Whenever a topic on artificial intelligence surfaces, subjective opinions are presented. While this technology itself is based on predictions and predictions are what led to the current innovations through AI, yet it is a notion refined with research, practice and execution.
Another aspect related to AI as far as a section of mass populace is concerned is fear, to the point they believe AI and intelligent robots will replace them. While many others believe AI will not replace humans – the technology is only intended to enhance their capabilities. Most people however, do not hold a black or white view on the subject instead their thoughts reside in the gray.
With such subjective views floating around, another unique viewpoint on AI is born of its correlation with digital marketing. Categorically influencing digitalization, now content recommendation tools, Chatbots and many other AI-driven marketing tools exist in the market, and are uniquely shaping different aspects of digital marketing.
The aforementioned examples only highlight what has been achieved. What about the future? Will AI further mold digital marketing or has it done its part?
Current and Future Potential of Artificial Intelligence
Voice search is the future
According to Google, 20% of search engine searches are voice-based. Undoubtedly, the power of voice search will alter the landscape of online searches. The launch of smart speakers began with The Echo but now some of the best smart speakers are integrated with support for Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant.
Soon people would quit browsing, would not search by typing, and prefer using smart speakers and intelligent smartphone assistants. By the year 2022, 55% of households will own smart speakers. In only three years, a significant change would have occurred.
How does this help marketers? Certainly, these smart assistants and speakers only do what the user orders. But what if you could create and bring content to these devices? Marketers and SEO experts can devise strategies to accumulate pertinent content searched for through voice queries only. Subsequently, you will know what content or search queries to focus on next.
The correlation between SEO and voice search is slowly being explored and will only improve further. Even internet providers as renowned as the ones you see on buytvinternetphone are leveraging the power of voice search in their online marketing endeavors so as to be able to cover a vaster cross section of audience.
Identifying your target audience
Asking your customers to subscribe to online newsletters for the latest updates and spamming them with content emails periodically is not a very ‘human’ approach to marketing. While it is helping you get your product and message across to the relevant audience, at the same time, it is making them lose interest.
AI possesses the potential to overcome this challenge. Determining an audience’s interests and accordingly creating marketing strategies is now becoming outdated simply because AI eliminates the ordeal of guessing the types of content your audience might prefer.
It’s just the start but soon understanding target audiences using AI will be the norm for digital marketing strategies.
Augmented reality and digital marketing
Augmented and virtual reality applications such as Snapchat and IKEA’s Place app are reshaping customer interaction and experience. This innovation is not solely occurring in the entertainment or business domains as even healthcare and educational institutes are moving towards AR.
It is expected more brands and companies will come to rely on augmented reality applications. Soon physical products will be substituted by virtual product displays, in turn, replacing dressing rooms with AR-powered store displays. New ideas for marketing campaigns, as Adidas’, are only simplifying things with the inclusion of AR.
Better competitor analysis results
With the need for businesses to stay ahead of their competitors, the demand for competitor analysis keeps increasing. Unfortunately, the process of competitor analysis consumes time and without sufficient information, you won’t know where you and your competitors stand.
AI-incorporated competitor analysis tools will continue to structure the way you formerly collected data. Marketers will be more promptly able to keep up with industry trends, identify their market stance and grow simultaneously.
What gives you the upper hand?
Intelligent competitor analysis helps you stay updated with online competitor behavior, finding their content publishing channels, the type of content they post and the trends they follow.
Live customer support
The unconventional journey to a brick-and-mortar retail store and spending hours deciding what to buy is long gone. Now is the era of digital communication and support, but that too has in many ways standardized.
With constant digitalization taking place, customers no longer prefer waiting. 2 minutes and 40 seconds is the accumulated wait time for a live customer support chat. There is no time to waste as every minute counts when it comes to stopping your competitors move ahead of you.
The advent of AI brought forward Chatbots. It was an uncommon notion initially, but now renowned brands as Facebook are leveraging chatbots as an additional support feature for business pages. Chatbots are still as innovational as ever with more future customer service prospects for numerous industries across the world.
Automation in content creation
Content creation is an integral part of digital marketing. Whether it is for search engine optimization or you need ideas for your next marketing campaign, quality content is the impetus that drives digital marketing campaigns.
Yet manually searching for audience’s interests and noting the next topics to target can become taxing. AI tools are at present helping marketers identify the right set of keywords by filtering out the unwanted ones.
As for more extensive automation, intelligent content automation tools are intended to bringing ease in timely and accurate content curation. Content is the key to a fruitful marketing campaign and through AI marketers will be able to understand and analyze precise yet valuable insights for trending content.
Enhanced data processing power
Online data collection is rapidly increasing owing to Big Data. The interconnection between Big Data and IoT (Internet of Things) has only improved data processing across the internet. But the question is now that you have the means to collect heaps of data, what to make out of it?
Well, Hyper-personalization is where AI is expected to be used the most and that is where heaps of data will come very handy. Marketers will know exactly what to market, when and to whom. Email inboxes of your consumers will not be bloated with marketing emails. Only appropriate information will be disseminated to steer a customer’s journey towards brand loyalty by using targeted content.
Changes in custom relation management
Without Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, current businesses would face difficulties in managing social media channels, website data, email chains and similar mediums. While CRM software programs have already been built to automate work processes, it is still time-consuming to manage vast data traffic levels.
Your CRM needs AI or else your business procedures would be laborious to execute. This includes both sales and marketing funnels. Centralization of tasks, management and data storage should not only be quick but also smart. Even better, a CRM software with a built-in virtual assistant could only enhance your productivity.
Having a fearsome outlook on AI would only hinder your marketing efforts. Change is inevitable and shying away from change would do nothing but disallow you to welcome or fully benefit from what AI may have in store for digital marketing.
