Artificial intelligence and machine learning might feel like the future, but they have already been here for a long time. In fact, modern AI was invented in the 1950’s. The prevalence of artificial intelligence in the following decades has grown in leaps and bounds. Today, AI is built in to nearly all software in one way or another.
So how does AI impact marketing? This question is almost too broad to answer as modern digital marketing is so heavily reliant on AI that they are difficult to separate.
To do so, we will define artificial intelligence, discuss how AI interacts with marketing, and how brands can harness the power of AI to better understand their customers and build a focused marketing strategy.
What is Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial intelligence is not easily defined. Merriam-Webster defines artificial intelligence as “the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior”. Many laypeople use the terms artificial intelligence and “machine learning” interchangeably, but these are in fact two different concepts.
Artificial intelligence refers to the concept of software performing tasks in a similar manner to a human being. In other words, AI is the ability of software to “think” and act intelligently. This can range from FedEx using AI to deliver your packages to video game environments using AI to adapt to player behavior.
Machine learning is a more specific sector of AI referring to a software’s ability to learn from new data and make decisions based on this new information.
All machine learning can be considered a form of artificial intelligence, but all artificial intelligence may not be considered machine learning.
How Artificial Intelligence Interacts with Marketing
To understand some of the ways that AI interacts with digital marketing, let us explore how AI is being used by brands today.
Building customer profiles: as we will discuss in greater detail below, current applications of artificial intelligence are incredibly powerful ways to learn about current, prospective, and previous customers. AI is great at accruing detailed information about your clients to allow for customized marketing efforts.
Social media analytics: many modern customers interface with brands they love through social media. How many customers are being reached, how they are reacting to your message, and how you can find your niche audience can all be accomplished with AI.
AI allows for superior content optimization: no matter what sector your product or service covers, AI can help your brand focus on building content that matters most to your client base.
Brands Understand Their Customers Better with Artificial Intelligence
Modern customers expect accessibility, familiarity, and top level customer service. It has become almost mandatory for brands to remember customer’s purchase history, preferences, and other key information.
Artificial intelligence paired with a well maintained company database allows brands to capture relevant client information with ease.
Taking this a step further, AI can also unify your data, sort your data, deliver market-specific customer insights, and give those insights context within your business model. What would have previously taken a team of dedicated data scientists and data analysts can now be handled by a well-implemented AI system.
Using AI to Build a Marketing Strategy
At the end of the day, we know what you are probably thinking: AI sounds great, but will it really make a difference in my digital marketing efforts? Here are some of the reasons why AI implementation is a no-brainer for your digital marketing plan:
- Artificial intelligence allows for unparalleled client personalization. It cannot be overstated how important knowing every detail about customers can be in today’s business landscape.
- Marketing content can be scaled up or down based on feedback. We all love our branding material, but some of what we put out into the world simply does not perform as well. AI quickly identifies and can, in fact, select higher performing marketing material and make sure that takes center stage while scaling back lesser materials.
- AI can predict customer behavior. Now that your software systems have collected and sorted the relevant client data, AI is more than capable of effectively predicting potential customer behavior. This insight allows brands to speak directly to customer need-states before they even become needs!
With today’s AI capabilities, the question really isn’t: how will AI help me build my marketing strategy? The question has become: why would I ever build a marketing strategy without AI?
Clock Tower Insight makes AI Work for You
At Clock Tower Insight, we turn data into business solutions. By maximizing brand positioning, CX management, moments of influence, and more, we help build our clients brands in the short and long term.
Clock Tower Insight believes that happy customers equal a happy business. We work closely with clients to tailor their brand from top to bottom in order to maximize positive image, exposure, and sales. To learn more about how we may be able to help your business grow, read about our 15 plus years of focused experience.