Recent reports estimate that there are more than 3.96 billion digital consumers across the globe already regularly using social media and messaging apps. Additionally, chatbots have seen a massive surge in popularity, becoming more and more developed and more capable of fulfilling any number of company needs. With such a large consumer presence available on these apps, it is unthinkable that any company would miss out on the opportunity to capture their attention; and what better way to do so than through chatbots?
What are Chatbots?
chatbots are automated systems, often built into messaging systems, and designed to provide automated responses to users’ queries and concerns. These systems are often bolstered by the use of NLP, or natural language processing software, designed to help these systems learn from each interaction, better understanding customer questions and writing patterns.
Using artificial intelligence, these tools can quickly evolve to understand and interpret users’ inputs. These tools are not just limited to text but have also been capable of responding with GIFs, audio, and video. But what are these chatbots used for? The answer is almost anything! While customer service is one of the largest areas for chatbot usage, chatbots have been employed for everything from servicing insurance claims, to assisting users with health concerns.
What Benefits do Chatbots Bring to Social Media?
If you’re a business considering a new or improved social media strategy, it is essential to also consider potentially including a chatbot in your plan. There are a few key reasons why this implementation can be a powerful boost to your business, as well as critical to your customer engagement services.
Exposure
As mentioned earlier, social media and messaging apps have been incorporated into daily life by over 1 billion people across the globe. If you’re interested in reaching more consumers, you have to go where they are, and suddenly having access to hundreds of millions of consumers is nothing to brush off lightly. Additionally, consumers are showing increasing interest and positive relationships with chatbots, with many expressing curiosity and desire to interact with chatbots from brands they love. If you’re looking to grow your business, incorporating a social media chatbot is a powerful way to increase and establish a greater online presence.
Engagement
When customers are engaging with a chatbot directing their messaging channels and personal social media, they are developing a personal relationship not just with your products but also your brand and business as a whole. Additionally, the increased availability of your bot means customers will be receiving a response and information from your company 24/7, greatly improving your reach and relationship with potential customers.
Ease of Operation
For your business, it is important to remember that chatbots are a cheap and easy to implement a tool, particularly when compared to a traditional live service agent. While live agents will always hold an important role in any business- and chatbots won’t be replacing them anytime soon, it is important to note that these tools are no longer reserved for the upper echelons of businesses anymore. Implementation of a chatbot can be done for businesses operating at any price point, and as such, they are an ideal candidate for providing an inexpensive but powerful tool to your social media strategy.
