimic human behavior and interact with website visitors in a conversational manner, helping them get from Point A to Point B as efficiently as possible.

Chatbots can help streamline interactions between your business and its customers, since they are designed to provide answers to the most commonly asked questions. They are especially effective for companies where the demand for customer support outpaces your resources. Rather than having to wait until a human customer service representative is available, users can interact with a chatbot that is available 24/7 and able to provide immediate assistance.

More companies are investing in chatbots because they understand how much consumers value 24-hour support and the ability to get quick answers to simple questions. Most importantly, they make it easier for customers to find what they are looking for, increasing their chances of converting by providing a great user experience and efficient customer service.

Connect and Convert with SMS Marketing

You may have noticed that cell phones are very popular. In fact, 97 percent of Americans now own a cell phone, compared to 62% in 2002. They are an ubiquitous element of human existence at this point. According to a survey conducted by Statista, nearly half of the respondents stated that they spend an average of five to six hours on their phone per day.

If marketing is about creating a line of sight, chances are your audience is looking at their phone.

Short Message Service (SMS) marketing is a means of communicating with your audience through their mobile device. You can share news, sales, promotions, and other relevant information through bulk text messages to a segment of customers or even individualized messages to provide each customer with a more personalized experience. It can be used to drive more immediate reactions, making it an ideal tool for time-sensitive campaigns.

Most importantly, the open rate for SMS text messages is nearly 100 percent.

SMS marketing can also be seamlessly integrated into an overall marketing strategy, even complementing other channels. By using SMS marketing to fill in gaps in your email campaigns, for example, you can strengthen your overall marketing and create more engaged customers.

Create More Powerful Marketing Automation Campaigns

Chatbots and SMS marketing are both tools. Anyone can use them, but not everyone can get the most out of them. Partnering with a marketing automation strategist enables you to leverage their knowledge and experience to support your campaigns from conception to execution.

Contact Spinutech today if you’re ready to explore marketing automation strategies that will allow you to confidently and automatically communicate with your customers.