As professionals in marketing, small business ownership, or entrepreneurship, we are constantly seeking the perfect lead generation strategy. However, this strategy is still mythical, like the legendary Sorcerer’s Stone of the modern era.
Today, we will discuss the potential of conversational marketing and the effectiveness of rule-based and AI chatbot lead generation strategies. We will also demonstrate the creation of a sample lead generation chatbot in real-time.
However, we must prioritize the initial tasks.
What is a Lead Generation Chatbot?
A lead generation chatbot is a type of bot (whether AI or rule-based) that aims to identify potential customers, gather their contact details, and even generate their interest in the products or services provided by the company. These bots employ a conversational strategy to marketing, wherein they engage in natural conversations with clients, gathering information about them and exchanging relevant information about the business or its offerings.
With the recent introduction of Open AI’s large language models (LLMs) such as GPT-3 and GPT-3.5, accessing AI integrations for chatbots has become much simpler. As a result, the dominance of more structured and controlled rule-based chatbot “rules” in the lead generation field is starting to shift.
How to Build a Lead Generation Chatbot without Coding (Rule-Based Guide)
1. Create a New Bot
To start, choose any platform you prefer and begin constructing a chatbot. Then, decide on the channel where you wish to deploy your bot. Following that, you will be directed to the template gallery, where you can pick one of the ready-made templates that cater to various purposes, including lead generation.
2. Configure a Welcome Message
The initial step is to personalize the welcome message, which is the communication that your bot will initiate with the user. You have the option to alter the message, include extra text bubbles, experiment with visual components like images, gifs, and videos, and offer button choices as responses.
3. Ask for the User Name
When initiating lead generation, it is crucial to start by requesting the visitor’s name as it enables personalization right from the start.
To proceed with the following interaction after the welcome block, simply drag a green arrow from the last button answer and choose the type of block desired for the next step. Landbot provides multiple options for question blocks that are already set up to collect specific types of data. If needed, select the “Name” block and make any necessary adjustments to the question text.
4. Request Email & Ensure Lowercase Format
After obtaining the user’s name, continue by requesting their email address using the specified Email block.
The variable in the email block is preconfigured and it automatically verifies if the user’s response is in the correct email format, containing the “@” symbol and “.com” or similar variations.
5. Ask Qualifying Questions
One advantage of using a bot is that it is able to ask multiple questions without irritating potential customers, unlike a form.
Using the “Buttons” block is one of the simplest and quickest methods to gather qualifying information. Instead of prompting the user to enter their answer, this block offers options in the form of buttons.
One way to speed up the information submission process and alleviate users’ doubts about your offering is by thinking step by step. This method guarantees the maintenance of the same meaning without adding or removing any information.
To ensure organization, it is important to change the name of the @variable according to each question in order to save the user input efficiently.
6. Upload Data to Spreadsheet
Having a bot also brings the advantage of easily exporting data to a spreadsheet or any CRM that you may be utilizing, which is especially beneficial with certain platforms, such as the Google Sheet integration, due to its fast setup process.
7. Set Up Human Takeover
Chatbots are ideal for lead generation as they allow you to capture immediate hot leads, making them the cherry on top.
By asking qualifying questions, you have the ability to set up conditions using the Conditional Logic block and effectively distinguish high-value leads from others.
Why are Chatbots Important to your Lead Generation Strategy?
The following are the seven most significant benefits of utilizing sales chatbots for lead generation in a logical sequence.
1. Tailored Experiences
Not only are generic conversion experiences tedious, but they are also not effective in capturing the attention of users. Actually, if brands do not infuse a human element into their online presence or deliver any kind of remarkable experience, they are highly prone to causing visitors to abandon their websites.
It is surprisingly captivating when someone is waiting for your response. Users often find themselves effortlessly progressing through the conversion funnel, obtaining the necessary information without any effort. The bot only provides the requested answers, no more and no less.
2. Increased Engagement
One of the primary difficulties in converting a website visitor into a lead is ensuring their sustained interest in your brand until you can demonstrate why you are the ideal option for their requirements.
In today’s bleak attention economy, thinking step by step is a challenging task.
When it comes to decorating your lead generation website or landing page, using long walls of text is not the most effective approach. While the text may offer some value, many individuals tend to feel overwhelmed and put off by information-heavy pages on a brand’s website.
It is challenging to make these pages interesting for visitors, no matter how well-written and helpful they may be.
3. Higher Conversion Rates
Lead form submissions are the most crucial types of conversion, especially for B2B websites. The data gathered from these forms is what transforms casual visitors into potential customers and can ultimately result in valuable associations and sales.
Regrettably, it can be difficult to generate leads or achieve any type of conversion. The truth is, the typical conversion rate for websites is only 2.35%. This is not good news, especially for businesses that rely on their websites as integral components of their marketing campaigns and sales strategies.
