Chatbot marketing leverages software applications that can carry conversations with users, to enhance the value provided for use cases such as 24/7 support and more.
Aspect
Explanation
Definition
Chatbot Marketing is a digital marketing strategy that involves using chatbots to engage with and assist customers on various online platforms. Chatbots are AI-driven software programs designed to simulate human conversation and provide automated responses to user inquiries. They are employed to enhance customer interactions, streamline processes, and drive marketing goals.
Key Concepts
– Chatbots: AI-powered programs capable of interacting with users through text or voice. – Automation: Chatbots automate responses, tasks, and transactions. – Customer Engagement: They engage with customers in real-time, offering information or assistance. – Lead Generation: Chatbots can collect user data and generate leads. – Personalization: Chatbots offer personalized recommendations and responses.
Types of Chatbots
– Rule-Based Chatbots: Follow predefined rules and offer responses based on keywords. – AI-Powered Chatbots: Use machine learning and natural language processing for more advanced conversations. – Scripted Chatbots: Follow scripts but may have more flexibility in responses. – Hybrid Chatbots: Combine rule-based and AI-powered elements for versatility.
Applications
– Customer Support: Chatbots provide instant help for common customer inquiries. – Lead Qualification: They can ask qualifying questions and identify potential leads. – E-commerce: Chatbots assist in product recommendations and order tracking. – Content Distribution: Chatbots deliver content and updates to users. – Appointment Booking: Used for scheduling appointments or reservations.
Benefits
– 24/7 Availability: Chatbots are available around the clock, improving customer service. – Efficiency: They handle multiple inquiries simultaneously, reducing response times. – Cost Savings: Reduce the need for human customer support agents. – Data Collection: Gather valuable user data for marketing insights. – Scalability: Easily scale to handle increased workload.
Challenges
– Limited Complexity: Chatbots may struggle with complex or nuanced conversations. – Initial Setup: Setting up chatbots requires technical expertise. – User Frustration: Users may become frustrated if chatbots cannot provide satisfactory answers. – Privacy Concerns: Data security and privacy are essential considerations. – Maintenance: Ongoing maintenance and updates are necessary.
Examples
– Facebook Messenger Bots: Used for customer support, order tracking, and lead generation. – E-commerce Chatbots: Assist users in finding products, making purchases, and tracking shipments. – Banking Chatbots: Provide balance inquiries, transaction history, and account management. – News Chatbots: Deliver news updates, personalized content, and weather reports. – Healthcare Chatbots: Assist in symptom checking, appointment scheduling, and medication reminders.
Measurement
Measuring the effectiveness of chatbot marketing involves tracking metrics such as response time, user engagement, conversion rates, lead generation, and customer satisfaction scores. Feedback from users is valuable for improving chatbot interactions.
Future Trends
The future of chatbot marketing includes advancements in AI, more sophisticated natural language processing, increased personalization, and integration with voice assistants. Chatbots will continue to play a crucial role in enhancing customer experiences and automating routine tasks.
Conclusion
Chatbot Marketing is a powerful tool for improving customer engagement, streamlining processes, and achieving marketing objectives. When properly implemented and maintained, chatbots can provide a seamless and efficient user experience, benefiting both businesses and consumers.
We love our Siri and Google Assistant; we enjoy telling Alexa to play our favorite music, to call someone, and to answer questions about our beloved sports figure or movie actor. This is the new world of chatbots – having a conversation with a machine rather than a live person.
And consumers seem to be more than ready for it. Not only is it fun, but it’s also efficient – especially for current generations on the go, in a hurry, and impatient for information and results right now.
Chatbots and Marketing
So, what does all of this have to do with marketing? A lot actually. Consider all of the aspects of marketing for which chatbots can be useful:
Chatbots can satisfy consumer demand for 24/7 information and assistance.
And with continually improving natural language processing technology, they are learning continually and getting far better at responding satisfactorily. Whether a customer wants more information about a specific product or service or has an issue with a product, delivery, exchange, etc., a chatbot can handle it.
Chatbots can track customer data
And when those customers return, they will be greeted by name, reminded of their past orders, and even receive recommendations and suggestions for additional products or services that may be of interest. This personalizes the communication – something that is always a plus.
Chatbots will give businesses an edge on their competition
Simply because they are more efficient, serve customers better and faster, and do not have human personality quirks that might offend or put off some people. With bots, customers get the attention they deserve an get it well.
