Smart messaging is a catch-all term for technologies that allow you to message clients and customers effectively increasing customer engagement. These include solutions like AI chatbots, SMS, Emails, and push notifications from apps.
Using these solutions creatively to boost customer engagement is an art. It requires empathy, understanding of human nature, and respect. Customers like it when companies respect them and their time. When they feel that a brand respects them, they are more willing to engage with it.
This means that you have to provide personalized and seamless interactions, which are not intrusive or annoying. That’s why “smart” messaging is necessary.
Today, we are going to discuss how smart messaging solutions help a brand to boost customer engagement and create a good rapport with their customer base.
What Are Some Key Smart Messaging Solutions?
Smart messaging technologies are plentiful and each has its own use and benefits. Let’s take a look at them and see how they are used to boost customer engagement.
1. AI ChatBots
Chatbots are one of the fastest growing smart messaging solutions used today. In just the span of a year (2019 to 2020), their adoption increased by 92% according to AdamConnell.
There is a good reason for that as brands have identified that they can speed up their communication by up to 80% using chatbots.
AI chatbots are usually placed on websites and they serve as a means of on-demand customer support. Most modern e-commerce sites have a floating widget of their AI chatbot in the corner of your screen.
Any questions that a client may have can be queried to the chatbot, which can provide a quick response. The AI chatbots can also proactively send messages to the web page viewer based on actions they have taken or the context of the web page.
For example, a chatbot can inform the customer that a product they are viewing is available as part of a bundle on sale. A ChatBot can also provide additional information related to products, sales, deals, and bundles.
2. SMS and Chat App
SMS and Chat apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, etc., are great ways to utilize smart messaging. These apps require phone numbers to create accounts, and that means a business can use them to reach out to customers whose phone numbers are known.
The reason why SMS and chat apps are useful for smart messaging is that they have a very high message open rate. In fact, for SMS, the open rate is as high as 98%. Compared to emails which only have an open-rate of 20%, you can understand why SMS are more suitable for smart messaging.
A solid example of SMS and WhatsApp smart messaging is of a business called MissPompadour. This is a European company that deals with online paint retail.
This company got a whopping 90% conversion rate after using WhatsApp to offer consultations, advice, and products. According to Sinch.com, the company receives 500 WhatsApp requests per day and is able to convert nine people out of 10 via WhatsApp.
The company professes that you need to meet people where they are, and today, that is WhatsApp and other chat/SMS apps of its kind.
This is why smart messaging using such apps has immense potential to boost customer engagement.
3. Push Notifications and In-App Messagin
Another method of using smart messaging is to use your apps’ in-app messages and push notifications. Nowadays, most people use smartphones for almost everything. This is why there are apps for all kinds of stuff.
Whether you are running an e-commerce store, a SaaS business, or even some kind of trade, you can use an app to connect with clients.
For example, a plumber can have an app where clients upload pictures/videos and a description of their problem and request a visit. The plumbing business can then schedule a plumber to visit the location. The data and time of the visit can be provided with a push notification/in-app message.
Why does this approach work? Well, as the MissPompadour CEO said, “meet clients where they are” and they are on their phones. So, in-app messages that can be instantly viewed and replied to are able to generate far more engagement than emails or calls from unknown numbers which go ignored.
An e-commerce store can use push notifications to inform clients about sales and deals on wishlists and other inventory. The customer can click on the notification and be immediately taken to the relevant page. This further enhances engagement as it is convenient.
However, care must be taken to not overload the customer with notifications. Send too many and risk getting silenced, thereby losing out on most of your interactions.
How to Improve Smart Messaging With Tools and Technology
While smart messaging is very powerful, it can become even better if we supplement it with other tools and technologies. Here are some things you can do to enhance your smart messaging.
1. QR Codes For Easier Opt-in
Any marketing approach that requires direct communication with a client needs some kind of personally identifying information such as a phone number or an email address. You cannot collect this kind of information without consent.
In smart messaging, even if you get the consent to collect information like phone numbers, you still need consent to use that information for marketing. This is called “opting in.”
Normally, customers are hesitant to opt-in to marketing:
– Because they don’t want to give out their number willy nilly.
– The opt-in process is too inconvenient.
Both points can be addressed by providing some incentive to opt-in, but you can also make the process simply so convenient that the customer does it without resistance.
One way to do that is to use QR codes. QR codes can be easily scanned using your phone camera or with an online QR code scanner. By scanning a QR code, users can be directed to a pre-filled form, a WhatsApp chat, or an SMS opt-in page, reducing barriers to engagement.
Some common examples of using QR codes in this way are given below.
- A retail store can place a QR code at checkout, letting customers sign up for SMS promotions instantly.
- A marketing agency can add a QR code to its business cards, allowing prospects to subscribe to a newsletter, email, or smart messaging.
- A webinar organizer can embed a QR code in event slides, so attendees can opt-in for follow-up materials via smart messaging or email.
These are just a few ways in which smart messaging and QR codes can work together.
2. GEO Targeting and Personalization Using IP location
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, personalization is now a requirement for engagement. According to HubSpot, personalized calls to action perform 202% better than generic ones. That is an engagement gain too large to ignore.
The best way to personalize your messages is to localize them according to the region and demographic of each customer. You can obtain IP addresses of customers via your apps and websites. Then an IP lookup will reveal the general location which you can use to send messages about regional offers and deals.
This is a great method for creating more engagement and conversions via smart messaging.
Conclusion
So, there you have it, smart messaging and how it can help you improve your customer engagement rates. There are multiple methods of doing smart messaging, such as SMS, Chat/Messaging Apps, and In-app messages.
These methods work because customers use their smartphones to do most of their online activities instead of other devices. With a service like Emittr, you can easily streamline your smart messaging outreach and improve your engagement and conversion rates.
