How Chatbots Can Be Used to Drive Local Engagement and ROI

As a multi-location marketer, did you know that chatbots can help your business drive local engagement, ultimately increasing your return on investment (ROI)? This blog will explain how to use chatbots effectively to engage with consumers, deliver personalized information, and increase leads. 

Engage with Consumers in Real-Time 

One of the most significant benefits of chatbots, which was mentioned in a previous blog, is their ability to communicate with consumers in real-time. Chatbots allow consumers to ask questions about products or services, leave feedback about their experience, and receive answers – all in real-time. These real-time conversations also provide consumers with a more personalized experience and help retain engagement. 

Before chatbots, consumers would have to send an email to your business or call directly, which can often lead to long wait or response times. If a consumer sends an email and doesn’t hear back from the business promptly, they will have likely moved on by the time they receive a response. On the other hand, with chatbots, consumers can receive answers instantaneously. If a consumer has a product- or policy-related question, they can ask the chatbot, and get an answer right away, often leading to a purchase. If your multi-location business can engage with consumers in real-time, sales will increase, therefore increasing your ROI. 

Also, your consumers will feel like they can rely on your multi-location business. If a consumer feels acknowledged, they will be more likely to leave a positive review about the business. Many chatbots also include the functionality to receive reviews and feedback within the chat. For example, at the end of a conversation with a consumer, the chatbot can prompt a consumer to “rate their experience” or “leave feedback.” 

Deliver Personalized Answers Across Business Locations

While chatbots are great for increasing engagement among your target audience, some chatbots can also come in handy when trying to spread a message across multiple business locations. For instance, if your multi-location business currently has to reduce business hours or close altogether due to COVID-19, your chatbots can help relay this information. While the messaging on chatbots can be changed relatively easily, adjusting the messaging across locations can be a little more tricky. 

When choosing a chatbot option, it’s essential to look at whether or not localized content can be included. 

Localized messaging helps consumers feel more connected to your business, which in turn will help your business when it comes to ROI. If you are providing a consumer with information that is specific to their inquiry, they will be more likely to trust your business and ultimately make purchases there. This is why localization on chatbots is crucial. 

Chatbots also allow you to communicate outside of regular business hours. If a consumer or potential consumer has a question about a specific service or product your business provides, they can get their questions answered at any time through the help of a chatbot. With COVID-19 continuing to take center stage across the nation, many multi-location businesses are also operating at a lower capacity than usual. Chatbots can help your business alleviate high volumes of frequently asked questions too.

Generate More Leads, Increasing Sales 

Although your specific job title may be marketing focused, one of the most crucial goals of a multi-location business is to generate leads, which in turn increases sales. Chatbots can help your business do precisely this. Through chatbots, your business can collect the information of those asking questions about your business. For instance, many chatbots start with getting the user’s name and email address, which can then be used at a later time to reach back out to them on the sales side. 

At the end of a chatbot conversation, you can also provide an opportunity for the user to leave feedback on their experience as previously mentioned. This is another way to get data from the user and slowly transition them into your sales funnel. While you might not see the results overnight, chatbots are worth the investment in the long run. The feedback you gain from surveys can be beneficial to your business in other aspects as well. Multi-location businesses can use the feedback collected from chatbots to influence and make improvements and optimizations to current marketing strategies. 

Getting Started With Chatbots 

Now that you’re convinced that chatbots are essential to creating a robust localized marketing strategy, you may be asking yourself, how do I get started? SOCi is here to help! SOCi just released a brand new feature, SOCi SmartBot, which was created with multi-location businesses in mind. 

SOCi SmartBot is on 24/7. It doesn’t sleep, and it never misses a question. This intelligent chatbot will live on Facebook Messenger and, through advanced machine learning, delivers localized responses to questions about your business locations, including hours, products, services, pricing, offers, and more. SOCi SmartBot can convert 100 percent of conversations into leads, giving you full lead source attribution. Best of all, it can book appointments and can be paired with Messenger Ads to increase conversions across all your locations. 

To learn more about SOCi’s latest release, SOCi SmarBbot, request a demo. To learn more about how you can improve your localized marketing strategy, email us at [email protected].