Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is one of the hottest topics in the digital marketing space today. But what exactly is AI, and how can marketers use it to improve their digital campaigns?
What’s AI in Digital Marketing?
In its simplest form, AI is a way of creating and using computer systems that can learn and work independently without human intervention.
This technology is already being used in many ways, from personal assistants like Siri and Alexa to more complex applications like self-driving cars.
In marketing, AI is often used to automate tasks, from customer segmentation and targeting to content creation and optimization. By using AI, marketers can save time on repetitive tasks, freeing up their resources to focus on more strategic initiatives.
Sample AI Use Cases in Digital Marketing
There are many different ways that AI can be used in marketing. And yes, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination.
Here are a few examples of how AI is being used in marketing today:
Content Creation: AI can help you create or generate content for your digital marketing campaigns. For example, you can use AI to generate personalized email content or create dynamic landing pages that change based on the user’s behaviour.
Customer Segmentation: Some marketers use AI to segment their customers based on different factors, including location, demographics, interests, and behaviour. This information can then be used to create more targeted campaigns that are more likely to convert.
Predictive Analytics: AI can also analyse data and predict future customer behaviour. This information can be used to plan future marketing campaigns or even adjust your current campaigns on the fly to meet customer needs better.
Real-time Examples of AI in Digital Marketing
Several companies are already using AI in their marketing campaigns, and the results are impressive so far.
Here are a few examples of AI in action:
- Netflix: Netflix uses AI to personalize their content recommendations for each user. The more you watch, the better they get at recommending shows and movies that you’ll love.
- Spotify: Spotify also uses AI to personalize your listening experience. The music streaming service analyzes your listening habits and recommends new artists and songs they think you’ll enjoy.
- Stitch Fix: Stitch Fix is a personal styling service that uses AI to hand-pick clothes for its customers. They take into account your style, budget, and body type to choose items best suited for you.
- Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola uses AI to generate logos, texts, and other designs for their marketing campaigns. The AI system, called “DeepMind,” can create thousands of different designs within seconds.
- Search Engines: Most search engines, including Google and Bing, use AI to provide more relevant search results for their users. The algorithms are constantly learning and evolving, so they can provide the most accurate results for your query.
Benefits of Using AI in Digital Marketing
We agree that AI has transformed the digital marketing landscape — from Google’s RankBrain to Amazon’s recommendation engine.
Information and data are the lifeblood of marketing, and AI provides a way to make this information more accessible and actionable.
By using AI, marketers can:
- Save time on repetitive tasks: By automating tasks like customer segmentation and content creation, marketers can free up their time to focus on more strategic initiatives.
- Make better decisions: AI can help you make better decisions by providing insights you might otherwise not have had access to. For example, predictive analytics can give you a glimpse into future customer behaviour so that you can adjust your digital marketing campaigns accordingly.
- Improve customer experiences: With AI, you can create more personalized and relevant experiences for your customers. This can lead to higher conversion rates and repeat business.
- More Successful Campaigns: AI can help you create more successful campaigns by optimizing your content, segmenting your audience, and targeting your ads.
- Reduced Costs: In many cases, AI can help you reduce your marketing costs by automating tasks that would otherwise only be done manually.
- Improved ROI: With AI, you can significantly improve your marketing ROI by making better decisions, optimizing your campaigns, and reducing costs.
What’s Next for AI in Digital Marketing?
The possibilities are endless when it comes to AI in digital marketing. We’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible, and we expect to see even more amazing innovations in the years to come.
Some experts predict that AI will eventually replace human marketers altogether. But while AI can do a lot, there are still some things that it can’t do. For now, the best way to use AI in your marketing is to use it to complement your existing marketing efforts.
AI is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to revolutionize the marketing industry.
If you’re not already using AI in your digital marketing campaigns, it’s high time you started. By taking advantage of AI, you can save time, reduce costs, and improve your campaign results.
Common Risks and concerns with AI
As with any new technology, AI comes with its share of risks and concerns.
