We are all here, because we think conversational marketing and chatbots are amazing, right?
I hope you agree with me when I say that it’s NOT the chatbot – the technical thing we build – that is amazing, but WHAT WE PUT IN IT – the conversation.
And, if you agree with that, let’s go one step further, in order for what we put in the chatbot – the copy – to convert at a high level, we need to have a strong, successful strategy for the TRANSFORMATION of the other person in the conversation, not us and our business.
You’ve heard this quote before, I’m sure…
You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want. Zig Zigler
This is the essence of the success of chatbots through conversational marketing.
Unfortunately, most chatbot conversations go something like this:
- Greeting
- Ask for Email
- Ask for SMS
- Sell
Due to the natural high engagement of all instant messaging programs, these chatbots produce some success for the agencies and businesses that create them. However, you can do so much more to improve on that success, not to mention care enough about the subscriber to get to know them before you ask them to open their wallet.
So, how do we create that ONE conversation that shows how we can help our customers create success? And then, how do we monetize and automate that conversation to keep getting success for more clients, and subsequently our own business?
Here are the 7 stages of that ONE conversation that you need to create, automate in a chatbot, and monetize for success:
- Greeting
- ChitChat
- Conversation
- Invitation
- Telling
- Agreement
- Conversion
These stages can be covered with just a few messages, or with a more lengthy exchange. Either way, the purpose is to get you to think about what your prospect needs – transformation, not just about what your business needs – $$$. Most of us in business already think this way, and might even create our chatbots with this in mind, but most chatbots go straight for the sale. We’ve all seen them screaming at us to convert now, before it’s too late, and the cart closes in 3 seconds! 😱
Yes, all our chatbot conversations are trying to convert our subscribers in one way or another, but let me ask you this….
If you don’t have a deeper conversation in your bot with your subscribers, when it comes time to evaluate the data, and iterate the flow, how will you do that if you have only collected an email address, and a phone number, and asked your subscriber to buy? There is nothing to iterate and retarget to except the sale, and the only way to do that is continue to hit the subscriber with high-priced ads. Be in this for the long haul, think outside the ad, and have a conversation.
So, if you want to find the gold mine in the ONE conversation you need to have with your subscribers, ready to unpack each stage, and see how you can build and/or edit your chatbot to mine that gold?
Let’s imagine you are having a dinner party (or a backyard BBQ if you’re casual like me).
What’s the first thing you do when people get to your door for the party or BBQ?
1. Greeting
Okay, this first step in your conversation with prospects is actually your lead generation subscriber message.
It is your invitation to the party – your lead magnet that gets subscribers to exchange their email, sms or bot subscription for entrance into your world (or house for the BBQ), so greet them when they show up!
If you look at those 7 steps, you’ll see that each step takes prospects deeper into the know, like and trust of you and your brand.
This first step is at the “let’s shake hands” (or touch elbows in this new COVID age).
Let’s use an example of a quiz leading to a webinar chatbot conversation.
The greeting might be something like,
Hey [FIRST NAME], Thanks for joining me, and Welcome! I can’t wait to see your results on the XYZ Quiz!
Reference the reason they opted in, be short, simple and to the point, and this greeting leads perfectly to stage 2…
2. ChitChat
When you greet someone at your door, you usually don’t dive right into a deep conversation about the meaning of life, right?
No, you start with some basic chitchat about the weather, or the latest news and gossip, and you might offer them something to drink.
That’s what this stage is – NOT gossip, but general, safe conversation, and direction as to what will happen next.
So, for our quiz example, the chitchat might look something like,
Okay, before we get into the meat of our quiz, let me ask, are you new to this online business game? Y/N
That’s great, cause we’ve got this stuff covered from A to Z, so let’s get down to it, shall we?
Now, we’re a bit more primed for the quiz, which is in the third stage…
3. Conversation
This is the MEAT of your chatbot. The Quiz in this case.
This is where you deepen your relationship with your prospects.
This is where you take a bit of time, and ask questions, and lead the conversation.
A quiz should be 3 to 7 questions, so that would be where you carry on the fuller conversation.
If you’re not doing a quiz, then this is the nurturing adventure you take your prospects on through your chatbot.
- FAQ
- Webinar nurture
- Lead Magnet nurture to conversion
- Ryan Levesque’s ASK Method survey
- Giveaway
- etc.