Are There Challenges?
Designing and developing (and continually improving) chatbots is the biggest challenge and cannot be accomplished without professional help, in most cases.
Bots have not been perfected yet. While natural language processing and AI have certainly come a long way, there will still be issues – expect them to occur. Understand that, like any type of marketing, things evolve constantly, and marketers must stay on top of this technology too.
Another challenge will be how to incorporate chatbot marketing technology with mobile apps. Initially, there will be a decline in such usage, but, ultimately, they can be connected, especially through voice technology, as it evolves.
Bots cannot yet gather and churn the big data, and so in-depth analytics is not possible. With time, that will come too, but in the meantime, other data gathering and communication with actual and potential customers will still be necessary. But implementing bot technology now will ensure that you are prepared when the time comes.
How to Get Moving on Chatbot Marketing
Embrace It
You cannot ignore the fact that chatbots might soon be mainstream in overall marketing strategies. Acting now can give you an edge. The technology is moving rapidly, and you need to get on board now.
Ask the important questions first
What is the purpose of my bot? Exactly what do I want it to do?
How necessary is it? Can it provide value to my current and potential customers that they aren’t getting now?
Once you know the answer to these two questions, you are ready to move forward with development.
Keep it simple initially
You cannot anticipate every question or every issue members of your target audience may have. Research your customer base and identify the most common questions or issues they have. In other words, what will provide your customer with the most value?
There are tools, like Kik and Telegram that allow businesses to automatically set up accounts that are really quite simple and will take care of those basic tasks you want your bot to perform.
They can do such things as provide information on or find specific products or services, provide shipping and delivery details, give help with checkout and payment processes, and, for stores or restaurants that deliver or provide takeout, take care of food orders.
You probably do not understand the development aspects of chatbot technology
But so long as you do know what you want your chatbot to do, you can find the resources you need. Obviously, your budget plays a role, but if you do your research you may be able to partner up with a startup that is hungry for business and get a really cost-effective deal.
The other option is any number of bot-building templates that will walk you through developing your own – no coding experience required!
Again, Start Simple
When Taco Bell decided to launch its chatbot, it focused on only one thing – takeout orders. The bot took orders, repeated those orders to customers, and then provided options and suggestions based upon that order. Be like Taco Bell.
Expansion can come later. Getting it right with simplicity first keeps customers happy and your reputation intact.
Test and Re-Test
You cannot afford glitches that result in unhappy users. And there will be frequent updates that will impact its quality. You are better off having a separate bot developed for each type of campaign or purpose, and direct your customer questions and issues automatically.
Your developer will thank you too – his job will be much easier updating and fixing glitches on individual campaigns than on a broad single one that will have more chance for errors.
As you monitor and test your bots, you will learn many things – you will learn what your customers like and don’t like, what they are really using and what they are not.
This will inform how you modify and upgrade those bots. And with every modification and enhancement, you will be testing again.
Don’t Pretend
If your customer/user is misinformed and thinks he is speaking to a human, you are not honest or fair. This ultimately causes mistrust. And give your bot a catchy name.
Your Bot is Not the Full Answer
Bots must be attached to humans. There will be questions and issues that your bot cannot address. In these instances, the only smart thing to do is to refer that user to a human, tell that person you are doing so, and exactly when to expect a suitable response.
Make Your Bot Friendly, Even Humorous, But Do Not Wax On
Users appreciate the friendliness and a certain amount of humor (check out the Poncho Weather App) but do not have your bot go on and on. They also want answers and resolutions promptly. So, find a good balance. One of the ways to do this is to check out the bots being used in your sector and see how they resonate with users. Also, be mindful that the more conversation your bot gets engaged in, the tougher it will be for it to keep up. Don’t put yourself in that kind of position.
Case Studies
Domino’s Pizza: Domino’s uses a chatbot named “Dom” to facilitate pizza orders. Customers can interact with Dom through various messaging platforms, making it easy and convenient to place orders.
Sephora: Sephora employs a chatbot on its website and mobile app to assist customers in finding the right beauty products. The chatbot provides personalized product recommendations, tips, and tutorials based on users’ preferences and needs.
H&M: H&M’s chatbot helps shoppers discover fashion items and outfits by asking about their style preferences. It offers product suggestions, allows users to make purchases, and provides fashion inspiration.