Here are a few common ones:
#1. Lack of control: When you hand over the reins to AI, you may feel like you’re losing control of your campaigns. But keep in mind that AI is just a tool, and you can always override its recommendations if you don’t agree with them.
#2. Making decisions without context: AI systems make decisions based on provided data. But sometimes, this data can be inaccurate or incomplete. As a result, AI systems may make decisions that make no sense in the real world.
#3. Implementation difficulties: AI implementation can be difficult, with a steep learning curve. You may need to invest in training and support to get your team up to speed on how to use it.
#4. Bias and discrimination: AI systems can inadvertently introduce bias and discrimination into your marketing campaigns. For example, if your customer data is biased, your AI system will likely reflect this bias in its recommendations.
#5. Social media bots: As AI becomes more advanced, we’re seeing an increase in the use of social media bots. These bots can create fake accounts, post fake content, and spread misinformation.
#6. Security and privacy concerns: AI systems can collect a lot of data, which raises the issue of security and privacy. If this data falls into the wrong hands, it could be used for identity theft, fraud, and other malicious activities.
#7. Over-reliance on AI: It’s important to remember that AI is a tool, not a replacement for human marketers. While AI can do a lot, there are still some things that it can’t do. For example, AI can’t create compelling content or develop new ideas.
#8. Job loss: As AI becomes more prevalent in marketing, it is highly likely to replace human marketers. This could lead to job loss and unemployment.
#9. high initial costs: AI systems can be expensive to implement, with high initial costs. You may need to invest in hardware, software, and training to get started.
How to Mitigate These Risks
Despite the risks, there are ways to mitigate them. Here are some tips on how to avoid the pitfalls of AI:
#1. Know your data: It’s important to know where your data comes from and how it’s being used. This will help you avoid bias and discrimination in your AI system.
#2. Train your team: If you’re going to use AI in your marketing, it’s important to train your team on how to use it. Help them understand its limitations and how to avoid some of its pitfalls.
#3. Don’t rely on AI: While AI is a powerful tool, it’s important to remember that it’s just a tool. Don’t rely on AI to do everything for you. Human marketers still have an important role to play in the success of your campaigns.
#4. Monitor your AI system: It’s important to monitor your AI system to ensure it’s working as intended. This will help you catch any problems early on and iron them out before they morph into an even bigger mess.
#5. Be transparent: Don’t hide the fact that you’re using AI. Be transparent with your customers and let them know how you’re using AI to improve their experiences with your brand.
#6. Get help: If you’re unsure how to use AI in your marketing, you can take advantage of the many available resources. There are plenty of books, articles, and online courses to help you get started with AI.
#7. Hire an expert: If you don’t have the time or resources to learn about AI, you can always hire an expert. Many companies specialize in AI. Let them help you implement it in your digital marketing campaign.
#8. Test, test, test: Before launching an AI-powered campaign, test it. This will help you catch any problems early on and ensure your AI system is working as intended.
#9. Be prepared for change: AI is constantly evolving. New applications and technologies are emerging as old ones get phased out. The technology is getting more efficient, enhanced by some of the latest discoveries. So, unless you’re prepared to adapt to these changes, you risk being left behind.
#10. Have a plan: Finally, don’t approach AI blindly. Have a plan and a strategy for how you’re going to use it in your marketing. This will help you avoid the pitfalls and make the most of AI’s opportunities.
How to Integrate AI into Your Digital Marketing Strategy
There are many moving parts, and it can be hard to keep track of everything. That’s where AI comes in.
AI can help you automate your marketing tasks and free up your time so you can focus on the key areas of your business.
There are a few different ways to integrate AI into your digital marketing strategy:
#1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
In layman’s terms, CRM is a system that helps you manage your relationships with your customers. It’s a way to keep track of customer data, interactions, and communications.
AI powers most CRM systems, and it can be a valuable asset to any digital marketing team. CRM systems can help you automate tasks like email marketing, lead generation, and customer service.