Having a deeper conversation in your chatbot will allow you to gather specific data on your subscribers, get to know their pain and their desires to a greater extent, so that they are perfectly positioned to say YES! to the invitation you will make to them next.
4. Invitation
If your subscriber is still engaging with these conversations, now is the time to invite them to learn more about your paid solution to their needs.
Truly, this chatbot medium is designed to be an adventure for your subscribers.
Think about it this way…
You build the road and the vehicle they drive to conversion, but the subscriber decides where, and how fast to drive, or when to take an exit.
So, I suggest you invite your subscriber to take action and convert. Invite, you ask? Yes! Ask them if you can share with them the thing you want them to do.
Here is how that might look from our quiz example going to a webinar,
Hey, [FIRST NAME], congratulations on your XYZ Quiz result! I bet that wasn’t a surprise, right? So, if you thought that was fun, I’ve got more fun coming your way. Ready? Y/N
YAY! I’m so glad you’re ready to continue this journey with me! If you agree with your XYZ Quiz result, you’ll love the short free training I have for you where I share how to get ABC benefit. Ready for more? Y/N
Again, this is how we build the road and the vehicle, but we let the subscriber drive. We respect that they are in control of this adventure, and we invite them to take the next steps.
5. Tell
Now, we tell them what we do. We show them how and why we have their solution.
In our example, this is the webinar we invited the subscriber to watch. When the webinar is over, we retarget them back to the chatbot conversation to give them testimonials, bonuses, and additional information that tells them how amazing our solution is for what they need. This could be your bot telling the subscribers how your products and services will fulfill the needs subscribers share with you via the Conversation stage. Something like,
We are so happy you are looking for life coaching that helps you increase productivity and balance in your life. This is our jam, [FIRST NAME], and we do this with our XYZ Mastermind, private FB group, and live events to support you to achieve these goals. Here is Jane Doe, and she will show you how our program has changed her life. Ready to watch? Y/N
This is your email/landing page/sales page type of telling about your business in response to your subscribers’ needs translated into chatbot copy. Of course, this is all designed to get subscribers to the final two stages.
6. Agree
Once we “Tell” we can now ask if our subscribers agree with what we offer. Here, we are looking for the subscriber’s agreement that our conversation with them, our adventure we provided has hit the destination they want to reach with us.
Something like,
Well I had to drink lots of water after that training, and it was a blast, right [FIRST NAME]? If you agree that this is the best solution you’ve seen, then I hope you’re ready to take action, and join us. Ready to find out how? Y/N
Now, you fill your chatbot with your webinar urgency marketing, and help subscribers get to the last stage. They can now…
7. Convert
We’re ready for final CTA’s, my friend! This step is very simple – CLICK THE BUY BUTTON! Or, maybe the JOIN button?
Really what you’re trying to get the subscriber to do is make a decision, and convert – whatever that conversion means to your business. And, we can offer up this decision to our subscribers as many times as necessary.
- We can retarget with a FB ad right back to this decision flow
- We can do a FB live with a comment tool to this flow with conditions ensuring all the other stages have been passed by the subscriber, and the decision is the only thing left
- We can send an SMS reminder that this decision is waiting to be made
- We can use any social channel and post to redirect to this flow with the above mentioned conditions
- We can send a sponsored message that lands subscribers in the decision flow
If we truly took the subscriber on an adventure with our brand and bot, they have everything they need to convert. All we need to do is give them that nudge with either timing or content or offer that pushes them over the edge and gets them on the other side of the buy button.
So, next time you write a chatbot flow, try this. I know it sounds simple, and it is, but it is not easy to create. You must think about the prospect first, and what they need, and selling comes as a result of the short, interactive conversational adventure you create for them.
When you create this type of adventure, and you see the results you can get, the real gold is ready to be mined…. Iteration is the true chatbot gold mine for your business! And, you are not trying to spam your subscribers so you are less likely to get restricted from FB if you choose to use that platform.
If you’re ready to create an exact flow like this with my help, click here and see exactly how we do this in Bot Academy. Then you can determine if we are a fit to work together toward your chatbot conversion goals.
Happy conversations, my friend!
Mary Kathryn Johnson
ChatBotMom