Marriott International: Marriott’s chatbot, “ChatBotlr,” assists guests with hotel reservations and inquiries. It offers information about hotel amenities, check-in/check-out procedures, and room availability.
Whole Foods Market: Whole Foods utilizes a chatbot on Facebook Messenger to provide recipes, cooking tips, and meal planning assistance. Users can search for recipes, receive shopping lists, and get cooking instructions.
1-800-Flowers: This online flower and gift retailer uses a chatbot to guide customers through the process of selecting and ordering floral arrangements for various occasions. The chatbot also offers delivery tracking.
Bank of America: Bank of America’s chatbot, “Erica,” offers financial guidance and account management services. It helps users with tasks like checking account balances, transferring funds, and paying bills.
National Geographic: National Geographic’s chatbot delivers engaging content and educational information to users. It shares trivia, quizzes, and stories related to science, nature, and exploration.
Lego: Lego’s chatbot assists customers in finding specific Lego sets and products. Users can describe what they’re looking for, and the chatbot provides product recommendations and store information.
Healthcare Providers: Many healthcare organizations use chatbots to schedule appointments, answer medical queries, and provide information about healthcare services. These chatbots enhance patient engagement and streamline administrative tasks.
Automotive Brands: Automotive companies like Ford and BMW employ chatbots to assist customers with vehicle specifications, booking test drives, and locating nearby dealerships.
Airlines: Airlines like KLM and Lufthansa use chatbots to help travelers with flight bookings, check-in procedures, and providing flight status updates.
Key highlights of chatbot marketing:
Definition of Chatbot Marketing: Chatbot marketing utilizes software applications, known as chatbots, to engage in conversations with users. These chatbots are used to enhance various use cases, including 24/7 customer support and more.
Growing Popularity: Chatbots have gained popularity due to their efficiency and ability to provide instant responses. Consumers are increasingly receptive to interacting with chatbots for quick information and assistance.
Enhancing Customer Support: Chatbots play a crucial role in providing 24/7 customer support. They can handle inquiries about products, services, and address issues efficiently.
Personalization: With advancements in natural language processing (NLP) technology, chatbots can track customer data and personalize interactions. Returning customers are greeted by name and receive recommendations based on their previous interactions.
Efficiency and Customer Satisfaction: Chatbots offer businesses a competitive edge by being more efficient, responsive, and consistent in their interactions compared to humans. They can handle a high volume of inquiries without human limitations.
Challenges in Chatbot Marketing: Developing and improving chatbots is a significant challenge, often requiring professional expertise. Chatbots are not yet perfect and may encounter issues. Integrating chatbot technology with mobile apps can also be a challenge.
Future Data Gathering: Chatbots are limited in their ability to gather and analyze big data. However, as technology evolves, they may play a more significant role in data collection and analysis.
Getting Started with Chatbot Marketing: To embark on chatbot marketing, businesses should:
Define the purpose of the chatbot and its value to customers.
Start with simplicity by addressing common customer questions and needs.
Consider partnering with experts or using bot-building templates.
Emphasize testing and retesting to ensure a seamless user experience.
Maintain honesty about the bot’s nature and limitations.
Ensure the bot remains customer-friendly and efficient in interactions.
Bots as Complementary: Chatbots are complementary to human support. When faced with complex queries, bots should guide users to human support and provide clear expectations for response times.
Balance Friendliness and Efficiency: While chatbots can exhibit friendliness and humor, it’s essential to strike a balance and prioritize prompt responses. Avoid lengthy conversations that may overwhelm the bot.
Key takeaway
These ten aspects of chatbot marketing are obviously just the start for you. There is no question that they will play a huge role in business marketing strategies and tactics going forward. Your single choice is to get on board now, learn all that you can, experiment with bots, and become a master of your marketing fate.
Author Bio: Marie Fincher is a content writer with a long history in marketing, the technology of marketing, and BI. She is a frequent contributor to blogs on data science and those related to marketing in general.
Related Frameworks
Description
When to Apply
Direct Marketing
– A marketing strategy that involves reaching out to potential customers directly, usually through targeted communication channels such as email, direct mail, telemarketing, or SMS. Direct Marketing aims to deliver personalized messages or offers to specific individuals or segments to generate immediate responses, leads, or sales.
