Artificial intelligence (AI) is making inroads across industries as digital transformation takes hold. This can be good news for small business owners. This article explores the benefits of using AI in digital marketing.
Using search engines, websites, social media, email, and mobile apps to make an impression makes sense. Consumers today turn to digital channels to drive their purchasing decisions. According to Google Think Insights:
- 48% of consumers start their inquiries on search engines
- 33% look to brand websites
- 26% search within mobile applications
Businesses want to get their goods or services in front of those buyers. At the same time, using digital channels is cost-effective and measurable. Digital marketing also offers access to more data, and more detailed data at that.
Yet all that data can be overwhelming. That’s why AI marketing is gaining momentum.
This article discusses:
- Benefits of AI in digital marketing
- AI in digital marketing 2021
- Future of AI in digital marketing
Benefits of AI in Digital Marketing
AI is the computer equivalent of an extremely powerful human brain. It uses algorithms to collect, analyze, apply and even learn from data inputs. Human marketers can only do so much with all the data that is now available from digital channels. AI is much more efficient, and it is only growing more productive.
Using AI in digital marketing helps:
- Maximize data collection
- Visualize customer journey
- Research customers
- Personalize content
- Identify trends in data more quickly
- Provide a more convenient customer experience
- Free up humans for more creative, critical thinking tasks
AI in Digital Marketing 2021
So, what does AI in digital marketing entail in 2021? Already we’re seeing AI integrated into marketing both in interactions with customers and behind-the-scenes to empower marketing efforts.
Customers might interact today with AI chatbots. This is a boon for business because chatbots don’t need to sleep, so 24/7 customer service for an online store becomes a reality. Plus, customers enjoy the self-service aspect of interacting with AI. Meanwhile, employees (when awake) can focus their efforts on more challenging customer concerns or issues and improve satisfaction there.
Email marketing is also benefiting from AI. When you use a content management tool to schedule a campaign, you’re taking advantage of AI. It’s the algorithms that are sending the correct content to people based on their actions.
As Smart Insights notes, “AI can help email marketers reach the right customers at the right time, ensuring that messaging is relevant, engaging and more likely to convert. It can also allow you to better analyze what types of messaging, subject lines, design and images get the best results.”
AI smarts are also used in scheduling digital advertising, segmenting audiences, and analyzing the efficacy of particular campaign elements. With the power of AI to efficiently analyze demographics, micro-trends, and keep an eye on budget, the digital advertising campaign can be more focused and economical.
Future of AI in Digital Marketing
Anticipating AI trends in marketing, expect to see AI used even more to curate online content for customers. Just as YouTube or TikTok uses AI to decide which video to show each user next, you may embed AI into your business website to better personalize the experience for visitors. They will see relevant blogs, videos, or landing pages based on the available data.
Social media marketing will also continue to benefit from AI. As the Forbes Technology Council noted, “AI is crucial in driving sales, as it enables the business to discover details that ordinarily would have taken months and years to gather.” AI’s efficient analysis enables adept targeting of specific audiences on social platforms making it more likely that the ad will equal sales.
AI is also going to play a role in the ongoing move to voice search. AI is behind the decisions the search engine makes to show the best results for that particular user. As AI in digital marketing continues to evolve, the relevance of the results, and their impact on e-commerce, will continue to evolve.
Investment also continues in marketing automation. AI (or, specifically, the machine learning component of AI) is always looking to improve. This is where some get anxious. Is AI automation going to take my job? But the aim is not necessarily to replace humans so much as free them up to do the more creative, innovative work. In marketing, there is always a need for that new idea of a unique approach. That’s the human’s value add.
Building websites with AI is also gaining traction. But it’s expected that it will be a few years before the sophistication is sufficient to match what designers and the current platforms can do.
AI in Your Digital Marketing
There are many incredible ways to take advantage of AI in your digital marketing. With the available tools, you can improve customer experience and employee engagement while driving sales. Plus, with the powerful algorithms doing the learning, it’s not so arduous for you to get up to speed on the latest technology.
