Chatbots on Facebook and social networks, the future of digital communication

Social media marketing has changed the way that businesses interact with clients and, as a result, the expectations of clients about when, where and how they contact companies. But are Chatbots really the future of digital marketing? Not entirely, but they have an increasingly important role to play.

Let’s face it, customers and companies said they wouldn’t use the internet at one point, then they said they wouldn’t use social media, then apps, then…you get the picture. So, if we agree that Chatbots have their place in providing an improved customer experience, what’s the best way to use them? And what even are they?

Faceook Robot

What is a Facebook Chatbot?

A Facebook Chatbot is simply a piece of automated messaging software which lives in Messenger and chats to customers using AI. It’s designed to understand questions and respond to them in real time. It allows you to focus your energy on your core business while simultaneously providing an improved customer experience as they can get answers to questions when and where they want to.

What are the benefits of a Facebook Chatbot?

In a word – reach. There are over 2 billion messages exchanged between businesses and clients every month on Facebook and it’s a great way of connecting and reconnecting with customers. What’s more Facebook messages can reach beyond your existing customer base (and you get to target those most likely to buy) – and they’ve been shown to convert at up to 5x the rate of desktop ads. A Chatbot can help cut costs, decrease response times and improve customer experience. And when you consider that a recent survey showed that 81% of customers rate their experience in dealing with a company as the single biggest factor in whether they buy from them, you start to see the huge benefits of keeping customers happy.

Add to that the fact that Messenger is the third most popular app in the world with 68% of app users having access to it and you get a sense of the kind of potential reach that your Facebook strategy could have access to. And what’s more, creating a Facebook Chatbot is cheaper and easier than creating your own app. Which is probably a good thing as 71% of apps are deleted within 3 months of being downloaded anyway.

Then why aren’t more people using them?

That’s a good question. And the answer is simply that Chatbots are the new kids on the block. Which means that right now, you have the chance to get an edge on your competitors by adding one to your online presence. Although the way things are going, Chatbots are set to become the new normal and in a few years’ time you might find you’re behind the curve without one. Why? Because customers love them. Surveys have shown that over half of customers (56%) prefer to message a company than call them, and 53% said they’re more likely to buy from a company they can contact by message. And these figures are expected to rise as the technology improves and customer experience of messaging companies gets even better. And as we all know, better engagement means more leads, which means more sales, which means better ROI.

Naturally some businesses are unsure about Chatbots and concerned about spending time and money on developing a system which they don’t fully understand. At Chili, we can help with that. And the first thing is to help you work out whether a Chatbot is the right move for your business and whether now is the right time to invest in one. So, if you’re unsure, don't worry; give us a call or drop us a line and let’s talk about how we can help you boost your online presence.

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