A chatbot is fast becoming an essential feature in your copywriting arsenal when it comes to speaking to your customers. They are now being used more than ever before on websites. And they are the perfect way to connect with your clients and answer questions. A chatbot can also make sure your business is available 24/7.
They can also make communicating with your business, effective, fun, and easy.
But there is one important thing so many business owners forget when they are using a chatbot. Yes, your audience knows your chatbot is not a real person. But that doesn’t mean they don’t want your chatbot to sound like one.
So where does copywriting come into this?
The quality of your copywriting can increase both the quality and quantity of your leads.
Like this rather clever man said who was very, very good at copywriting said:
“Once you understand what makes people buy things, you know how to sell — and how to write copy.”
– Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter’s Handbook
In the case of your chatbot, whether it’s on Messenger or on your website, when you don’t pay close attention to the language and ‘personality’ of your chatbot, in your copywriting, you can actually turn off your clients and potential customers.
And that means you are losing those leads.
Why is Having A Chatbot so Popular Right Now?
The adoption of artificial intelligence-powered technology by businesses is not new. Bit it has been increasing rapidly in recent years.
According to the data from Statista, the revenue generated from the chatbot market worldwide is projected to reach $1.250 billion in 2025.
Compare this to 2016’s market value of $90.8 million. That’s a pretty big jump.
In the research paper “How Chatbots Influence Marketing” by Dominika Kaczorowska-Spychalska, she says we are entering a new phase in evolution when it comes to consumers.
Because we are spending so much time interacting with technology, online and on devices, human beings are now looking for “new values and meanings, which are a metaphor of their desires, fears and behaviors.”
This is where chatbots come into play. Dominika states: “Chatbots can prove to be an interesting solution here, as their spectrum of potential areas of implementation in business systematically increases.”
You can see this trend everywhere and it has already been embraced by bigger companies. Think Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa.
So you already know you can’t surprise customers with a chatbot that answers simple questions. It has to be much more sophisticated.
How Can You Take Advantage of the Great Benefits a Chatbot Can Offer?
You have to master chatbot copywriting. By enabling your own chatbot to communicate clearly and engage more people, you can create a friendly face to your business. Plus, you can keep your target audience interested in communicating with you on a regular basis.
If you are a business owner with a messenger or chatbot, you know the bot is representing your business. So your #1 priority should be that the bot HAS to sound like you. Or the voice of your business.
Here are some great tips you can implement into your chatbot process so you can approach your copywriting for your chatbot like a pro. Then you can kiss goodbye to your self-doubt.
Your Chatbot Needs to Give Strong Commands or Calls to Action
Did you know, people don’t read all of your message text within the bot? So you need to make sure your buttons or quick replies are doing MORE of the heavy lifting for you.
Here’s an example: Say you have set up a virtual event bot and it sends a message asking subscribers if they can attend an online yoga class on a particular date. Normally, you would write quick replies as “YES” or “NO”.
But if you write your CTA as “Yes I can attend” or “No I can’t attend”, the click-through rate will be higher. Why? People who skim your message can then respond a lot faster to your question. Even though we are spending a lot more time at home, we are just as busy, even more so.
Another tip you can implement is to include “something else” as an option for some yes/no questions. In the case of your virtual event, you could add: “Not sure” as an option for the question.
Bring the Users Closer to Their Goals by Guiding Them
When a customer starts chatting with your chatbot, they have a specific goal. Here you can use a conversation prompt. This is an option for the user to guide the conversation.
Start by greeting your customer and then provide them with options which set out clearly what your chatbot can do to help them. Chances are high they will then get what they want.
You also need to think about your tone of voice for your audience here. So if your brand voice is young and fun, you could put something like “Yes! Sign me up stat!” But if you are more sophisticated, that is not going to cut it and your audience will be turned off.
Use the ‘KISS’ Principle in Your Chatbot Copywriting
A chatbot should be clear and brief. Short and simple is the key. So the KISS principle is a great one to keep in mind (Keep It Short and Simple – get it?)
