Artificial Intelligence as a marketing tool

Artificial intelligence is a core component of the current marketing landscape and will become increasingly important in the coming years.

AI can be applied to numerous areas in online marketing and its adoption is growing across all sectors. According to Gartner, AI will be used in 80% of new tech platforms by 2021. (Gartner, 2019)

Okay…so…marketers can use AI to better perform their jobs, but what is AI?

“AI” is a catch-all term used to describe software which is capable of performing complex tasks which typically require human intelligence. It can be classified as strong, or able to find solutions for new tasks based on general, problem-solving ability, or weak, which can only be deployed for specific tasks.

While the type of application will vary depending on purpose and platform, AI requires cloud infrastructure and high volumes of computing power to function effectively. It also typically requires machine learning algorithms to enable automation so its human users don’t have to continually input processing instructions.

The important thing is that we understand artificially intelligent programs are unique, serve different purposes and have purpose-specific traits.

Marketing Applications for AI

Artificial intelligence can improve CX and drive increased sales, effectively automate marketing communications and manage PR/negative customer sentiment.

Improving sales through intelligent UX/CX

Smart programs have helped businesses analyse customer data, as I mentioned in my previous entry, and use this information to improve customer experience by designing more effective user experiences for their platforms. Nicole Martin, in her 2018 article for Forbes, describes the adoption of AI by online retailers to allow shoppers to virtually “try on” clothing while browsing. (Nicole Martin, Forbes 2018) This helped customer satisfaction by giving shoppers a better chance of purchasing clothes that fit.

Manage marketing communications

AI can be employed in marketing communications to drive conversions. Businesses utilising e-mail and chat marketing systems can also employ AI to make strategic decisions based on existing customer data. A well-deployed learning algorithm can identify certain customer traits and use these to determine communication type, time and frequency and the overall message. Better, more relevant marketing communications are more likely to draw conversion from prospective customers and bring back previous users. (Martha Senturia, EContentmag.com 2018)

Monitor customer sentiment to fix issues proactively

Web connectivity has given everyone a platform, democratising customer experience and exposing brands to a much higher degree of risk in the court of public opinion. Marketing professionals can employ AI to monitor social channels and customer behaviour to identify problems at various touchpoints, gain insight into product performance and map out their brand image across all channels. “Sentiment analysis” is one example of an AI tool which allows companies to track their performance and CX in real-time, allowing them to correct issues faster than ever before. (Cindy Zhou, Customer Relationship Management 2018)

All in good time.

AI, though increasingly powerful and growing in use, won’t demonstrate clear results to marketers immediately. AI tools are still costly and require additional manpower to manage effectively, and won’t demonstrate solid ROI for some time after initial employment. Though this shouldn’t deter marketing teams from investing in this technology, according to Sam Del Rowe, for DestinationCRM. Del Rowe mentions the growing ROI from firms who employed AI early, naming Netflix and Spotify among the successful early adopters. (Del Rowe, 2018)

It’s important for all of us to get familiar with this tech and learn how to incorporate it into our marketing strategies, big and small.

Sources:

100 Data and Analytics Predictions Through 2022 [WWW Document], n.d. . Gartner. URL https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3875982/100-data-and-analytics-predictions-through-2022 (accessed 2.26.20).

Don’t Expect Immediate Results with AI: A recent report from Forrester asse..., n.d.

How Artificial Intelligence Can Help Transform Customer Engagement and Sale..., n.d.

How is Big Data Working with AI, 2017. . Maryville Online. URL https://online.maryville.edu/blog/big-data-is-too-big-without-ai/ (accessed 2.26.20).

Marketing With AI: Chatbots Are Smarter Than You Think.: EBSCOhost [WWW Document], n.d. URL http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=0&sid=89cc0cb6-6317-40ae-a442-49782519bfd8%40sdc-v-sessmgr03 (accessed 2.26.20).

Martin, N., n.d. How AI Is Revolutionizing Digital Marketing [WWW Document]. Forbes. URL https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolemartin1/2018/11/12/how-ai-is-revolutionizing-digital-marketing/ (accessed 2.26.20).

Snapshot, n.d.

van Esch, P., Black, J.S., Ferolie, J., 2019. Marketing AI recruitment: The next phase in job application and selection. Computers in Human Behavior 90, 215–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.09.009