Top 6 reasons to convert customers using instant messaging

Let’s just assume that you are a consumer and have some doubts or queries regarding a brand’s product or service.

What would you do?

In the old times, people used to type up their queries in a mail and send them over, in hopes of getting a reply back in a day or two.

However, the same isn’t the case in today’s world. The idea of “right now” is definitely not new in this age of instant gratification.

Nowadays, people don’t have much time. They simply don’t prefer to wait. Delayed responses and long waiting times will contribute to a feeling of frustration in customers and might cost you a customer in the long run.

Thus, using instant messaging can effectively reduce unnecessary delays as customer service agents can answer customer queries in real-time. In the case of instant messaging like WhatsApp, the response time is relatively shorter, which is why most businesses are now going for the Official WhatsApp Business API.

While the top 5 most downloaded apps in 2022 are TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram, we all know that we ought to make good use of them.

So, looking at what these apps have in common, we can notice that they all support some form of instant messaging to allow users and brands to connect. And that, is exactly why you should start converting customers using instant messaging.

Is the email era over?

Email, though popular, is losing its sheen along with its relevance and effectiveness. More often than not, our personal inboxes are filled with digital newsletters, the latest promotions, and brand-new updates that we don't even read.

Besides, it doesn’t help when most of the promotional emails are laden with fancy images and graphics. This means that they will either be tucked away in the “spam” folder or are sent to “trash” after the user reads the subject line. Moreover, who still wants to read emails after work?

Discover more ways to market and convert on popular social apps from our blog: A closer look at brands that found success with WhatsApp and Instagram Marketing.

Why start converting customers through instant messaging?

As texts are 35 times more likely to be opened and read compared to email, the higher open and response rates make instant messaging a very effective communication channel.

Additionally, because instant messaging breaks down the barrier between the customer and the business, it allows for a more intimate conversation. This two-way messaging flow makes it easier to approach customers and helps them open up about their concerns.

Apart from customer queries and concerns, businesses can also take advantage of the array of in-app features offered by the various instant messaging apps. Therefore, go beyond the emojis and share photos, stickers and even the latest product catalogs to better engage your customers!

Here are 6 reasons why you should start converting customers using mobile messaging: 

1. Preferred mode of contact

As people spend increasing amounts of time on their phones, using instant messaging as a channel of communication has become a more effective tool for reaching customers. Not only are they more responsive to text messages, but they are also more inclined to receive promotions with 75% of millennials preferring text communications for deliveries, promotions, and surveys.

Without a doubt, that’s good news for businesses like you! This not only saves your time in terms of crafting the perfect message but also saves your customer’s time when reading it in this time-strapped world!

2. Messages go straight to the inbox

The good news is, unlike emails, popular instant messaging apps like WhatsApp and WeChat do not have “spam” folders. As such, you can be assured that your messages will be delivered to the customer’s inbox.

Without a doubt, it is important to strike a time balance when offering promotions to customers. This means giving them sufficient time to take action but not too much time that they forget about it.

That being said, reminders and promo broadcasts can also be sent out before the expiration of the promotion. However, this should be done carefully so as to not come across as spamming the customer.

Accidentally spammed your customers and was reported? Find out how to unblock your WhatsApp account and prevent it from being banned again.

3. Simple and straight to the point

Emails and newsletters often include pictures and paragraphs upon paragraphs of words. In contrast, mobile messaging allows you to cut through the clutter and send short straight-to-the-point messages.

Concise and snappy texts are more likely to entice your customers and spur them on to take action.

Check out our ready-made message templates and edit them for your business!

Therefore, make sure each message is limited to one call-to-action (CTA) so that know exactly what action you want them to take. This is because customers are generally more likely to convert when a minimum effort is required to respond to the CTA.

Thus, rather than providing a generic link to your website, provide a direct link to the sales page instead. This way, your customers are more likely to take specific actions for conversion immediately.

Apart from that, you can also utilize useful features such as product catalogs and payment links in the chat to create a fast, smooth, and secured shopping experience for your customers.

4. Attention leads to conversion

According to statistics, 90% of all text messages are read within 3 minutes of being received. Also, 68% of smartphone users say that they check their phone within 15 minutes of waking up. This shows that instant messaging is a fantastic channel to keep your customers in the loop and encourage them to take action as soon as possible, leading to higher conversion rates.

Quick tip! Include a link or a promo code by using WhatsApp interactive features that can be redeemed for enhanced tracking and conversion. Then, set up a campaign in Google Analytics and use it to track important metrics like the number of clicks and peak times. This allows you to track return on investment and fine-tune your promotional strategy while discovering new hacks to increase conversion rates.

5. Conversions and conversations

Nothing beats having personalized attention while communicating with your customers over instant messaging provides just that!

Personalizing texts with your customer’s name is nothing new, but maintaining sustained, meaningful contact is.

Thus, this can be done most effectively over instant messaging where conversations can take place more naturally in a relatively more informal setting. As a result, this encourages more two-way interaction and builds a solid base for a strong customer relationship.

It has been shown that texting customers both before and after contact have contributed significantly to increased conversion rates. However, the percentage still remains similar to email open rates across industries.

So, it might be surprising that sending text messages only after contact has resulted in a conversion rate increase of as high as 112.6%.

Therefore, keeping the conversation with your customer going is of utmost importance. Because the “sweet spot” for the number of texts to increase conversion rates isn’t one or two, but as many as three or more – resulting in as much as a 328% increase in conversions.

Communicate with customers and prospects continuously with free live chat plugins today.

6. Personal touch

Nowadays, consumers want brands to connect with them at an emotional level. 

They won’t opt for a faceless company simply promoting its products and services over a company that tries to build an emotional connection with them.

And there’s nothing more personal than instant messaging.

With the help of instant messaging marketing, brands can simply send messages to the audience directly. One of the main goals of instant messaging is to allow brands to build two-way personal communication with their audience. And there’s nothing better that your audience will love than saving you in their contact list and hitting you up whenever they have a doubt or query.

How do retailers like Adidas use WhatsApp marketing to strengthen brand loyalty and drive growth? Head to our blog to learn more.

See how ZENXIN Organic, an award-winning retailer of organic produce makes use of WhatsApp to drive conversion with digital transformation.

Take the leap of faith with SleekFlow!

Once you start increasing your exposure on multiple social messaging apps, an integrated instant messaging platform is especially useful for managing large customer contact lists and helps you save a lot of time when sending personalized messages.

Furthermore, platforms that have a team inbox like SleekFlow also allow staff members to respond directly to received messages as a team. This enables the provision of a holistic and personalized customer service experience to build stronger customer ties and close the sale.

On top of that, SleekFlow allows you to send messages at a specific date and time so you can schedule promotions ahead of time. In addition, triggers can also be created to encourage customers to take action, such as reminding them to check out if they haven’t done so within a certain number of days through drip campaigns.

In conclusion, whatever industry your business is in, you should take advantage of this highly effective way to interact with your customers and convert customers using instant messaging. Over time, the credibility and customer loyalty gained will give you an edge over your competitors.