It has been argued that artificial intelligence is the most impressive innovation to date.
With its immense capability to apply and learn from data, artificial intelligence has revolutionized how we live and do business. Its applications have especially permeated digital marketing.
Given the widespread use of technology over the past decade, marketing has seen a terrain shift to the online space. This is in essence known as digital marketing – influencing and connecting with potential customers online. And it is not only in digital marketing, here are other industries that AI has taken by storm.
The accelerated growth of AI in digital marketing can be attributed to how the technology boosts sales after effective implementation.
In the past, marketers have been reluctant to use AI in their everyday marketing strategies. Chances are high that they do not fully understand the power that comes with this technology.
If you are in the marketing space and are debating on whether or not to dip a toe in the waters of artificial intelligence, I am here to give you a nudge.
But if you are already an experienced data scientist then set yourself with the right workstation and start building the next AI application that will disrupt the digital marketing realm.
In this article, I will give an overview of 3 applications of AI in digital marketing and their impact on digital marketing.
Let’s get started.
1. AI Chatbots
Chatbots are one of the most interesting applications of artificial intelligence in digital marketing.
You have definitely come across human customer service agents. These agents respond to any queries you may have as a customer.
With the dynamics that come with human nature, AI chatbots are by far more effective, as this publication by Havard Business Review confirms.
They can do it all, from ordering you your favorite meal to responding to your customers’ queries. The AI chatbots are incorporated with semantic recognition, voice conversion technology as well as language processing.
They do not need rest nor do they have a bad day.
To top it off, they have the capability to work around the clock and use the ‘one-to-many’ customer service approach. Queries responded to 24/7 ensure that no customer is left out and that no work is piled up.
Customers have the option of selecting the language of their liking therefore service can be provided on a local scale.
These chatbots are able to continue learning with the new data they receive. This means that they can become more intelligent over time and make changes based on learned patterns. In fact, popular keyword planners use this very technique to help come up with content ideas for your digital marketing strategy.
Trust me, more often than not, you cannot tell if the agent is a chatbot or a human.
The plus side to having AI chatbots is that the agents can focus on more complex conversations and queries from the customers. It is a win-win, if you ask me – all customers happily answered.
To paint a better picture, Facebook Messenger uses AI chatbots to respond and take orders from customers.
2. AI Digital Advertising
Depending on your customers’ interactions and conversations, AI algorithms will allow you to automatically and constantly optimize your ads and campaigns.
You will be able to model your digital campaigns on a real-time basis with facts and data. In fact, it is another innovative use of AI in digital marketing.
AI-powered techniques are capable of analyzing patterns in advertising data and do a forecast of areas of improvement. It is even predicted to be one of the most innovative applications of ML techniques in core business offerings.
It will do so against specific key performance indices (KPIs).
This is opposed to the traditional approach of using assumptions and gut feeling when deciding how and who to target in your campaigns.
Even after days or weeks, you might not get it right.
AI in digital advertising will perform the data analysis and testing in seconds. This will have a great positive impact on your brand’s competitiveness in terms of how you run your ad campaigns.
AI use in advertising assures you of an increase in your return on ad revenue.
Who wouldn’t want an ad budget that actually brings in sales?
The catch that you probably did not know is the power of AI to find new customers that you did not know even existed.
With the tool’s capability to LEARN and analyze data, it is able to give valuable insights into potential customers.
It can never go wrong in its decision of:
- how your ad budget is spent,
- who views your ads, and
- how effective your ad campaign is.
A case in point is how Amazon uses this technology to align its products to the buyers based on previous searches.
Interesting, huh?
The impact of this is a repeat customer because of the personalized experience one gets.
3. Email Marketing
Conventional direct mail is not as effective today as it used to be before the digital era.
A customer today will respond better to a personalized message. A message that has been crafted and aligned to his/her demographics, location, and interests.
A study by Accenture, a consulting firm, reports that 41% of customers opted for other brands because of poor or lack of personalization. 41% is too big a number, don’t you think?
I bet you are doing the math right now of how this would dent your wallet.
Worry not, AI digital email marketing has got you covered. AI will ensure that a personalized message is crafted that represents your customers’ interests and keeps them in your circle.
The technology, by design, works in such a way that the customer’s behavior is predicted on the basis of his/her previous interaction with your brand.
You are most likely able to notice increased revenue due to increases in both click and open rates, especially now that 42% of online shoppers prefer digital wallets. You also get to save time and cost, together.
Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
You and your team will be able to focus on other key elements of your business and let artificial intelligence worry about email marketing initiatives.
With its capability to write email subjects on its own, personalize messages, restructure email campaigns and enhance send times, you cannot go wrong.
Conclusion
Bottom line is that artificial intelligence in digital marketing will guarantee your customers an enhanced experience and assure you of more sales and visibility.
What’s more, you will gain invaluable insights that will make your brand grow.
In a world that is increasingly using and depending on technology, it is not wise to ignore all the good that comes with AI in digital marketing.
Taking a big step in novel waters can be intimidating when jargon such as chatbots, algorithms, and machine learning are thrown on your face.
Do not worry, there’s a solution.
Most software that uses AI technology is easy to implement with your already existing system using these data science tools.
I tell you what though, you will be proud of yourself in hindsight if you set your fears aside and adopt AI applications in your digital marketing initiatives.
