Conversational AI: A Game Changer for Lead Nurturing

Imagine a potential customer landing on your website, browsing your offerings, and then leaving without taking any action. Typically, such a lead might be forgotten. However,  with effective lead nurturing, it can be converted into an interested prospect.

Lead nurturing is often easier said than done. 

• 65% of marketers do not have a lead nurturing program in place.^[i] 
• 66% of marketers struggle to find what is most important to target customers.^[ii]
• Only 16% of B2B marketers rate their lead nurturing initiatives as excellent.^[iii]

A major reason behind this is the inefficacy of traditional lead nurturing. Once popular, techniques like cold calling and email marketing are no longer enough to engage and convert prospects. 

This is because with traditional lead nurturing, 

• Communication is majorly a one-way street
• It is difficult to score leads based on their behavior
• Lead drops are higher due to fragmented experiences 

Enter – Conversational AI 

Conversational AI enables automatic, AI-powered, and two-way natural language interactions between humans and machines to nurture leads. For example – web chatbots and shopping assistants. It facilitates real-time, seamless communication across platforms to engage visitors wherever they are in their prospect journey. 

There are majorly two types of conversational AI tools:

Pre-Programmed: They are designed to respond to user input based on predefined rules and patterns. They make a good choice for handling simple queries and predictable interactions.

Machine Learning: They are trained on huge amounts of data and user interactions to understand and process human language. They are adept at handling intricate conversations and changing contexts.

Reasons to Use Conversational AI for Lead Nurturing

Slow Responses Sink Businesses 

According to reports, you are 100 times more likely to establish a connection with a prospect when you reach out within five minutes compared to an hour.^[iv]

Think of the time when a lead fills out a form to request more information or download an asset. They are primed for interaction with your brand. However, if you don’t respond timely, they will go to your competition without thinking twice. 

Conversational AI helps you respond immediately to prospects and address their concerns, which builds trust and lays the foundation for future engagement.

One-Way Communication Derails Interactions 

With traditional lead nurturing, you would generally send a mass email with, let’s say, a “Download eBook” CTA. Your marketing team will then track the number of clicks, opens, and subsequent actions. However, this approach provides no information about whether the leads found the eBook helpful, desired more detail, or considered it relevant.

Conversational AI nurturing, on the other hand, involves sending a personalized message saying, “Hey, I created this eBook around XYZ topic which might help you with your query. Do check it out and let me know your thoughts.” 

After a few weeks, you can follow up by asking, “Did you get the chance to check out the eBook? Do you need any more information?” Your lead can then reply, enabling a natural conversation that not only helps deliver the requested information but also fosters a stronger relationship.

Pursuing Dead Leads Waste Resources

Trying to engage dead leads or cold-calling disinterested prospects only wastes your sales team’s time. Instead, Conversational AI can automate the process for efficient lead qualification. 

It warms your leads using quality scripts, addresses FAQs in real-time, and provides additional resources. Conversational AI tools can also qualify leads based on predefined criteria. This lets you improve resource management by handling routine interactions and enables your team to focus on more strategic work.

Additionally, Conversational AI helps your company save money by reducing the number of staff required for the same task.

Automating Sales Flow Improves CX

The majority of leads are not ready to buy, which is why, you need to keep nurturing them. Conversational AI streamlines lead nurturing by automating processes as per each lead’s stage in the buying journey. 

It ensures each lead receives the right message at the right time to drive engagement and conversion. Its interaction with users also helps gather lead information, including their pain points, business goals, and company details. 

This gathered data when integrated with CRM can help businesses personalize messaging and enhance decision-making. 

Using Conversational AI at Each Stage of Lead Nurturing

Lead nurturing involves three stages to move leads through the sales funnel. Let’s look at how Conversational AI helps with each of them:

Stage 1: Awareness 

• Introduce your brands to leads via a welcome series of messages through platforms like email and social media. 
• Use chatbots to deliver prompt responses to inquiries.
• Create interactive tests or quizzes to identify leads’ pain points.

Stage 2: Evaluation 

• Assess leads by asking questions and gathering information to evaluate their readiness.
• Segment leads based on their interest in your offerings.
• Offer tailored content recommendations based on each lead’s preferences.

Stage 3: Decision

• Analyze lead behavior using AI and trigger personalized messages.
• Provide real-time support and relevant information to address any concerns.
• Facilitate contact with the sales team to close the deal. 

Roadmap to Implementing Conversational AI in Lead Nurturing

Conversational AI can improve your lead nurturing dramatically. However, this requires a strategic implementation aligned with your objectives. Here are some best practices:

#1 Map the customer journey and pinpoint areas where Conversational AI can add value. 

#2 Select between rule-based or machine learning-based conversational AI, depending on your needs.

#3 Train the AI model with relevant data and tailor it to match your brand voice.

#4 Develop a content strategy that aligns with your Conversational AI use cases.

#5 Integrate Conversational AI with existing systems like CRM and marketing automation for enhanced capabilities.

#6 Enable multi-channel support to engage leads wherever they are be it email, chat, or social media.

#7 Continuously track metrics and monitor performance to optimize your conversational AI strategy. 

Fast Forwarding Lead Nurturing with Conversational AI

The integration of AI in sales and marketing is transforming the way businesses approach lead nurturing. By using Conversational AI with marketing automation, businesses can establish a lead nurturing system that adapts to customer behavior and results in more relevant and timely interactions. 

Furthermore, delivering personalized content at each step helps you win your leads’ trust and turn them into meeting-ready prospects faster. 

Streamline Your Lead Nurturing with Conversational AI. Contact Us!