It’s getting harder to escape conversations about artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR). For some, the concept of AI marketing may still feel too far-fetched to implement What is AI (Artificial Intelligence) Marketing? in your daily business practices. However, you may already be using it on a regular basis!
AI marketing is the use of artificial intelligence to make automated decisions based on audience data. AI in marketing leverages customer data and machine learning to predict your customers’ next actions and improve their path to purchase. If your marketing strategy includes email automation , paid advertising, social media targeting, or chatbots, you’re already part of the club!
As virtual worlds become more popular, this marketing strategy will only continue to expand rapidly. Customers will soon begin to expect brands to provide more augmented reality experiences than just a helpful chatbot. In fact, 84% of business executives believe they need to use AI to achieve their growth goals.
Looking at global trends, revenue in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) market is expected to grow 15.2% to $34.18 billion . Needless to say, this is not a trend that can be ignored. It’s time to understand how to better use this evolving technology in your marketing strategy.
What follows is an overview of how to use AI in marketing. We’ll look at which trends you can expect to incorporate into your marketing plans in the future and stay ahead of the curve.
How to Use AI Marketing Today
You’re most likely already familiar with how this strategy is used in marketing today. Most agencies use AI algorithms to make work more efficient. This includes digital ad placements or helping with repetitive tasks, such as sending email reminders to customers. It also includes offloading simple work from your team, such as basic customer service interactions.
We often see AI at work when businesses are targeting customers throughout the buyer’s journey. For example, online retailers often use customer website behavior. They will run targeted ads and send timely emails to help drive customers to purchase. AI can even streamline the sales process by using very detailed data! This includes using location and website behavior to create dynamic landing pages that deliver personalized offers.
One of the most common current uses of AI is in marketing automation . Consider adding a simple welcome drip series to your email list, or an automation that segments your customers based on where they are in their buyer’s journey. Marketing automation relies on AI technology to help collect, sort, and leverage this data.
However, the use of AI has expanded and continues to expand dramatically. Marketers now have access to human-like chatbots that can help with many basic customer queries. Virtual reality is being used to create shoppable experiences in people’s living rooms. Algorithms act as personal iran telegram data shoppers, helping customers pick out the perfect car, service, or living room.
Think before you act
Of course, just because there are tons of opportunities doesn’t mean your business needs to seize every one of them. The most important question to ask before developing a new marketing strategy is – where do you want to add value? The time and investment required to create a digital shopping experience may not be the best use of your budget.
First, look for ways to improve and expand AI in your current marketing. Can chatbots be improved to create a better customer experience? Is adding new email drip campaigns an option to nurture old customers? Or, can new audiences be created from your best-performing ads?
Examples of AI Marketing
You may start to notice examples of AI everywhere. The how ai is transforming email marketin future of digital marketing is putting artificial intelligence at the core of strategy. So it makes sense that it’s easy to find examples. New uses are constantly emerging! Some of the most common examples we see over and over include:
- Chatbots – While these are not new, the capabilities are growing. The goal of AI is to feel less artificial, and the future of chatbots is moving closer and closer in that direction.
- Social Media Filters – It’s hard not to be fooled by a perfectly placed beauty filter these days, but brands are also using these filters as an opportunity to big work market to and engage with their customer base.
- Virtual Reality (VR) – Being able to virtually try on glasses, clothes, and even see how furniture will look in your home is becoming more common. We are now seeing personal shoppers and entire stores coming straight into people’s living rooms.
- Personalized recommendations – From the shows and music you consume to where you shop, you can choose to watch/listen/shop more with recommendations tailored to your tastes, thanks to AI.
- Marketing Automation – Having a sales team that responds 24/7 and never drops the ball? It used to sound like a pipe dream! Until marketing automation came along to help streamline responses and personalize or even automate messages.
- Trend Prediction – Algorithms can quickly search and find connections between different data. Therefore, it becomes easier to spot patterns and predict trends that are about to take off.
How will AI change the future of digital marketing?
The pace of technology and marketing isn’t slowing down anytime soon. AI offers marketers the opportunity to meet customer needs and business goals without expanding their teams. AI allows the 24-hour marketing rhythm to continue even when offices are closed.
This is a huge business advantage that has not gone unnoticed by the top brass. Marketers have become more capable of using data to show improved ROI and reduced overall costs. This means more marketing budget will be available to scale these strategies.
As our reliance on virtual reality continues to grow, we can expect to see more human-like chatbots (with the potential for video chatbots one day). More realistic virtual shopping experiences, more real-time personalized recommendations, and more are also on the horizon.
We can expect some traditional marketing jobs to change. While the expansion of AI has caused some to worry that it will eliminate jobs, the future depends on humans using these systems in new ways. As digital marketing changes, we’ll see new roles develop and old roles transform into new ones.
If you’re ready to start incorporating more AI into your marketing, contact us to learn more about how SharpSpring can add or improve marketing automation in your strategy!