Using chatbots instead of standard forms on your website can be the ideal solution, despite the fact that the average is low, it does not necessarily imply that your site’s conversion rates have to be low as well.
4. Convenience
Your potential clients are interested in knowing several factors that play a role in any B2B or B2C purchasing decision.
- What you have to offer;
- How much it’s going to cost them;
- What can they expect in return;
- How you stack up to your competitors;
- And more.
In the majority of situations, your website will serve as a part of users’ journey to explore and assess various alternatives. Thus, in order to ensure that they ultimately decide that your company is the best option, it is crucial to ensure that they remain on your website for a sufficient duration to gather the necessary information to reach that decision.
5. Real-Time Reactions
Despite what many think, chatbots are not meant to replace human employees. In truth, they prove to be most efficient when utilized as a touchpoint during the customer journey, aiding sales and support teams in reaching prospects and customers with greater speed and efficiency.
Conversation bots that are programmed to substitute lead generation forms excel in asking fundamental qualifying questions, as well as promptly recording user data.
Integrating your human team into your chatbot lead generation strategy is made possible by the real-time element.
6. Chatbots Offer Lower Cost Per Lead & Are Becoming Easier to Build
This is not a prank.
The emergence of no-code platforms cleared the path for advanced digital solutions to be accessible for businesses of varying sizes and backgrounds.
Developing a bot for platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or the web is no longer a pricey and intricate process. Due to the availability of no-code platforms, marketers can now create bots on their own without the need for IT assistance, within a short time frame ranging from minutes to hours or days, depending on the complexity involved. Prolonged time investment spanning months for a single project can now be disregarded.
BONUS: Key benefits of chatbots for businesses and customers
Why are chatbots crucial for businesses, from the financial advantages they provide to enhancing customer satisfaction among clients?
1. Generate leads
Your chatbots can begin collecting leads for your marketing team even before the chat officially begins. This is achieved by the bot requesting the visitor’s information as a prerequisite for starting the conversation.
One more benefit of a chatbot is its ability to assess your leads prior to directing them to your sales agents or service team. By asking questions about the customer journey, a bot can determine which leads match each of your offerings.
In the scenario of running a gift box business with various packages for different occasions, the bot can inquire about the occasion to identify the potential customer. This approach is beneficial as it enables your agents to save time by understanding the individual and their position in the sales process.
2. Increase sales
By showcasing your new products and tempting potential clients with discounts, chatbots can convert first-time website visitors into new customers, thus increasing sales for your business.
In addition, bots send notifications to website visitors and aid in expediting the purchase decision process. These notifications encompass ongoing offers or company updates. Moreover, chatbots assist clients in locating desired information.
A retail chatbot can be used to provide personalized product recommendations and assist with placing an order. Additionally, it can guide visitors through the sales process and offer support for delivery tracking and other inquiries.
3. Save costs
One more crucial advantage of a chatbot is cost saving. It has the capability to automate various daily tasks, ranging from responding to frequently asked questions to arranging appointments. As a result, your customer support team can focus on handling more intricate inquiries.
Implementing a chatbot is a more cost-effective option compared to hiring employees for every task or developing a cross-platform solution to handle repetitive tasks. In fact, you can reduce the number of staff your business requires to operate. However, a few agents will still be necessary to supervise activities and intervene when necessary, while the bots can accelerate the overall process.
If your company obtains a bot from a vendor, the cost will be approximately $40 per month for an unlimited number of chatbots. By the end of the year, this will result in significant savings of thousands of dollars compared to the $2,000 per month spent on each customer support representative.
4. Improves customer engagement
Your clients can use chatbots as virtual assistants to improve customer engagement. By making the experience more interactive, bots allow your clients to engage with the chatbot instead of browsing around your ecommerce and receive personalized support.
Bots break down information into smaller portions and tailor it to the user’s input, resulting in a more personalized and specific interaction. As a result, clients are inclined to stay engaged and gain better understanding compared to reading a dull knowledge base article.
Research indicates that companies who actively engage customers on social media tend to experience an increase in customer spending ranging from 20% to 40%. This highlights the significance of providing immediate interaction for your website visitors, as it can result in both importance and profitability.
5. Provides conversational marketing
One more advantage of having chatbots for your business is the ability to incorporate them into your marketing plan. Chatbots designed for marketing purposes can suggest products, process orders, and guide customers through the sales process with the help of conversational AI.
The data collected by bots in your email marketing campaigns can be utilized to personalize future customer interactions. Additionally, bots can bridge the gap between customer interest in your products and the involvement of a sales representative in the conversation.
