2018 is the year of consolidation of chatbots and their application in diverse and wide ranging sectors of the economy. Intelligent conversation systems are no longer a trend but an undeniable reality: chiefmartec.com has included it in its Marketing Technology Landscape Supergraphic 2018.
This year, LiveChat & Chatbots has emerged as a new sector (within the Social & Relationships category) encompassing almost 100 new platforms. "Both text-based and voice-based chatbots have had an incredible year of innovation and adoption, and I'm sure that this is just a prelude to a spectacular 12-24 months," says Scott Brinker, author of the study.
Following the publication of our first analysis of Marketing Technology Landscape 2018, focused on PR, in this second analysis we wanted to identify the most relevant players of this emerging sector (the rankings are at the end of the post).
"Chatbots are the newest category of digital touchpoints with the fastest growth in 2018," says Brinker. Marketing carried out through fast messaging systems can have open rates of more than 90% and CTR between 35-40%, figures that far exceed email marketing.
Part of last year's boom in these intelligent systems is due to the growth of platforms such as Slack and China's WeChat. Consumers spend more and more time on these platforms and it's only natural that brands want to be there as well.
Chatbots allow for a much more functional type of marketing that offers service and utility to consumers (information, support and even purchases), accelerating and improving the communication between company and client. It's a way to reach people and create bonds without having to use advertising, which is generally considered intrusive by the modern-day consumer.
As Scott Brinker points out, there are a number of advantages that make chatbots highly effective touchpoints:
We decided to analyze the followers of almost 100 accounts of the companies that appear in the graphic of chiefmartec.com, an audience of about 225,000 profiles. Using Audiense Insights we identified 19,906 influencers, which we divided into different categories based on the results of our reports.
In our influencers report, in addition to softwares, there are professionals linked to technology and marketing, technology media, specialists and startup consultants and a group that caught our attention: people related to the world of cryptocurrencies. Although initially we were surprised by the presence of enthusiasts, developers and experts in crypto, it is understandable considering the growing number of chatbots that help in the investment process and the management of digital currencies.
Top 10 chatbot and live chat softwares
Top 5 chatbot influencers
Top 10 macro-influencers in Martech
Top 10 micro-influencers in Martech
Top 10 technology media
Top 5 startup specialists and consultants
Top 10 macro-influencers in cryptocurrencies
Top 10 micro-influencers in cryptocurrencies
Original pic by Joe Green, on Unplash.
