4 Conversational Marketing Strategies for Ecommerce (2024) – Shopify

Imagine you’re a student in a large classroom struggling to digest the course material. The instructor is often busy with other students, making it difficult to get to your specific questions. To address the issue, you hire a tutor and get individualized help. Suddenly, it starts to click. 

This same idea can hold true for your brand. Conversational marketing can help you engage your target audience by building personalized customer relationships. Read on to learn the benefits of conversational marketing.

What is conversational marketing?

Conversational marketing is a strategy to engage your customers in a personalized, two-way dialogue via direct messages, live chats, or chatbots. Instead of talking at them (as can be the case with traditional marketing approaches), conversational marketing focuses on communicating with them. It’s about assisting and educating customers when they need it. 

Why is conversational marketing important?

“If [your customer] never [knows] you’re around, you’re not having a conversation,” says Google chief strategist Neil Hoyne on an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast. “You’re just messaging out there hoping that you just capture a little bit of their mind share.” When brands take the opportunity to have meaningful conversations with current or potential customers, they can create deeper connections. As Neil says, “[Companies are] too shortsighted. Their metrics are what happens today, in that moment. Consumers take time. They want to build that connection with a product.” 

Conversational marketing creates an opportunity for customers to feel seen and get their questions answered in the moment. ​​For example, replying to a customer’s comment on social media and participating in a back-and-forth exchange about a product offers a unique, informative experience for the customer. These real-time conversations yield valuable insights that can help your business improve customer satisfaction, discover pain points, and boost lead generation. 

3 types of conversational marketing methods

Chatbots

Chatbots replicate human conversation, using generative AI or rule-based programming to formulate answers in response to customer inputs. One of the biggest advantages of a chatbot is the ability to answer customer questions and provide support 24/7.

Live chat

Live chat lets your staff speak directly with the customer, facilitating an authentic human connection. Customers can ask questions about your products or services and immediately receive answers that accurately address any concerns. For example, if a user can’t find something on your website, they might reach out and ask for help. A live agent can walk them through the exact process, allowing the customer to ask follow-up questions. 

Social media messaging

Conversational marketing can be as simple as a private message on Instagram. Beyond posting product updates and sharing your brand story, you can use social media platforms as a customer service tool to speak directly with customers. For example, when customers express concerns about your product in comments or direct messages, it’s an opportunity to address them head-on. This is not only an essential part of conversational marketing but a pillar of social media management as well. 

Conversational marketing vs. inbound marketing

While conversational marketing and inbound marketing can both take place at any time during the customer journey, they differ in a few key ways: 

Method

With an inbound marketing strategy, you aim to attract potential customers through informative or entertaining blog posts, newsletters, and user-generated content on social media. 

Conversational marketing centers on personalization. You communicate with customers one-on-one via live chats or chatbots, delivering a more tailored interaction than a blog or newsletter can provide. 

Targets

Inbound marketing is effective at converting qualified leads (customers with high purchase intent) and those who are just becoming familiar with your brand. For example, your bullet journal brand could create a blog post that introduces the concept to someone unfamiliar with this organizational tool. Meanwhile, for someone further down the sales funnel, Instagram posts with customer testimonials can prove more useful to them. 

Conversational marketing targets people at the consideration and post-purchase stages of the funnel—people who might reach out before they seriously consider purchasing from you or after they’ve made a purchase. For example, an existing customer may message your brand via chat to ask if you’ll restock a discontinued product.

Goal

Inbound marketing prioritizes content that resonates with your target audience. Your brand could show your product in action or inform your audience about a related subject. For example, athletic apparel brand Gymshark features blog posts on what to eat before the gym and different exercise methods. These posts provide customers with useful information that can build brand trust and credibility.

Successful conversational marketing connects with customers on a personal level. That connection can give your company valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviors, which can inform future offerings.

4 conversational marketing strategy tips

1. Know your goals
2. Pick your conversational marketing platforms
3. Educate your team
4. Consider feedback from your audience

Conversational marketing can quickly build customer trust. Consider the following tips to improve customer communication:

1. Know your goals

As with any business strategy, the first step is to define your objectives, which will inform how you communicate with your customers. For example, if you want to reduce the number of customer service tickets your team receives, you might implement an AI-powered chatbot that can resolve simple questions. If a customer reaches out about an out-of-stock item, a chatbot might let them know when it will be available again or offer alternative products.

2. Pick your conversational marketing platforms

There are various conversational marketing tools, from social media platforms to SMS marketing apps and built-in web apps like Shopify Inbox. Before you decide which to use, learn where your target audience interacts with you most. 

For example, if website visitors regularly visit your FAQ page, they might appreciate a chatbot function. If you have a large, engaged audience on Facebook, you might focus on Facebook Messenger over other platforms. Researching the pros and cons of each option plus your own customer data can inform what platforms make the most sense for your brand. 

3. Educate your team

Learning curves are inevitable when introducing a new method to your business. Ensure everyone operates from the same knowledge base by aligning your team on the business goals, how you’re implementing your strategy, and what approach to take when different scenarios arise with customers. Additionally, develop standard practices on response times, communication techniques, and how to use the selected technology so you can interact with customers quickly.

4. Consider feedback from your audience

Conversational marketing gives your audience a direct line to your brand, and they might take that opportunity to provide feedback. As consumers of your products or content, they have ideas about what is and isn’t working. Listening to them can help you address pain points that affect a larger audience. 

When creator Timm Chiusano started posting on TikTok, he created content about a wide range of topics, from protein bars to family and fitness. Listening to his audience’s feedback pushed him to create more intentional content. “I am being as purposeful as I can be in regards to what’s most helpful,” Timm says on an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast. “And with the feedback that I’ve gotten, the pillars would be family, work, the balance of the two, [and] what in life is worth stopping and acknowledging.”

Example of conversational marketing

The accessories brand Room Shop uses Shopify Inbox, a messaging app that lets Shopify merchants respond to customers instantly with automated or live messages. Room Shop’s founder, Shelly Horst, launched the brand on Instagram and was using the platform to respond to customer inquiries. Eventually, it became too difficult to navigate and figure out which messages to prioritize.

With Shopify Inbox, she could continue to make connections with her customers. “I interact with customers through Instagram DM in a similar way that I interact on chat with Shopify Inbox,” Shelly says. “It feels like I’m text messaging with someone. So it’s very immediate and casual.”