They can also help you keep track of the interactions customers have with your brand across multiple channels.
By combining CRM with AI, marketers and companies can now understand their customers better than ever before, like:
- What products or services are they interested in?
- What kind of language do they use?
- How do they prefer to communicate?
- What are their buying patterns?
- What are their pain points?
- What sites do they use frequently?
- What time of day are they most active?
You can then use this data to segment customers, personalize communications, and create more targeted digital marketing campaigns.
What Are the Leading Vendors of AI-powered CRM Solutions?
There are several different AI-powered CRM solutions on the market. Some of the leading vendors include:
If you have any questions about any of these CRM software solutions, don’t hesitate to contact us.
#2. Chatbots
Chatbots are computer programs that simulate human conversation. They’re commonly used to provide customer support or lead generation services.
You’ve probably interacted with a chatbot before without even realizing it. For example, when you ask Siri or Alexa a question, that’s a chatbot doing its job.
Chatbots are powered by natural language processing (NLP), a branch of AI. NLP allows chatbots to understand human conversations and respond accordingly.
Chatbots can be used to perform various digital marketing tasks, including:
- Generating leads
- Qualifying prospects
- Scheduling appointments
- Providing customer support
- Answering frequently asked questions
What Are the Leading Vendors of AI-powered Chatbots?
The leading vendors of AI-powered chatbots include:
- HubSpot
- Drift
- Intercom
- Acquire.io
- LivePerson
- Verloop
- Zendesk
- Amazon Lex
- Google Dialogflow
- Microsoft Bot Framework
- Chatfuel
Chatbots, for the most part, help improve customer service and support. And according to a report by Gartner, by 2025, 95% of customer interactions will be managed without a human.
That’s not to say that chatbots will replace humans entirely. They’ll handle the simple tasks so humans can focus on more complicated ones.
For example, if a customer has a question about your product, they can ask the chatbot. If the chatbot can’t answer their question, it will escalate the issue to a human agent.
This helps improve efficiency and ensures that customers always get the help they need.
#3. Personalization
Personalization is the process of tailoring your content and experiences to fit the needs of an individual.
It’s a way to make customers feel like you understand them and their needs.
You can use personalization in:
- Email marketing
- Website personalization
- Search engine optimization
- Social media
- Paid advertising
You can use AI to personalize content and experiences for your customers. For example, if you have a website, AI will help you show different content to different visitors based on their location, interests, behaviour, etc.
What Are the Leading Vendors of AI-powered Personalization Solutions?
The leading vendors of AI-powered personalization solutions include:
- Optimizely
- Adobe Target
- Klaviyo
Personalization is a powerful way to improve customer engagement and conversions. In fact, 79% of consumers say they’re more likely to engage with an offer if it’s been personalized to reflect the previous interactions the consumer has had with a brand.
#4. Predictive Analytics
Predictive analytics is the process of using data to make predictions about future events.
It’s a way to use AI to identify trends and patterns so you can make better decisions about the future.
Predictive analytics can help you out with the following tasks:
- Identifying new opportunities
- Detecting risks
- Optimizing campaigns
- Personalizing experiences
What Are the Leading Vendors of AI-powered Predictive Analytics Solutions?
The leading vendors of AI-powered predictive analytics solutions include:
- SAP Analytics clouds
- Qlik Sense
- Alteryx
- IBM SPSS Modeler
- RapidMiner
- Tableau
- Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio
- Minitab
Predictive analytics is a powerful way to improve decision-making.
#5. Digital Advertising
Digital advertising is undoubtedly one of the areas where AI has had the biggest impact.
Advertising is all about targeting the right people with the right message at the right time. And AI has made it possible to target ads with unprecedented accuracy.
For example, Facebook’s ad platform uses AI to target ads to users based on their interests, demographics, and behaviours.
And Google isn’t far behind. The company’s ad platform, Google Ads, also uses AI to target ads.
What Are the Leading Vendors of AI-powered Digital Advertising Solutions?
