May 24, 2019

How chatbots can power lead generation for B2B players

Chatbots - Businessman on blurred background using digital chatbot robot application 3D rendering - Scatter

We’ve comfortably stepped into the era where messaging is the de-facto way of communicating, and direct and latent AI integrations are becoming more common than we think. And chatbots are the perfect example of a combination of the two.

When we think of AI technology, we often think of a more in-depth, macro and micro inclusion. However, according to a survey, 63% of marketers didn’t even realize they were using AI in their everyday marketing activities. Integrating chatbots is one such example.

Gone are the days when chatbots had a uniformed approach, belting out messages that sounded transactional and ‘robot-like’. Today, bots are delivering quality content, enabling a better understanding of the customers’ psyche, and providing customers with cues to uncover needs. This eventually results in a much better chance of a purchase. Here’s how new age chatbots prompt better lead generation in the B2B industry.

Chatbots assist across stages of the funnel

Right from awareness to purchase, a chatbot, pre-populated with the right script, can prompt a customer to take desired actions throughout the funnel. For instance, Facebook, which is surprisingly a critical starting point for B2B customers, can be leveraged to integrate chatbot communication via messenger. With the right intelligence gathered throughout these steps, the chatbot can not only generate, but nurture leads to the final purchase step as well.

Chatbots outperform e-mail marketing

E-mail marketing is an essential component of a B2B marketing strategy. In fact, a lot of businesses rely heavily on e-mails vis-à-vis other marketing avenues.

Whether it’s drumming up interest, answering queries, or encouraging purchase, chatbots can do it all without the need for manual intervention. While automated e-mail marketing can serve the same purpose, chatbots are quicker and work without the need for excessive click-through and navigation.

Chatbots optimize processes

By allowing customers to self-select through a series of scripted questions, bots make your sales force leaner and automate the process of matching customers’ need with your offering. This cuts down on the time that you may have otherwise spent with sales representatives interacting with customers and product or service sampling.

Chatbots help in data mining

The data gathered from a bot-human interaction, especially at large-scale B2B organizations, may be cumbersome for staff to analyze. Bots, however, can automate the process through pre-fed algorithms and assist the workforce to better analyze and use that data.

While chatbots do work exceptionally well for lead generation for B2B businesses, they also help to qualify said leads. You can get significant insights about preference, budget, business size, and needs, etc. through the initial conversation itself. In addition to this, most bot platforms allow you to develop a persona for the chatbot, giving it minute traits that humanize interactions without actual human intervention. Therefore, it’s prudent for B2B and other businesses to consider integrating chatbots to help them not only generate, but also qualify and nurture prospective customers.