How Is AI Transforming The B2B Marketing Space?

Sometimes there are underlying messages undetectable by the human eye

As a business-to-business marketing professional, I’m always curious about new strategies and solutions that can push the needle in my everyday work. With B2B being the side of marketing that sometimes seems to be less creative and more data-driven, it’s no surprise that AI has been on the forefront. In fact, 80% of B2B marketing executives believe AI will revolutionize their field over the next 5 years. Going into 2020, AI is the top technology these professionals will look to adopt.

Here’s how:

1. Customer Insights: AI can dissect content — any kind of content. Videos, images, messages, voice recordings, etc. When we use AI to analyze content, it can help us better understand our customer’s needs and wants. Based on phone conversations with customers, AI can help marketers identify new opportunities and threats in the market. In turn, marketers can make changes to their messaging and media buying strategies.
2. Lead Scoring & Predictive Analysis: We can generate over 5,000 leads within a month's time, but how do we actually know which of those leads qualify and ultimately close? AI can be used to predict which personalities and look-alikes can lead to the most closes. Instead of wasting time working other leads, the sales team can focus on those that AI tags as qualified.
3. Personalization: With mass data gathering, the amount of personal data and insights marketers have are enhanced when AI comes into play. Through AI products, marketers can alter messaging, value proposition, and overall approach through deep personalization. Instead of breaking our audience up by industry, company, or location, we’re able fine-tune even further by digesting other forms of information.
4. Content Creation: While we aren’t at a point where AI can create videos, blog posts, and curate emails from scratch, companies can use AI products to improve their marketing collateral. For example, by analyzing existing data, we can improve emails by creating subject lines and calls-to-action that generate the most customer clicks. AI companies are promising more to come on the content creation front, which will be another exiting tool to use.

When looking at the objectives and challenges for generating higher quality leads amongst companies worldwide, many of these solutions are top of mind.

https://chart-na1.emarketer.com/230552/objectives-vs-challenges-generating-higher-quality-leads-companies-worldwide-aug-2019-of-respondents

AI is being used to ensure marketing teams are on the path to success. Whether that’s increased performance and internal efficiency, or increased understanding of customers and the buying journey, AI is changing the way we do B2B. As Casey Carey, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Marketo, recently said, “Two things are happening that are making AI more prevalent in marketing. First, prospects are expecting more relevant and compelling engagement along their buyer journey, and second, more data is becoming available to inform our marketing strategies. As a result, the historical way of manually analyzing data and using rule-based approaches to marketing are no longer enough.”