How to generate more traffic to your chatbot

Alexander Wijninga

Alexander Wijninga

| 5 min

A chatbot can be a great asset for both your customer service as your sales team. Not only can your bot handle the FAQ’s or repetitive questions, it can also generate new leads. You want your digital assistant to work at its best of course, yet what are the steps you need to take in order to achieve this? There are multiple ways to generate more traffic to your bot, yet what are the concrete steps you need to take? In this article I provide you with the unique tips I offer to our customers, as a Customer Success Manager at Watermelon.

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1. Offer exclusive content

The content of your chatbot is key. If you want to attract more visitors to your bot you might want to think of offering exclusive content on your chatbot. This content can be an Easteregg function for example, or a specific discount code. An Easteregg is designed for your customers to spur something out of the ordinary, that takes the edge of the everyday life. It is a digital present for your customers, that stumbles upon their journey through your brand.

Maybe you’re familiar with Watermelon’s Sintbot, here people could ask the bot (also known as Santaclaus) questions about the age of Santaclaus for example. As people continued the conversation with the bot, and asked a specific question they were able to discover an easteregg that was a hidden present! Not only are Eastereggs fun to discover, but it will also get your customers talking about your chatbot. When your customers discover an Easteregg, it almost compels them to talk about this unique feature with others because of the fun experience they had with your brand. Your customers will not only have a pleasant experience with your bot, but they will also recommend it to others while continuing to use it themselves.

2. Register through your chatbot

Besides offering exclusive content, you can also offer a service through your bot. Let your customers register for a subscription or mailing list on your chatbot. Research shows that just 14 percent of customers prefer to fill in a form on a website instead of using a chatbot. Your customers enjoy the simplifying of complicated or boring tasks and if your brand offers complicated tasks through a chatbot they already associate your brand with functionality. This way you show the simplicity of the use to your customers while also adding an extra service to your bot.

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3. QR code

A QR code functions as a digital barcode that sends people to the landing page of your choice. It is a great way to start mass adaptation and spark interest. The technology has existed for a while now, yet the use of it has been made much easier. Back in the day you needed an app to scan the code, now the lens of your camera can recognize the code. A QR code is an easy and affordable marketing strategy. They are inexpensive to put together, easy to build and original. You can easily link the QR code to your chatbot or the page your chatbot is functioning on.

A good and free tool for designing a QR code is QR code generator. When you have created your QR code you can simply add it to any channel you like, for example within an e-mail. By adding a QR code you spark the interest of your customers while also giving them an accessible way to visit your chatbot!

4. Host a campaign

Celebrate the rise of your new digital colleague by organising him a campaign. Not only will this enhance awareness within your company, but it is also a great way to let the public know that you are ready for the next step within your customer service. A great way to enhance the involvement of your audience with your bot is to organise a social contest around it. Let your customers in on the process by organising a contest around the name of your new digital colleague. This is a great way to get people thinking and talking about your new chatbot. Within your campaign you can also make use of click to messenger advertisements. This way your customers automatically end up on the page where your chatbot is active when they click on your ad.

5. Duality

A great way to make sure your customers can get the right info they need is to make use of both open questions, as of buttons to click on. The most successful bots are those who make use of both, I’ve seen this with multiple successful customers of ours. By enabling both, your customers are guided through the conversation flow, while still being able to ask specific questions.

6. Highlight your chatbot in your e-mails and social channels

Almost all companies make use of an e-mail signature. Why not embed your chatbot into this signature? When answering an e-mail, provide your customers with a link to your bot or have a closing statement that names the capacities of your chatbot. When your customers have questions in the future they will know where they can find the answer. You can also add a catchy phrase that will spark interest about your digital customer service employee. The exact same can be done on your social channels or newsletter for example. One of our customers, Ticketpoint, have a complete character for their chatbot Kees. Kees is embedded within e-mails and is for everyone to see on social channels. Kees tells jokes and has a complete character of her own, which is quite hard to miss while chatting with her. This is a great example of highlighting your chatbot! You can introduce your new colleague or tell its new features in your newsletter or other channels, to introduce people to your new digital coworker!

7. The Cxhub Eyecatcher

A great feature that Watermelon offers is the Eyecatcher. This is a pop-up message that will spark the eye of your customer and will get a conversation going right away. This message usually has a welcoming message or a nice way to get the conversation going. With time triggers you can also make the Eyecatcher load a few seconds later than it normally would. This draws extra attention to your bot.

8. Channels: why choose?

Instead of only having a small selection of channels you rather want to choose multiple fitting channels for your bot to perform on. This way you enhance your chatbots’ reach and availability. Your customers’ needs will be met while still being able to perform in one dashboard with Watermelon. You can find a full overview of all the channels we offer here, nearly any channel is available.

As a Customer Success Manager my job is to assist our customers in building a successful chatbot. I enjoy working our magic and seeing mere chat systems evolve to smart chatbots with loads of visitors finding their way. These tips hopefully get you started and spark your creativity in other ways to work on the road to success. These tips are just a tip of the vail and of course, feel free to contact us at any time to discuss the available possibilities for your company.

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