The leading vendors of AI-powered digital advertising solutions include:
The result is that companies can now show ads to the people who are most likely to be interested in them.
This has led to a massive increase in ad effectiveness and ROI. In fact, according to a report by McKinsey, AI-powered hyper-personalization could boost ROI and improve customer retention by up to 30%.
Digital advertising is one of the most effective ways to reach customers. And AI-powered advertising is making it even more effective.
AI can help you personalize content, optimize campaigns, and improve conversions.
#6. Content Marketing
Content marketing is the process of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
AI can be used to improve all aspects of content marketing, from content creation to distribution.
For example, it can help you research and write articles. It can also help you distribute your content to the right people at the right time.
What Are the Leading Vendors of AI-powered Content Marketing Solutions?
The leading vendors of AI-powered content marketing solutions include:
- App Jasper
- Quillbot
- Articoolo
- WordLift
Content marketing is a critical part of any digital marketing strategy. And AI is making it easier and more effective than ever before.
AI also strengthens content marketing by making it more personalized and relevant.
For example, you can use AI to send highly personalized emails to your subscribers. You can also use AI to show them content relevant to their needs and interests.
This helps you build a better relationship with your audience and keep them coming back for more.
#7. Email Marketing
Email marketing is a form of direct marketing that uses email to promote products or services.
AI can be used to improve all aspects of email marketing, from list building to email content to delivery.
For example, AI can be used to help you build your email list. It can also create and send personalized emails to your subscribers.
What Are the Leading Vendors of AI-powered Email Marketing Solutions?
The leading vendors of AI-powered email marketing solutions include:
Email marketing has one of the highest ROIs of any marketing activity. And AI is making it even more effective.
#8. SEO
SEO is the process of optimizing a website for search engines.
AI can be used to improve all aspects of SEO, from keyword research to link building to content optimization.
It can help you research and choose the right keywords for your website. It can also help you build links and optimize your content for search engines.
SEO is vast, with many semantic and technical requirements that need to be planned for and included in your on-page optimization campaign.
Search engines rely on AI-powered algorithms to rank websites. And these algorithms are getting better and better at understanding user intent and delivering the most relevant search results.
So, how can you use AI to improve your SEO? Here are a few ideas:
Use AI to Research and Choose the Right Keywords
There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing the right keywords for your website. And it can be tough to keep track of all of them.
This is where AI can help. AI-powered keyword research tools like KWFinder and SECockpit can help you find the right keywords for your website.
Use AI to Optimize Your Content
AI can also help you optimize your content for search engines. AI-powered content optimization tools like Clearscope and MarketMuse can help you optimize your content for the right keywords.
Use AI to Build Links
Link building is another integral part of SEO. And AI can help you with that, too.
AI-powered link-building tools like Linkody and BuzzSumo can help you find and build links to your website.
User Experience (UX)
User experience (UX) ensures users have a positive experience when interacting with your website.
It’s about making your website or app intuitive and easy to use. And AI can help you with that, too.
AI-powered UX tools like HotJar and FullStory can help you understand how users interact with your website. They can also help you find and fix any problems.
However, even a well-established UX planning process requires human intervention for the best results.
That’s because AI can only do so much. It can’t yet replicate the human brain. So, while AI can help you with your UX, it’s still important to have a team of experienced UX designers on hand to create the best experience for your users.
#9. Conversational Marketing
Conversational marketing is a form of marketing focused on building relationships with customers.
AI-powered conversational marketing tools like Drift and HubSpot Sales can help you have more meaningful conversations with your customers.
These tools can also help you generate more leads and close more sales.
How to Plan an AI-powered Marketing Strategy
Now that you know what AI can do for your marketing, it’s time to plan your AI-powered marketing strategy.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started:
Step 1: Define Your Goals
The first step is to define your goals. What do you want to achieve with your AI-powered marketing strategy?
Do you want to increase brand awareness?
Generate more leads?
Close more sales?
Improve customer retention?
Defining your goals will help you choose the right AI-powered marketing tools for your business.
