How Live Chat Drives Conversions in the AdTech Era (+ 8 Actionable Live Chat Tips)

Running automated ads is one of the best ways to earn passive income — when you set them up properly, that is.

But getting someone into your ad funnel is just the first step. The real work begins after they’ve entered your sales funnel. And that’s where live chat comes in.

Let’s take a closer look at what live chat is and how it can help you boost conversion rates in 2024.

What Is Live Chat?

Live chat is a technology businesses use to interact with their customers online. With a chat widget, businesses can accept and manage inquiries, initiate conversations, and give product recommendations.

If you choose to use live chat as part of your AdTech campaigns, you can opt for AI-only chatbots, AI-assisted bots, or live chat agents. Most companies use a hybrid version to mitigate high chat volume and allow live agents to interject when necessary.

How Live Chat Drives AdTech Conversions

When every click counts, leveraging live chat can significantly boost conversion rates.

By offering real-time assistance and personalized guidance, you can guide potential customers seamlessly through their purchasing journey. Whether answering customer queries about product specifications or assisting with checkout processes, live chat is a valuable tool.

For instance, a men’s wedding clothing e-commerce store could use live chat to help customers suggest products according to their unique preferences — or suggest relevant clothing guides, such as men’s formal wedding attire, fashion trends, and accessories. This personalized assistance makes customers feel valued and understood, fostering a positive brand perception.

The travel industry is another example.

In the hospitality industry, travelers are bombarded with multiple options. It’s easy to simply abandon travel sites with frustration and still not have your questions answered. However, according to Cloudbeds’ report on the top hotel industry trends, live chats have the potential to be trusted advisors and provide personalized recommendations for travelers.

They can plan an entire trip — from flights to accommodation and meals — and stay within the traveler’s budget and preferences.

By offering real-time, personalized communication, guests are empowered with the information they need, making the booking process smoother.

Chat agents can also reserve rooms, book flights, and help guests sign up for excursions. This relieves some of the pressure on travel sales teams and gives online shoppers a convenient and frictionless customer experience.

However, no matter what industry you’re in, you can use chat tools to interact with shoppers, collect their contact information, and nudge them to a conversion.

8 Tips to Make the Most of Your AdTech and Live Chat Campaigns

Ads and live chat can drive conversions, but setting them up properly is critical to your success. Follow these best practices to get the most out of your AdTech and live chat campaigns:

1. Test Your Chat Tool

Conduct ample testing before letting your chatbot run the show. You’ll need to ensure your chatbot elicits quick responses, is bug-free, and responds with relevant answers.

You’ll also need to make sure it can help potential customers connect with a live chat agent quickly when needed.

To remove some of the burden off your agents, make sure your bots suggest automated questions that are relevant to your shopper. For instance, "Ask me about free shipping" or "Find a location near me."

Or set an away message to appear when your agents are offline.

2. Test Your Ads

Since your ad campaigns are meant to drive traffic to your website and landing pages, making sure they run well is pivotal to their success. Be sure to test your ads from a few perspectives.

For instance, use A/B testing to determine which messages, images, and other characteristics resonate most with your target audience.

Image Source: Magicx

Be sure to also test various funnel frameworks to see which options drive the most traffic. This includes lead magnets—for example, a free download, a coupon code, or a webinar invitation.

Test the funnel path, too. For example, test the path from the ad to the landing page and to the contact form. Or from the ad to the coupon code page to the shopping page. Which paths will help you collect the most qualified leads and boost conversions?

Finally, test various ad channels and placements. Consider testing PPC ads, Instagram ads, and Facebook ads. You might also consider testing contextual ads across media outlets, such as podcasts and blogs.

3. Offer Support During Friction Points

Use live chat to support the customer journey and alleviate friction. Some common friction points include:

• When a user visits your website and feels confused about where to start
• When a shopper is trying to exit your website
• When you notice rage clicking
• During shopping
• During checkout

Have your chatbot automatically populate during these scenarios to offer shoppers a helping hand. Use relevant and helpful scripts to help the user feel taken care of.

For instance … "I see you’re struggling to add a credit card to your order. Can I connect you with an agent who can help?"

Or … "Welcome to Authentic Textile Co., what can I help you find today?" (Populate suggested answers, such as "Custom Drapes," "Custom Pillows," and "Custom Quilts.")

4. Suggest Relevant Upsells

Personalize shopping experiences with relevant upsell suggestions. Consider offering a discount or extra gift when recommending these to nudge the user to add the items to their cart.

For example, if a shopper adds an espresso machine to their order, have your chatbot offer specialty coffee beans and filters as add-ons. If they’re trying to purchase a laptop, have the bot suggest a laptop case and wireless mouse to their order.

Image source: Amazon

You can also add guided selling quizzes to your website to help the shoppers find exactly what they need. These also give you ample opportunities to collect important data about shopper preferences, common purchases, and contact information.

5. Tailor Chat Conversations Based on Specific Ads

Program your bot to bring up the ad the customer viewed before arriving on your website. This is especially important if the ad includes a discount code or special gift.

For example, "I see you found us from our Instagram ad featuring our Logo Maker. Click here to get started designing your logo." You can also populate other responses in case the visitor is interested in your offers but not the specific one your ad mentioned.

For instance, "Interested in branding services? Choose from website design, images for your social media profiles, and branded merch."

To increase customer satisfaction, make the path to conversion as smooth as possible.

For example, if they’re interested in using your logo maker, make sure your tool populates immediately. The shopper should be able to access the tool right away, easily choose through dynamic filters, and receive their branded logo within seconds.

6. Use Data Protection Tools

Targeted ads can bring potential customers directly to your website, but converting that interest relies on trust. Leads and clients are concerned about data privacy, especially when sharing sensitive information, such as contact details or purchase history, during a live chat.

Strong data encryption safeguards this information during transmission … but security goes beyond that.

That’s why it’s essential to prioritize robust data storage practices, including layered security protocols and regular backups on separate isolated systems. Some organizations might even use air gap backups, where data is stored offline on entirely separate networks for an extra layer of protection.

7. Collect Contact Information

Program your chatbot and train your live agents to collect contact information from users on your site. This is especially crucial if they abandon your site or lose connection.

This is also one of the best ways to build your lead list with ideal prospective customers.

But don’t just grab contact information and store it. Set up email sequences in advance so you can immediately begin following up with the user with relevant, segmented campaigns.

8. Make Your Chat Feature Noticeable

Support the user experience by making sure visitors can easily see and interact with your chat feature.

While you’ll use pop-ups to mitigate common friction points, you also want users to be able to quickly pull up a chat window after they’ve closed it out.

The most common placement is at the bottom right-hand corner of your website. Consider using an emoji or symbol, like a question bubble, to help users easily spot your live chat tool. Or, add a descriptive label above your bot, such as "Live Chat Available" or "Need help? Click here".

Wrap up

Automated ads and live chat can help you create passive income, remove pressure off your sales and customer support teams, and personalize customer experiences.

They can also help you collect high-value leads, learn more about your ideal customer, and nudge prospects to a conversion.

If you’re ready to start your first live chat campaign, check out JivoChat — the best live chat software for websites.

Here’s to your success!