Three-quarters of B2C marketers are now achieving success with a customer-centric, conversational approach to campaigns, a new study from Spectrm has found.
While partnering with a SEO consultant to publish content remains key to boosting awareness and generating leads online, a more direct, conversational strategy can pay dividends at certain points of the customer cycle.
Spectrm’s survey of 400 marketers in the business-to-customer space found that 72% believe conversational marketing is effective.
This approach is often deployed best when attempting to retain customers and strengthen relationships, as it can increase engagement and improve the post-sales experience.
Messaging apps are the go-to platforms for conversations with customers, though social media platforms can also be used.
Spectrm CEO, Max Koziolek noted: “Our findings show marketers are seeing success with conversational marketing in general as well as engaging with customers on messaging platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.”
He also noted that “changing customer preferences” is a new challenge for B2C marketers and that real-time conversations can be used to meet higher demands.
Real-time is not the only viable tactic as top performers also use AI for automated comms while collecting and analysing data to deliver more personalised interactions.
When asked what was the most effective channel overall, Instagram Messaging came out on top.
However, publishing new content is still likely to be the best solution to the “top challenge” cited by respondents, which is acquiring new customers.
Still, improving conversational marketing remains a priority for marketers and many want to create interactions that are more humanlike and use them to increase traffic levels during the next 12 months.