How can AI help in marketing?
In my opinion, the most important marketing trend in 2019 will be Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Being an avid tech enthusiast, I know how much effort manufacturers put into developing devices that feature some form of AI. Other than the inevitable “Terminator” and “Matrix” future, AI can help marketers in a big way.
How does it work?
Imagine a fellow Internet user browsing a webshop. They see something and purchase it. What happens next? In many cases, that user still sees ads for the product that he bought. But, what if AI noticed that our user purchased the product? That would result in less frustration from the user and better allocation of budget for the company that sells the product. Also, AI can detect the product that was purchased and perhaps recommend another product that would extend the usability of the purchased product. For example, let’s say a user purchased a vacuum cleaner. Why not display ads for an EPA filter or an adapter? AI could potentially even display ads for service centres about two years after the user purchased the vacuum cleaner. I mean, vacuum cleaners should be serviced as well, right? It could help marketers sell more products and display more relevant ads while reducing cost. Also, potentially, display ads for after-sales services and other extensions of the company.
Can it be independent?
Another good use of AI would be marketing automation. Marketing automation already exists, but there still needs to be a person in charge of the CRM who will fill out all the necessary data. Now, if AI could do it instead of a person, there would probably be less human errors and the whole process would probably be a little bit faster. It can’t be easy managing thousands of customers, even if you have an automated software doing some of the work for you. This could also reduce cost for the company.
But wait, there’s more! AI can also generate content, i.e. write and create from scratch. Some publishers use various intelligent tools like Wordsmith, Articoolo and Quill to create news posts, which in turn improves their SEO and attracts readers. Some of those publishers are BBC, CBS, New York Times, Forbes, Reuters, etc. Those are big names when it comes to writing articles and publishing them, so they can’t afford any errors. If you read something on those sites in the recent times, chances are it was written by AI. Couple that with machine learning and AI can in fact generate content on your website tailored specifically for your audience based on their interests.
Can I use AI to improve my campaigns?
Now, if you’re working on a fresh campaign on Facebook or on Google Adwords, AI can help you create a campaign that automatically adapts to audiences. This means that ads will be displayed at the right times, keywords will change automatically according to terms that your target audience inputs, your price will go down, and you can even use dynamic content to personalize the message. For example, let’s say a user named Jerry is using his personal phone and looks for a new pair of shoes. Imagine if a Google search would return a result that says “Hey Jerry, check out our brand new collection!” or “Jerry, your next shoes are on sale!” It does sound a bit creepy, but I believe that users would get used to it. We all noticed that our phones listen to us from time to time, so I don’t think that using names would be an issue. With consent, of course. After launching your campaign, you can use AI-infused analytics to get real-time advice on what to do and what to change in order to convert more people. After some time and lots of learning, AI could be able to create, launch and analyse entire campaigns on its own. Think of it as Google Adwords meets Google Analytics meets Google Tag Manager meets Google Optimizer.
The thing about AI is that it’s basically limitless. It doesn’t forget, unless you unplug its memory. The only scary thing about it is its lack of empathy. However, I do believe that empathy can also be taught, which means ad personalisation will become easier and audiences will be easier to reach. The only thing left is that Terminator and Matrix scenario I mentioned at the beginning. Did you know that the machines already started fighting each other? I mean, did you see that video where a Tesla on autopilot hit an autonomous robot that was casually strolling down the street?
Sources:
Smart Insights — 15 applications of artificial intelligence in marketing
Dezeen — Promobot robot run over by Tesla
