“Data will only talk to you if you’re willing to listen”.
When Jim Bergeson, CEO of Bridgz Marketing Group in Minneapolis said this – it resonated across the globe. Data has life-changing potential, but only if we analyse and utilise it correctly.
Given the current landscape, this is truer than ever.
The pandemic has changed the world and shifted our data output – and we need to listen.
When it comes to Marketing specifically, businesses have found that they need to adapt the way they converse with their customers.
Since so many people have been stuck inside, they have craved genuine connection and empathy more than ever before – not just with close friends and family, but with anyone who will listen. One-way businesses have learnt to solve the connectivity crisis and to lead with empathy, is through something called Conversational Marketing.
Conversational Marketing is a method of engaging with website visitors via dialogue-driven activities. This style of inbound marketing puts a focus on interactions with the consumer, and not simply one-way transmission by the brand.
Conversational Marketing is personal, data-driven, and cross-channel. Amidst the pandemic, these analytics tools have allowed businesses to reach more people in less time, and to ask the right questions and have meaningful conversations.
We chatted to Tim Lombard, Chief Marketing Officer of Ignition, on the role that data collection and analytics play in the development and success of Conversational Marketing within the context of Ignition Group.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself?
Tim Lombard: I’m a new-school marketer in an old-school body. I’ve learned traditional marketing the traditional way, and have been deploying a multitude of marketing tactics over the years.
Q: As Chief Marketing Officer of Ignition, what led you to first become interested in digital marketing?
TM: I’m like a kid in a candy store. New tech and new ideas pop up all the time and I’m always very interested in their net effect. Basic marketing principles still apply, it’s the means to get there that are evolving so quickly.
Q: Can you explain to us how data-driven analytics plays a part in the development of Conversational Marketing, within the context of Ignition?
TM: Basically, we try and understand our audience by gathering bits of data that help us figure out what products or services they may be interested in. The beauty of Conversational Marketing (if you get it right), is the ability to actually ask them that question personally, and engage with them in the way they want to be engaged with. Where I find data useful is by using it to find ways to improve how we engage.
Q: During the pandemic, why have meaningful conversations between a business and its customers become more important than ever?
TM: It’s taught us how to communicate better with each other remotely. Consumers want to be able to engage in a conversational manner when considering a purchase, like they do when having a conversation over WhatsApp. They’re in the buying moment. Tomorrow’s email is too late. I’m not a huge fan of chatbots; but if done correctly, using the right tech, engaging conversations happen, and the needs of consumers craving interaction are at least met.
Q: Any inspiring quote/phrase you’d like to end off with?
TM: “Conversational Marketing is not a new marketing and sales funnel. But it’s definitely a more frictionless way to move people through your funnel.”
We’re proud to say we’re making more frictionless moves, here at Ignition.
