6 Ways Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Digital Marketing
Artificial intelligence is a concept that was first introduced as a storytelling device in the portrayal of robots and other ‘thinking’ machines. What was a futuristic work of fiction before is now today’s buzzword. The progress we’ve made has produced virtual assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and Tesla’s self-driving cars. And by the looks of it, we’ve just scratched the surface.
Advancements in the field of artificial intelligence have slowly been revolutionizing processes across different industries. The technology is being integrated into digital products more than ever, with many seeing it as the future of computing. This time, it has set its sights on the dynamically evolving field of digital marketing.
During the past months, artificial intelligence has made its presence known through supplementary factors such as the Internet of Things, big data and machine learning, that will significantly contribute to AI reaching its full potential. In fact, the technology is already being implemented in various digital marketing processes. Here are the ways artificial intelligence is transforming various industries like courier services and others:
1. The Rise of Automation
A lot of what’s being done in digital marketing is what can be considered intelligent ‘guesswork,’ with a lot of testing and adjusting going on in the hopes of making a profit. While the analytical tools we use today are more accurate than during the days of traditional advertising, having ‘built-in’ decision-making tools that learn as they function is the best way to go in this type of marketing.
This is where AI and machine learning come in. They are used to understand patterns in buyer behavior and how they make decisions. The more it understands consumers, the more advertisers can work on better ways in targeting consumer preferences.
2. A More Personalized Customer Experience
The role of AI in personalizing user experience to a greater extent could be ground-breaking. Campaigns involving customized content can be done based on data collected from customers. This can further be developed to be tailored to every single customer or prospect.
AI can also be integrated into the use of augmented reality where customers can have the option to see and feel the product before making an actual purchase. This will make it easier for them to make decisions without going through all the trouble of having a physical encounter with the product itself, stimulating a faster response from customers and bringing in more revenue.
3. An Accurate Prediction of Customer Behavior
Since AI is all about data-driven approaches, it can be integrated into marketing and decision-making processes. With the help of different platforms collecting and storing all kinds of analytics, we can analyze a customer’s buying patterns to develop automated systems and customer profiles that allow us to target specific markets. At the rate we are going, computers will be able to make bigger and better decisions.
Ultimately, these AI-controlled computers will be able to analyze customer behavior more closely, which will eventually help them formulate and execute their own marketing strategies that meet the voice of customers they are observing online.
4. Insight Integration
Artificial intelligence is fast becoming a useful tool for collecting and integrating data sets from different types of software. The more advanced AI becomes for this purpose, the more effective it will be in targeting customers through customized digital ad campaigns based on their profiles and buyer journeys.
Through statistical analysis, AI can capture and analyze massive datasets in a more complex way than our current methods, using tools applied to single channels. This makes automation tasks done in more innovative ways than we could probably think of.
5. The Use of Chatbots for Customer Support
Chatbots are automated tools used to interact with customers. They are relatively common nowadays, currently executing simple tasks such as answering basic questions and fulfilling orders. Companies of all sizes use these chatbots with the intention to automate certain areas of their operations.
Facebook is one of the huge companies that has integrated a chatbot feature for business accounts using the social network’s Messenger app. This makes it easy for users to message a business page for customer service concerns and hiring processes, making it one of the features businesses are looking into to improve their services.
Chatbots can make your website stand apart from the rest by giving 24/7 assistance while retaining customer data. This also means the chatbots won’t lose patience and treat all customers politely even if they are angry. They can handle multiple concerns simultaneously, reducing waiting time and streamlining the process.
6. The Use of Voice Search and Speech Recognition
Artificial intelligence has the capability to handle various types of searches, which include voice recognition. It can also integrate different types of search methods and achieve customized results. What’s even more impressive is the rise of personal virtual assistants such as Alexa, Siri and Google Home that are now able to have conversations with each other, or at least maybe in the near future.
In the case of speech recognition, the accuracy of the technology has improved. According to a TechCrunch report, Microsoft’s speech recognition systems had an error rate of only 5.1%, the lowest ever recorded to date. Pretty soon, our interactions with virtual assistants will be more personalized based on our voices.
Artificial intelligence is set to improve the strategies of digital marketers by saving them both time and money. Automation and machine learning are expected to take on labor-intensive tasks and remove human intervention in the process. The application of AI will make it easier for sales agents to do their jobs with the help of chatbots, and marketers will have instantly have insights on the best-performing ads or content.
While you might think AI poses a threat to existing jobs, this is not entirely the case. It only aims to make specific tasks easier by providing speed and precision in executing them, while offering accurate and relevant data that can help marketers make much better decisions. So as a business owner or digital marketer, it’s time to embrace the technology and find ways to use it to your advantage.