Step 2: Choose the Right Tools
Once you know what you want to achieve, it’s time to choose the right AI-powered marketing tools for your business.
There are a lot of AI-powered marketing tools out there. So, take your time and research each one to find the best fit for your business.
Step 3: Implement Your Strategy
Once you have your goals and tools, it’s time to implement your AI-powered marketing strategy.
Work with your team to create a plan and put it into action. And don’t forget to track your progress and results.
Step 4: Adjust and Optimize
As you start implementing your AI-powered marketing strategy, you’ll undoubtedly run into some challenges.
That’s normal. Just remember to adjust and optimize as you go.
Also, don’t be afraid to experiment. Try new things and see what works best for your business.
Over time, you’ll be able to fine-tune your strategy and get the most out of AI-powered marketing.
6 Impressive Examples of AI in Digital Marketing
If you haven’t considered the power of Artificial Intelligence for your digital marketing strategy, now’s the time. Here are seven examples of AI in digital marketing that will inspire you.
#1. Magnolia Market Bridges Offline-to-Online
Magnolia Market is a brick-and-mortar store owned by Chip and Joanna Gains.
The company is best known for its exemplary customer service.
In fact, the company’s mission for its physical location is “inspire you to own the space you’re in.”
The brand created an authentic brand experience combining games, food, shopping, and a garden to achieve this goal.
To bring this same mission online, they needed a way for customers to have the same customer service experience.
They had to adopt AI for this.
First, the company understood that not everyone visited their Magnolia Silos. So, they decided to deliver the same experience in their e-commerce operations.
They used Shopify Plus to create a storefront and augmented reality (AR) app that would let customers “try on” products virtually. The app rendered its products in 3D, with the highest possible photo realism to accurately represent their products.
#2. Chase Bank Achieves More Humanity in Its Copywriting
Chase Bank signed a five-year contract with Persado, a New York-based company applying AI to copywriting, to automate the generation of its customer-facing content.
After experimenting with Persado’s solutions, Chase bank found that applying machine learning to its copywriting generated significant uplifts in customer engagement.
It made they’re copywriting more human.
For example, one of the ad copies written by a human copywriter read, “access cash from the equity in your home.” But after running it through Persado’s machine learning platform, the ad copy became, “it’s true — you can unlock cash from your home’s equity.”
The new copy was more accurate and engaging and therefore performed better with customers.
3. Burberry Builds Customer Loyalty with AI-Powered Digital Assistants
Burberry, a British luxury fashion house, uses digital assistants powered by artificial intelligence to provide customer service and support in its flagship store on London’s Regent Street.
The digital assistants, named “B,” can help shoppers with anything from finding a specific item to suggesting products based on customer preferences.
In addition, “B” can also provide information about in-store events and services.
The initiative aims to provide a more personalized shopping experience and ultimately build customer loyalty.
4. Starbucks Uses Predictive Analytics to Serve Personalized Product Recommendations
Starbucks uses predictive analytics and artificial intelligence to serve personalized product recommendations to its customers.
The company knows that its customers have different tastes, so relying on activation functions and using data collected from past purchases to make recommendations for future purchases.
They announced this in 2016, and it’s been a hit ever since.
5. Alibaba Opens a FashionAI Store
Alibaba, the world’s largest online and mobile commerce company, opened a physical store in Hong Kong called FashionAI.
The store is staffed with intelligent garment tags and smart mirrors that detect when an item is touched and display clothing information.
They even have plans to integrate their brick-and-mortar store with virtual wardrobe assistants in the future.
That way, customers can see the items they tried in-store on their mobile devices later on.
6. Macy’s Uses AI to Enhance the In-Store Shopping Experience
Macy’s is using artificial intelligence and data analytics to improve the in-store shopping experience for its customers.
The company has developed an app called “Macy’s on Call” that provides turn-by-turn directions to help shoppers find specific items in-store.
The app also provides product information and recommendations.
In addition, Macy’s is using AI to power its virtual reality shopping experiences.
