Email vs. Chatbot Marketing: Warning! This is not a competition.

This will not be another article on email vs. chatbot marketing. Αrticles about them two have mostly focused on them facing-off each other, claiming that chatbot technology is the technology that will substitute email marketing, with AI experts convinced that communicating to customers through chat is a better way to go.

What most fail to see is that email marketing has been around for sometime, withstanding the test of time. With over 4 billion users around the world, it is the channel delivering the highest ROI and is considered to be the most personal form of communication, offering customized content, engaging customers, and building long-lasting relationships.

Chatbots, on the other hand, are rather new. That does not mean they have not been tested. On the contrary, research has shown that 55% of people use them to communicate with brands because they expect instant responses and one-on-one attention. Apart from that, they help businesses qualify leads and collect valuable customer data. What is more, bots also cut operational costs by 30%, proving to be a cost-effective solution.

Both email and chatbots offer tangible benefits. So, this is not a question of one versus the other. It is about how you can leverage both channels’ strengths to meet your business goals. Without further ado, let us start talking about how your business can combine both to boost engagement and accelerate results.

Get those email addresses. Generate those leads.

Collecting email addresses lies at the heart of your email marketing strategy. To be successful, you need a qualified mailing list consisting of people who are willing to receive communication from you. It is no easy task. As research suggests, generating quality leads is the top priority for over 70% of marketers, whereas 63% of them emphasize that this is one of their major marketing challenges.

Chatbots, however, can be of help, as they can attract and engage your website visitors, by interacting with them at key moments to request email addresses. As opposed to lengthy sign-up forms, visitors are more likely to respond to bots, as they make the onboarding process fast, fun, and more natural as they add a human touch to their interactions. Plus, the more customized you can make the question, by asking them different questions on different pages, the more success you are likely to have in getting their addresses.

Gather the data you need for effective segmentation and personalization

Sending out generic emails to the leads you have collected will not do the work. You will need to segment to offer personalized content to your users. This can be a challenge and can take many forms, based on your product, service, industry, etc, however, when done right, it can yield significant results. Μarketers using email segmenting strategies report an incredible 760% increase in revenue generated from email, while personalized emails boost customer engagement by 74% and increase revenue by 18x.

This is where chatbots come in. They are said to be one of the most effective ways to gather the data you need to efficiently segment your list, providing on-the-spot answers, and personalizing your content. This is because you can cοnfigure your bot to ask customers specific questions to get the data you need, ensuring that each customer group gets the content that makes sense for them. To do that, you can build a conversation flow chart to map out different possibilities and visualize multiple chat scenarios.

Nurture your leads and improve your conversion rates

Up to now, we have seen how email marketing and chatbots can work together in collecting addresses and segmenting your lists for personalized content. Another way you can use the two together is the lead nurturing process. 

It is not always easy to convert a lead quickly. It all depends on sales funnels. For larger or more important purchases, customers often take time to make a decision while they reflect and research their options. If your offering has a longer purchase cycle, you need lead nurturing to guide them.

Using email marketing and chatbots together in the lead nurturing process will help you address the conversation on two fronts and improve your conversion rates. With chatbots, you can communicate in real-time with your leads. You can provide answers to their questions quickly and improve the chances of them becoming conversions. On the other hand, through emails, you can send out important documents and provide detailed information about your brand and your products and services.

Enhance your customer service 

While your other marketing channels may not be available around the clock, chatbots will be.  They will never take breaks or go on holidays and, when someone is ready to engage with your company, they are there to keep the conversation moving forward. 

Βeing put on hold or receiving a no-reply automated email can be frustrating. We are sure you can relate. A Salesforce study suggests that 66% of consumers expect real-time responses and interactions, chatbots can help you achieve that. Nearly 64% of internet users say the best part about bots is 24-hour service. 

Being available around the clock bots can offer instant solutions and delight prospects or customers. And that is not all, they can multitask and have one-on-one conversations with multiple customers at once.

The combination of email marketing with chatbot marketing can help you provide customers the multi-channel support you hope for, helping them solve their problems faster. The more ways you can interact with consumers, the better chance you have to convert them. All in all, integrating your email strategy with chatbots helps you slowly pave the way to a seamless omnichannel strategy. 

Combine email and chatbot marketing and win!

Despite the debate that has been going on for some time now, it is clear that you don’t have to be quick to pick one over the other. In fact, you should not have to make a pick. If you are looking to enhance your online marketing strategy, the best way to go about it is to combine email and chatbots to reach customers where they are and deliver a seamless customer experience that will boost engagement and accelerate results.

Are you excited to make the first step forward to your omnichannel strategy? You can start by integrating your email marketing with chatbot strategy, add to the mix a touch of powerful automation, and get this extra spice of conversion. We know this is not always easy, that is why Routee’s experts are here to guide you through.