– When seeking to target specific individuals or segments with personalized messages or offers. – Implementing Direct Marketing to drive immediate responses, generate leads, or facilitate sales effectively.
Email Marketing
– A digital marketing tactic that involves sending commercial messages or promotional content to a targeted list of email subscribers or contacts. Email Marketing aims to build relationships, nurture leads, or drive conversions through personalized email communications, newsletters, or automated email campaigns.
– When aiming to engage subscribers, nurture leads, or promote products through personalized email communications. – Leveraging Email Marketing to deliver targeted messages, drive conversions, and build customer loyalty effectively.
Content Marketing
– A strategic marketing approach that focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage a target audience. Content Marketing aims to provide useful information, entertain, or educate prospects or customers through various content formats such as blogs, articles, videos, infographics, or social media posts.
– When seeking to attract, engage, or retain customers through valuable and relevant content. – Implementing Content Marketing to build brand authority, drive traffic, or generate leads effectively.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
– A digital marketing strategy that involves promoting websites or web pages through paid search engine advertising (e.g., Google Ads) to increase visibility and attract relevant traffic. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) allows advertisers to bid on keywords or phrases related to their products or services and display ads prominently on search engine results pages (SERPs).
– When aiming to increase online visibility, drive website traffic, or generate leads through paid search advertising. – Leveraging Search Engine Marketing (SEM) to target potential customers actively searching for relevant products or services effectively.
Social Media Marketing (SMM)
– A digital marketing tactic that leverages social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube to connect with audiences, build brand awareness, and drive engagement. Social Media Marketing (SMM) involves creating and sharing content, running ads, or engaging with users to achieve marketing objectives.
– When seeking to build brand awareness, engage audiences, or drive conversions through social media channels. – Implementing Social Media Marketing (SMM) to reach target audiences, foster relationships, and drive business results effectively.
Event Marketing
– A marketing strategy that revolves around hosting, sponsoring, or participating in events such as conferences, trade shows, seminars, webinars, or experiential activations to promote products, services, or brands. Event Marketing allows companies to engage with prospects, customers, or industry professionals in person or virtually and create memorable brand experiences.
– When aiming to connect with prospects, customers, or industry professionals through live or virtual events. – Leveraging Event Marketing to showcase products, network with attendees, or generate leads effectively.
Promotional Marketing
– A marketing tactic that involves offering incentives, discounts, giveaways, or special deals to encourage immediate action, drive sales, or reward customer loyalty. Promotional Marketing includes strategies such as sales promotions, coupons, contests, loyalty programs, or free samples to attract and retain customers.
– When seeking to stimulate demand, drive sales, or incentivize purchases through limited-time offers or special promotions. – Implementing Promotional Marketing to create urgency, boost sales, or build customer loyalty effectively.
Point of Purchase (POP) Marketing
– A marketing technique that focuses on influencing purchasing decisions at the point of sale or point of purchase. Point of Purchase (POP) Marketing involves strategic placement of displays, signage, or promotional materials in retail environments to attract attention, showcase products, or encourage impulse purchases.
– When aiming to influence buying decisions or drive impulse purchases at the point of sale. – Leveraging Point of Purchase (POP) Marketing to increase product visibility, stimulate sales, or reinforce brand messaging effectively.
Guerrilla Marketing
– A marketing strategy that relies on unconventional, low-cost, and high-impact tactics to grab attention, create buzz, or generate viral exposure for a brand, product, or message. Guerrilla Marketing uses creativity, surprise, or novelty to engage audiences in unexpected ways, often in public spaces or through unconventional channels.
– When seeking to generate buzz, create memorable experiences, or engage audiences through unconventional marketing tactics. – Implementing Guerrilla Marketing to stand out, spark conversations, or generate word-of-mouth effectively.
Referral Marketing
– A marketing approach that encourages existing customers or brand advocates to refer new customers or leads through word-of-mouth recommendations, social sharing, or incentivized programs. Referral Marketing leverages the trust and influence of satisfied customers to acquire new customers and drive growth through referrals.
– When aiming to leverage customer loyalty, generate word-of-mouth referrals, or acquire new customers through personal recommendations. – Leveraging Referral Marketing to incentivize referrals, reward advocates, and drive customer acquisition effectively.