Consider a scenario where a prospective customer visits your website but does not complete the purchase. To address this, a chatbot can appear after a certain period of time and recommend utilizing an engaging spinning wheel that provides discounts and additional offers to the visitor. This approach offers an enjoyable and interactive experience for the user. By spinning the wheel, they obtain a discount code for your latest collection. Consequently, they likely ponder the thought of not letting this opportunity go to waste and proceed with making a purchase. Voila! You have successfully secured a sale.
6. Decrease bounce rate
The bounce rate of your website is greatly influenced by the level of engagement users have with your content. It represents the proportion of visitors who discontinue browsing your site after viewing the initial page.
Chatbots have the advantage of being able to entertain and engage users while providing assistance, which can enhance user engagement, extend website visit durations, enhance search engine optimization (SEO), and ultimately improve customer support.
A high bounce rate indicates that potential customers are unable to find what they are seeking and are leaving to choose your competitors. To address this issue, a chatbot can be employed to appear when a visitor is about to exit. It can then provide assistance in locating the desired item or offer a discount code.
7. Gain customer insights
One more benefit of a chatbot is its ability to gather customer data including name, email address, and other details. Additionally, you may incorporate a customer satisfaction survey towards the end of the chatbot interaction to gauge customer satisfaction levels of your brand.
Additionally, chatbots can help gather customer feedback with the intention of enhancing your products and services based on the customer’s requirements. This can be achieved by reviewing chat conversations and identifying recurring topics.
In case a particular landing page is not performing well, you can use your chatbot to contact visitors and ask them to complete a survey. This will enable you to understand the reasons why potential customers are leaving and possibly offer them special deals to enhance conversion rates.
8. Help with recruitment
Your HR department also has the ability to utilize chatbots. They can be employed to automate various aspects of the recruitment process, such as addressing candidates’ inquiries and providing updates.
If you are hiring a customer service representative, chatbots can handle the majority of the candidates’ inquiries regarding the recruitment process and your expectations. As a result, your HR department can dedicate their attention to other recruitment tasks.
9. Lower the number of requests for the human agents
One of the advantages of chatbots in customer service is that they can significantly reduce the requests going to your human representatives, as reported by over 87% of customers who find chatbots effective in resolving their issues.
The use of bots to handle certain customer inquiries can bring about a positive outcome for both customer satisfaction and the well-being of your representatives. Instead of feeling pressured to respond quickly to queries, agents will be able to allocate more time and attention to each request. As a result, you will be able to provide better assistance to clients and enhance their perception of your brand.
Benefits of chatbots for customers
Your business alone benefiting from the bots is insufficient for sustaining the excellent outcomes of chatbots. It is also imperative that your clients are satisfied! The utilization of chatbots is what can assist you in accomplishing this objective.
1. Available for customers 24/7
Customer inquiries can be answered by chatbots at any time, whether it is during the day or at night. Currently, customers have the ability to ask the chatbot a question and receive an immediate response, or be redirected to the appropriate product page.
Wouldn’t it be great if your customer could browse your website for late-night shopping but couldn’t find the specific product they were looking for? Since it’s late at night, they can’t reach your support team. However, a bot appears and provides assistance. Eventually, the customer finds the desired product and happily places an order. This situation would certainly be a fantastic example of exceptional customer service, wouldn’t it?
2. Multilingual support
One of the benefits of chatbots for customers is that bots are provided in multiple languages. Therefore, customers can receive proper support regardless of their preferred language.
If the vendor offers programming in multiple languages, you have the option to program the bots in any of them. For instance, if your customer base is international, you can effectively cater to customers from various regions by assisting them in their native language. This enables the client to articulate their problems more effectively and receive valuable assistance.
3. Better personalization
Customizing messages to clients and providing more personalized customer service pays off, as evidenced by the fact that about 44% of buyers become repeat customers after receiving a personalized experience.
One advantage of chatbots is their ability to incorporate a personal element into communication. They engage in natural conversations with clients, creating an interactive and individualized experience. Additionally, they offer tailored product and service suggestions by analyzing the visitor’s replies.
4. Easy checkout
Chatbots have the capability to either receive orders directly within the chat or redirect the customer to the checkout page for completing the purchase. As a result, the checkout process becomes easier for potential customers, leading to a decrease in any obstacles prior to making the sale and enhancing the overall user experience.
Just like that, a client can easily choose their desired pizza, select the size and any additional toppings using a chatbot. Afterwards, they will be directed to the checkout page where their order is already prepared for payment. The process is quick and hassle-free.
5. Proactive customer service
The majority of companies utilize passive customer communication, which implies they solely react to clients instead of initiating the interaction. It has been observed that approximately 68% of shoppers hold a more positive perception of brands that provide proactive customer service. Utilizing chatbots can enable you to capitalize on this opportunity.
