Traditional text messaging, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger are examples of instant messaging applications, at least one of which is in use by every mobile phone owner. When instant messaging is utilized in business operations as part of marketing automation, the result is saved working time, improved customer experience, and more effective marketing communications.
Use of Marketing Automation in Organizations
Marketing automation software, such as HubSpot and Salesforce, offers many different opportunities to enhance customer communication and customer experience. Their popularity has grown tremendously: according to research, some marketing automation tool is already in use by over a third of Finnish organizations.
Organizations utilize marketing automation to automate actions based on website visitors’ activities, collect data, and generate leads. Email is the most widely used automated marketing communication channel, which is also evident in the daily volume of newsletters arriving in inboxes.
Automated email marketing at its best is visually impressive and effective, but the channel’s message overload can become problematic. Email’s attention value may not be particularly high.
Automated Instant Messaging Alongside Email
By integrating instant messaging applications with marketing automation, automated, personalized messages can be sent directly to different target groups in the exact channel where each spends most of their time.
Each message can be assigned its own channel, for example, based on the message’s nature, content, and target audience. If, for instance, a WhatsApp message is sent to someone who does not have the application in use, it is automatically converted to a text message. You can therefore be certain that your message will be delivered!
Customer satisfaction surveys sent via instant messaging applications can also be automated. A good example is the widely used automated surveys at car dealerships regarding the success of service or inspection. In these cases, instant messaging channels are integrated as part of the dealership’s system.
Benefits of Integration for Message Recipients
By integrating instant messaging applications as part of marketing automation, you increase the personalization of communications when messaging in the channel where your target audience already spends time.
If your marketing message sparks your customer’s interest, they can initiate a conversation with your company directly by replying to the message. You provide the easiest possible way to contact your company directly, which leads to better customer experience and, at best, to making a booking or increasing sales.
It is important that the conversation with your customer is retained in the memory of both your organization and your customer. In instant messaging applications, your company’s message is saved to the customer’s phone. If they need to return to it later, it is effortless for your customer. On the other hand, it is also beneficial that the organization retains a record of the conversation, so that the information can later be utilized to provide better customer service.
What Benefits Does This Bring to the Organization
When you integrate instant messaging applications as part of marketing automation, you reach your target audience more effectively, more broadly, and more personally. Additionally, you reduce the amount of manual work, as automation works outside office hours as well.
All conversations initiated from messages create their own conversation window in the SmartDialog service platform. You therefore manage all your conversations in one clear user interface, regardless of whether your customer contacted you from the website or by replying to a marketing message you sent to a messaging application.
The conversation with the customer can be conducted in the selected system (e.g., marketing automation or call center software) by utilizing the API interface’s conversation features or via a web management interface. In both cases, it is important that messages can be responded to as quickly as possible. Instant messaging applications are, as their name suggests, intended for instant messaging, so c ustomers expect to receive a response and have their matter handled quickly.
Concrete Use Cases
- Marketing automation sends a reminder to the customer about the expiration of an order or contract via text message or WhatsApp. The message contains a link from which the order can be renewed directly if desired.
- Marketing automation sends a notification to the desired channel about an upcoming campaign (“Black Friday offers start on Tuesday”) or event (“Test drive weekend coming up”). The message recipient can initiate a conversation with the company to ask, for example, clarifying questions about the event by replying to the message in free form.
- An automatic order confirmation is sent from marketing automation for an online store order directly to the customer’s phone. The customer has the option to reply to the message in free form, for example, to modify the order or ask about a more specific delivery time.
Are you considering utilizing instant messaging applications as part of marketing automation? Contact us and let’s discuss further!
Read also: Instant Messaging Channels as Part of Other Software
This blog is part of a blog series that addresses the utilization of instant messaging applications as part of companies’ various software systems.