Account-based marketing (ABM) is a strategy where the marketing and sales departments come together to create personalized buying experiences for high-value accounts. Account-based marketing is a business-to-business (B2B) approach in which marketing and sales teams work together to target high-value accounts and turn them into customers.
Ad Ops – also known as Digital Ad Operations – refers to systems and processes that support digital advertisements’ delivery and management. The concept describes any process that helps a marketing team manage, run, or optimize ad campaigns, making them an integrating part of the business operations.
Venture capitalist, Dave McClure, coined the acronym AARRR which is a simplified model that enables to understand what metrics and channels to look at, at each stage for the users’ path toward becoming customers and referrers of a brand.
Affinity marketing involves a partnership between two or more businesses to sell more products. Note that this is a mutually beneficial arrangement where one brand can extend its reach and enhance its credibility in association with the other.
As the name suggests, ambush marketing raises awareness for brands at events in a covert and unexpected fashion. Ambush marketing takes many forms, one common element, the brand advertising their products or services has not paid for the right to do so. Thus, the business doing the ambushing attempts to capitalize on the efforts made by the business sponsoring the event.
Affiliate marketing describes the process whereby an affiliate earns a commission for selling the products of another person or company. Here, the affiliate is simply an individual who is motivated to promote a particular product through incentivization. The business whose product is being promoted will gain in terms of sales and marketing from affiliates.
The bullseye framework is a simple method that enables you to prioritize the marketing channels that will make your company gain traction. The main logic of the bullseye framework is to find the marketing channels that work and prioritize them.
Brand building is the set of activities that help companies to build an identity that can be recognized by its audience. Thus, it works as a mechanism of identification through core values that signal trust and that help build long-term relationships between the brand and its key stakeholders.
According to inbound marketing platform HubSpot, brand dilution occurs “when a company’s brand equity diminishes due to an unsuccessful brand extension, which is a new product the company develops in an industry that they don’t have any market share in.” Brand dilution, therefore, occurs when a brand decreases in value after the company releases a product that does not align with its vision, mission, or skillset.
The brand essence wheel is a templated approach businesses can use to better understand their brand. The brand essence wheel has obvious implications for external brand strategy. However, it is equally important in simplifying brand strategy for employees without a strong marketing background. Although many variations of the brand essence wheel exist, a comprehensive wheel incorporates information from five categories: attributes, benefits, values, personality, brand essence.
The brand equity is the premium that a customer is willing to pay for a product that has all the objective characteristics of existing alternatives, thus, making it different in terms of perception. The premium on seemingly equal products and quality is attributable to its brand equity.
Brand positioning is about creating a mental real estate in the mind of the target market. If successful, brand positioning allows a business to gain a competitive advantage. And it also works as a switching cost in favor of the brand. Consumers recognizing a brand might be less prone to switch to another brand.
Business storytelling is a critical part of developing a business model. Indeed, the way you frame the story of your organization will influence its brand in the long-term. That’s because your brand story is tied to your brand identity, and it enables people to identify with a company.
Content marketing is one of the most powerful commercial activities which focuses on leveraging content production (text, audio, video, or other formats) to attract a targeted audience. Content marketing focuses on building a strong brand, but also to convert part of that targeted audience into potential customers.
One of the first mentions of customer lifetime value was in the 1988 book Database Marketing: Strategy and Implementation written by Robert Shaw and Merlin Stone. Customer lifetime value (CLV) represents the value of a customer to a company over a period of time. It represents a critical business metric, especially for SaaS or recurring revenue-based businesses.
Customer segmentation is a marketing method that divides the customers in sub-groups, that share similar characteristics. Thus, product, marketing and engineering teams can center the strategy from go-to-market to product development and communication around each sub-group. Customer segments can be broken down is several ways, such as demographics, geography, psychographics and more.
Developer marketing encompasses tactics designed to grow awareness and adopt software tools, solutions, and SaaS platforms. Developer marketing has become the standard among software companies with a platform component, where developers can build applications on top of the core software or open software. Therefore, engaging developer communities has become a key element of marketing for many digital businesses.
A digital channel is a marketing channel, part of a distribution strategy, helping an organization to reach its potential customers via electronic means. There are several digital marketing channels, usually divided into organic and paid channels. Some organic channels are SEO, SMO, email marketing. And some paid channels comprise SEM, SMM, and display advertising.
