How To Develop A Conversational Growth Strategy

Before we dive in, we need to know what conversational growth strategy actually means. The definition can be written down like this:

A successful conversational growth strategy is delivering the right message to the right person at the right time, every time.

56% of people would rather message your brand than call customer service. More than one in two persons will pick up their phone to write to you on social media or your website’s chatbox, than simply calling your customer service. Therefore, as a brand or company, you can significantly increase your value and start building relationships thanks to one-to-one conversations.

Now, there are three simple steps in how to develop a successful conversational growth strategy: think, plan, grow. Sounds easy, right? That’s because it is!

Think

First, you have to think about your customers. Who are they? What are the most impactful conversations your company has with its website visitors? Which communication channels do they use? And most importantly, how does your business interact with your customers? The way you interact with your clients has to meat three criteria:

1. Repeatable: automate and optimize frequently asked questions (create a FAQ list or automated replies).
2. Predictable: every conversation should have a beginning, middle and end (what information do you need to make the most out of that interaction?).
3. Impactful: every conversation should add tangible value to your business.

Plan

Once you know how to reach your audience on a one-to-one level, you need to start planning. The question you should ask yourself here is: what do I need from my customers in each type of exchange?

Grow

Lastly, you grow. You iterate and optimize and you grow.

When comparing messaging channels and looking for the best one(s) to include in your inbound marketing strategy, you have to ask yourself three questions:

1. Where are my customers?
2. How do my prospects prefer to communicate?
3. What channels work best for me and my team?

Are your customers most active on Facebook when contacting companies? Or do they resort to Twitter? Or maybe live chat or email? 33% of baby-boomers prefer email versus only 17% of millennials. Important to consider here is content and context.

Whatever channel it is, make sure you’re there and you keep the conversation going. When reaching a dead end (no reply from the company), your prospect or customer can feel frustrated and ignored. You would want to avoid this.

Think also about you and your team. Which channels work best for the team? Where can you be most reactive? If you succeed in aligning your preferred channels and those of your customers, you are on your way to develop a successful conversational growth strategy.

Are you implementing conversational growth strategies in your inbound marketing mix in 2021?
At 4P square we can help you to find the ways to do this. Send us a message and schedule a talk.
We are specialists in getting you on the right track!

Pieter-Jan is a trilingual T-shaped Marketer and a dynamic, enthusiastic digital native with a creative, strategic, and analytical approach to marketing. Currently he is working as a Marketing Consultant at 4P square, a leading sales & marketing consulting company. 

Want to know more about Pieter-Jan? Feel free to start a conversation with him on LinkedIn.