If you break down your complex ideas and sentences into something really simple, you can get the message across to your user quickly and without beating around the bush. Your audience always needs to know where they are in the process and what you want from them.
Write in an Active Voice
If you have used any type of SEO assistance, you know the passive voice is a big no no. And it’s the same for any kind of copywriting, including your chatbot. Passive voice has little place in a conversation. Active voice by its very nature, encourages action and is more conversation.
Here is an example:
Passive voice: The wine was brought by me. (Say it out loud. Hmm, sounds weird, yes?)
Active voice: I got us wine! (Hurrah, where are the glasses? Let’s have a drink!)
Active voice is going to really help your chatbot dialogue sound more natural.
Don’t Pitch Aggressively Through Your Chatbot
In the current climate, there is no doubt you will be tempted to send your users hurtling down your sales funnel. But you have to be patient. Especially if your chatbot is being used by newbies to your business. Remember, you have to establish a relationship with your buyer.
If you suggest products or services right away or offer them with every message, it will be a huge turn-off. Approach it like a blind date. You wouldn’t go for dinner and then within five minutes of sitting down suggest going straight to bed would you? (Well some of you might but let’s hope not!)
The conversation with your chatbot should be enjoyable.
Also, be mindful of bombarding your audience with information, If you are introducing them to more than one thing it will get confusing.
Speak in Plain Words
When you read text written in a messenger by a human, it’s very plain and easy to follow. Your chatbot should be the same. So use the following:
- Contractions. Use “don’t” instead of “do not”.
- Using words like “ah”, “yeah”, “yep” and other common expressions, just like you are talking to the person.
- Don’t go crazy with your exclamation points.
- Filler words like ‘just’ are fine but keep them to a minimum
Use Personality to Add Pizazz to Your Chatbot
We have already mentioned how important it is to make your chatbot sound as human as possible. Your customers are much less likely to engage if they feel like they are interacting with a soulless machine.
Here is a great example of how this can work and how copywriting makes all the difference. Lego’s chatbot, Ralph was created to help customers pick a lego kit as a present for Christmas.
However, he soon became something much more than that.
Ralph uses casual puns and jokes, but all the while he is helping the user to narrow down their search. So they are much more likely to buy.
Ralph has also got a name, as has Amazon’s Alexa. You should think of giving your chatbot a human name because people will interact with them so much more!
Try and give your chatbot a name that’s related to the primary goal or the purpose of your business.
Limit the Number of Open-Ended Questions
You want to keep your customer moving through their journey with you when it comes to your chatbot.
So, if you use an open-ended question which needs a long descriptive answer, it will slow them down.
Ideally, you want your audience to use a one-word answer. Your chatbot will be much easier to use if you use closed-ended questions. These can be a “yes” or “no.”Or give some options for your user to choose from. If you are going to do this, you need to disable the composer for the thread.
Keep Your Chatbot Script Updated
Why do you need to keep your chatbot copy fresh? Here are just a few reasons.
Your users may change so they will need to be spoken to in a different way. Plus, you wouldn’t want to have the same conversation with someone over and over again, would you? So you need to change up the language.
Alternatively, if you have added new features in your business, or products and services, you need to incorporate these into the chat.
You should also change up your copywriting on the chatbot if your business is impacted by special events. In the example of Ralph, he was developed specifically for Christmas sales. So if you have special offers on at certain times of the year, you need to change up your copywriting.
It also helps your chatbot results by testing different versions of scripts. then you can see which ones perform best. This means your customers are happier, get a better user experience and you get a higher ROI with your chatbot.
Conclusion
With the increasing popularity of chatbots to make your business easier to use with your customers, as well as allowing it to offer assistance 24/7, a chatbot is a must.
But to succeed, your customers’ experience with a chatbot should be plain sailing and pleasurable. Your ‘chat’ needs to be bursting with personality, easy to use, fun, fast, and to the point.
Your copywriting in your script is the part that makes this happen. Of course, the language you use depends on your business or niche. But all the tips in this article can be applied to make your chatbot a great user experience.
If you liked reading this post, check out my post on 9 Ways A Blog Increases Sales On eCommerce Sites.
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