Artificial intelligence (AI) has immersed itself in our lives and made a remarkable impact. Smart devices and AI tools and toys used to seem like products of the imagination but now they are part of our everyday life. Considering that AI is an inevitable future advancement, marketers should know more about it. They are the force that keeps people updated with the newest trends and that is why AI should be on their list of priorities.
The fact 80% of B2B marketing executives predict AI will revolutionize their industry by 2020 clearly shows that AI is redefining B2B marketers’ jobs. If you want to be a part of this change let’s learn more about what AI can bring to the table and how it impacts the world of marketing. If you are being impacted by AI and need to update your professional resume, check out CraftResumes, for professional resume writing services.
AI and Marketing
Artificial intelligence presents enhancing human knowledge through machines. What makes these machines smart is applying different technologies, algorithms, and techniques to achieve natural language processing and deep learning.
Or, how this infographic explains it:
Google CEO Sundar Pichai claims that AI will have a massive impact on the world. Considering AI as an innovation that will spread worldwide, he said the following: “AI is one of the most important things humanity is working on. It is more profound than, I dunno, electricity or fire.”
Pichai’s attitude about the importance of AI shows that this leading company finds AI to be an essential, not a potential addition.
When it comes to Artificial Intelligence Marketing (AI Marketing), it presents using customer data in combination with AI advancement such as machine learning to predict customers’ actions, intelligently target the customers, and act accordingly.
The reality of AI in marketing is that only 13% of B2B marketers are very confident with their knowledge of AI, while 55% are somewhat confident, and 33% are not at all confident.
Gaining knowledge about how AI can improve marketers’ business on a daily basis can be of huge help for advancing their marketing strategy. With AI they can make better marketing decisions and attract more customers to their company.
As Paul Roetzer, a founder and CEO of PR 20/20, author of The Marketing Performance Blueprint and The Marketing Agency Blueprint, and creator of The Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute and Marketing Score nicely put it: “Your life is already machine-assisted, and your marketing will be too.”
How Marketers Use AI Daily?
Some marketers have already introduced AI into their marketing routines and their practices can show us how AI can be beneficial for improving marketing strategy.
Let's take a look at some of the ways in which AI contributes to the marketing industry and impacts marketers’ jobs on a daily basis.
Better Search Engine Optimization
Google started with AI search innovation back in 2015. They introduced RankBrain, a machine learning-based algorithm.
This leading company was the inspiration to many websites such as Amazon who also use AI for their search engines.
Marketers turn to AI to make product searching more accurate and smarter.
Semantic search and natural language processing find relevant search results and make more accurate suggestions. Even when the customer doesn't know what he is searching for, AI will help him discover products.
This eases up the pressure that marketers used to have when it comes to SEO considering that is one of the main aspects of marketing strategy.
Additionally to SEO, AI also provides image recognition and analysis so customers can use visual search. Visual search technology improves merchandising and shopping experience because it provides the customer with a more accurate suggestion.
Improving Customer Experience
Presenting the brand as helpful and people-centric is one of the main goals that marketers need to fulfill.
With the help of AI technology, companies will no longer have to wait for their questions, problems, and inquiries to be addressed.
The technology that is used for this purpose is chatbot technology that is powered by AI capabilities.
By using natural language processing, chatbots identify the question and provide the company with instant answers. This is the best choice for handling general questions in B2B cooperation.
Identifying Prospective Customers
For sourcing quality leads markets used to go through endless customer data manually. Obtaining, classifying, and reviewing data manually takes a lot of valuable time that marketers could put in use for other purposes.
AI simplified this process because it captures and collects a larger set of data from contact databases, websites, and social media platforms and identifies the best B2B target customers. It shows the best solutions for both inward and outward marketing initiatives.
AI enables marketers to capture data during consumer interaction and create customer profiles that are later used for targeting new customers.
Not only that it improves the quantity of leads, but it also improves their quality which makes marketers more successful.
Personalization
Personalization can be done on many different levels. Some companies like Instagram offer suggested sponsored ads based on your previous searches while others such as those you can find at TheWordPoint offer adapted translation prices.
AI-driven marketing analyzes the behavior of potential customers and provides marketers with a chance to conduct the hyper-personalization of the marketing campaigns. That is why 71% of B2B marketers are interested in using AI for personalization.
Marketers use AI to eliminate spam emails and messages by initiating personalized conversations. It independently crafts messages that upscale the customers’ interests.
Additionally, it collects historical data and analyzes the correct time of sending the right content to the right person
Brands have a chance to target customers one by one instead of targeting specific sectors. Consequently, when they use the personalized approach they have a better chance to increase sales.
Improving Conversions
Some research showed that 80% of the time of sales representatives is spent on emails and phone calls for nurturing and qualifying leads with repetitive activities which gives them merely 20% of the time for the closing of the lead.
Such an approach is slowly becoming outdated because AI offers a less time-consuming and more efficient approach.
Based on predefined characteristics, AI can identify new and existing customers that are more accurate choices for the conversion.
Instead of wasting time on uninterested prospects, AI directs marketers to ideal prospects that are more likely to seal to deal.
Some Final Thoughts
AI is clearly taking the world of marketing by storm. By understanding this incredible technology, marketers will be able to improve their strategies and make their job easier. AI also brings new career opportunities in marketing because it presents a completely different approach to marketing practices.
AI gives marketers an opportunity to identify customers, improve their experience, create a personalized approach, and optimize the search in the best possible way. No matter how marketers use AI, it is inevitable that this phenomenon leads to surpassing the competition and growing the business.
ABOUT: ERICA SUNARJO
Erica Sunarjo is a communications professional with more than five years of experience. Erica runs her own blog BestWritersOnline and is proud of her an uncanny ability to explain the most complex subject in simple terms.