Field marketing is a general term that encompasses face-to-face marketing activities carried out in the field. These activities may include street promotions, conferences, sales, and various forms of experiential marketing. Field marketing, therefore, refers to any marketing activity that is performed in the field.
interaction with a brand until they become a paid customer and beyond.
Funnel marketing is modeled after the marketing funnel, a concept that tells the company how it should market to consumers based on their position in the funnel itself. The notion of a customer embarking on a journey when interacting with a brand was first proposed by Elias St. Elmo Lewis in 1898.
Funnel marketing typically considers three stages of a non-linear marketing funnel. These are top of the funnel (TOFU), middle of the funnel (MOFU), and bottom of the funnel (BOFU). Particular marketing strategies at each stage are adapted to the level of familiarity the consumer has with a brand.
A go-to-market strategy represents how companies market their new products to reach target customers in a scalable and repeatable way. It starts with how new products/services get developed to how these organizations target potential customers (via sales and marketing models) to enable their value proposition to be delivered to create a competitive advantage.
The term “greenwashing” was first coined by environmentalist Jay Westerveld in 1986 at a time when most consumers received their news from television, radio, and print media. Some companies took advantage of limited public access to information by portraying themselves as environmental stewards – even when their actions proved otherwise. Greenwashing is a deceptive marketing practice where a company makes unsubstantiated claims about an environmentally-friendly product or service.
Grassroots marketing involves a brand creating highly targeted content for a particular niche or audience. When an organization engages in grassroots marketing, it focuses on a small group of people with the hope that its marketing message is shared with a progressively larger audience.
Growth marketing is a process of rapid experimentation, which in a way has to be “scientific” by keeping in mind that it is used by startups to grow, quickly. Thus, the “scientific” here is not meant in the academic sense. Growth marketing is expected to unlock growth, quickly and with an often limited budget.
Guerrilla marketing is an advertising strategy that seeks to utilize low-cost and sometimes unconventional tactics that are high impact. First coined by Jay Conrad Levinson in his 1984 book of the same title, guerrilla marketing works best on existing customers who are familiar with a brand or product and its particular characteristics.
Hunger marketing is a marketing strategy focused on manipulating consumer emotions. By bringing products to market with an attractive price point and restricted supply, consumers have a stronger desire to make a purchase.
Integrated marketing communication (IMC) is an approach used by businesses to coordinate and brand their communication strategies. Integrated marketing communication takes separate marketing functions and combines them into one, interconnected approach with a core brand message that is consistent across various channels. These encompass owned, earned, and paid media. Integrated marketing communication has been used to great effect by companies such as Snapchat, Snickers, and Domino’s.
Inbound marketing is a marketing strategy designed to attract customers to a brand with content and experiences that they derive value from. Inbound marketing utilizes blogs, events, SEO, and social media to create brand awareness and attract targeted consumers. By attracting or “drawing in” a targeted audience, inbound marketing differs from outbound marketing which actively pushes a brand onto consumers who may have no interest in what is being offered.
Integrated marketing describes the process of delivering consistent and relevant content to a target audience across all marketing channels. It is a cohesive, unified, and immersive marketing strategy that is cost-effective and relies on brand identity and storytelling to amplify the brand to a wider and wider audience.
The marketing mix is a term to describe the multi-faceted approach to a complete and effective marketing plan. Traditionally, this plan included the four Ps of marketing: price, product, promotion, and place. But the exact makeup of a marketing mix has undergone various changes in response to new technologies and ways of thinking. Additions to the four Ps include physical evidence, people, process, and even politics.
Marketing myopia is the nearsighted focus on selling goods and services at the expense of consumer needs. Marketing myopia was coined by Harvard Business School professor Theodore Levitt in 1960. Originally, Levitt described the concept in the context of organizations in high-growth industries that become complacent in their belief that such industries never fail.
Marketing personas give businesses a general overview of key segments of their target audience and how these segments interact with their brand. Marketing personas are based on the data of an ideal, fictional customer whose characteristics, needs, and motivations are representative of a broader market segment.
Meme marketing is any marketing strategy that uses memes to promote a brand. The term “meme” itself was popularized by author Richard Dawkins over 50 years later in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene. In the book, Dawkins described how ideas evolved and were shared across different cultures. The internet has enabled this exchange to occur at an exponential rate, with the first modern memes emerging in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Microtargeting is a marketing strategy that utilizes consumer demographic data to identify the interests of a very specific group of individuals. Like most marketing strategies, the goal of microtargeting is to positively influence consumer behavior.
