Chatbots are complicated programs. They can be found on Facebook, business websites, and popular messaging platforms such as Kik or Whatsapp. In our #MarketingMonday segment, we covered how not to use chatbots. Now we will cover how best to use these bots in your marketing strategy. But before we get started, there is one thing you need to keep in mind: not all bots are created equal.

While the purpose of a chatbot is the same across the board-efficiency-there are two main functions in a bot: to converse and complete tasks. However, certain bots excel in more specific areas. Depending on your strategy, there will be different chatbots to employ. Here are seven different types of bots to choose from:

1. Optimizer - Essentially the mother of all chatbots. The optimizer’s main objective is to make a task easier to complete while also being fast and efficient. If a chatbot makes a task longer than it normally would otherwise, then it’s not optimizing and thus not doing its job.
2. The One-Trick Pony - A bot that accomplishes a unique set of tasks. These bots perform specific tasks really well and aren’t quite suited for a wider range of functionality outside of those preset tasks.
3. The Proactive - An excellent news anchor for the 21st Century, this type of chatbot is designed to provide the right information at the right time.
4. The Social - These bots are designed to be used within a group of people. They add some type of value in a group conversation.
5. The Shield - These bots block unwanted interactions by swapping one party of the conversation with a bot. For instance, if you have a customer service grievance, a bot will act as your business’s customer service representative.
6. The Chatty - These bots exist to start a conversation for the sake of starting a conversation. Note that having a conversation and completing a task are two different things.
7. The Super bot - These bots are intelligent and can accomplish both functionalities of a bot extremely well (to converse and complete tasks).

(Dotan Elharrar, a Product Manager at Microsoft AI & Research, described the seven different types of chatbots and their purpose on his Linkedin

Creating a Chatbot Strategy

There are three important questions to ask yourself before choosing a bot best for your strategy. Take time to mull these questions over, since a poor strategy can be a huge turnoff for the people interacting with your bot.

1. Is the chatbot used to converse, completing tasks, or both?
2. What type of chatbot is most conducive for my strategy?
3. What is the best way to use the chatbot within my strategy?

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Influencer Marketing has erupted in the wake of social networks. Is this wave simply a new trend or a bonafide marketing strategy? Ehh, it’s too new to call. However, we will provide helpful strategies and tips to increase your brand’s “influence”.

Disclaimer- influencer marketing is not a new concept: Helene covered some basics of Influencer Marketing on #MarketingMonday. In short, Influencer Marketing is when brands partner with social media and internet personalities to increase reach and credibility.

Today, consumers have tremendous ability to control their entertainment. The internet has allowed its users to siphon out unwanted content in their everyday life. For 47% of online users, that unwanted content is advertisements. This recent influx of adblocker software has advertisers scrambling for a solution around this problem.

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