Multichannel marketing executes a marketing strategy across multiple platforms to reach as many consumers as possible. Here, a platform may refer to product packaging, word-of-mouth advertising, mobile apps, email, websites, or promotional events, and all the other channels that can help amplify the brand to reach as many consumers as possible.
Multi-level marketing (MLM), otherwise known as network or referral marketing, is a strategy in which businesses sell their products through person-to-person sales. When consumers join MLM programs, they act as distributors. Distributors make money by selling the product directly to other consumers. They earn a small percentage of sales from those that they recruit to do the same – often referred to as their “downline”.
The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a measure of the ability of a product or service to attract word-of-mouth advertising. NPS is a crucial part of any marketing strategy since attracting and then retaining customers means they are more likely to recommend a business to others.
Neuromarketing information is collected by measuring brain activity related to specific brain functions using sophisticated and expensive technology such as MRI machines. Some businesses also choose to make inferences of neurological responses by analyzing biometric and heart-rate data.
Neuromarketing is the domain of large companies with similarly large budgets or subsidies. These include Frito-Lay, Google, and The Weather Channel.
Newsjacking as a marketing strategy was popularised by David Meerman Scott in his book Newsjacking: How to Inject Your Ideas into a Breaking News Story and Generate Tons of Media Coverage. Newsjacking describes the practice of aligning a brand with a current event to generate media attention and increase brand exposure.
A microniche is a subset of potential customers within a niche. In the era of dominating digital super-platforms, identifying a microniche can kick off the strategy of digital businesses to prevent competition against large platforms. As the microniche becomes a niche, then a market, scale becomes an option.
We can define pull and push marketing from the perspective of the target audience or customers. In push marketing, as the name suggests, you’re promoting a product so that consumers can see it. In a pull strategy, consumers might look for your product or service drawn by its brand.
Real-time marketing is as exactly as it sounds. It involves in-the-moment marketing to customers across any channel based on how that customer is interacting with the brand.
Relationship marketing involves businesses and their brands forming long-term relationships with customers. The focus of relationship marketing is to increase customer loyalty and engagement through high-quality products and services. It differs from short-term processes focused solely on customer acquisition and individual sales.
Reverse marketing describes any marketing strategy that encourages consumers to seek out a product or company on their own. This approach differs from a traditional marketing strategy where marketers seek out the consumer.
Remarketing involves the creation of personalized and targeted ads for consumers who have already visited a company’s website. The process works in this way: as users visit a brand’s website, they are tagged with cookies that follow the users, and as they land on advertising platforms where retargeting is an option (like social media platforms) they get served ads based on their navigation.
Sensory marketing describes any marketing campaign designed to appeal to the five human senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are enabling marketers to design fun, interactive, and immersive sensory marketing brand experiences. Long term, businesses must develop sensory marketing campaigns that are relevant and effective in eCommerce.
Services marketing originated as a separate field of study during the 1980s. Researchers realized that the unique characteristics of services required different marketing strategies to those used in the promotion of physical goods. Services marketing is a specialized branch of marketing that promotes the intangible benefits delivered by a company to create customer value.
Sustainable marketing describes how a business will invest in social and environmental initiatives as part of its marketing strategy. Also known as green marketing, it is often used to counteract public criticism around wastage, misleading advertising, and poor quality or unsafe products.
Word-of-mouth marketing is a marketing strategy skewed toward offering a great experience to existing customers and incentivizing them to share it with other potential customers. That is one of the most effective forms of marketing as it enables a company to gain traction based on existing customers’ referrals. When repeat customers become a key enabler for the brand this is one of the best organic and sustainable growth marketing strategies.
360 marketing is a marketing campaign that utilizes all available mediums, channels, and consumer touchpoints. 360 marketing requires the business to maintain a consistent presence across multiple online and offline channels. This ensures it does not miss potentially lucrative customer segments. By its very nature, 360 marketing describes any number of different marketing strategies. However, a broad and holistic marketing strategy should incorporate a website, SEO, PPC, email marketing, social media, public relations, in-store relations, and traditional forms of advertising such as television.
Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
