16.5.2023
As marketers increasingly recognize the need to have a detailed understanding of their users in order to provide the most optimal experience of their brands, AI marketing has come to shape a future where hyper-personalized, data-driven marketing strategies become the norm.
Jeanette Hepp
Chief Marketing Officer
But as we look to the future, what can we expect from AI technologies, and what kind of impact are these tools going to have on marketers and brands? In this article, we’re going to take a look at how AI is currently supporting marketing teams and take a deep dive into what we can expect from AI marketing in the future.
In response to the demand for a more meaningful and personalized experience with brands and products, AI marketing has become a key tool for developing stronger brand-customer relationships. It does this through the application of Machine Learning (ML), Deep Learning (DL), and Natural Language Processing (NLP), which work together to optimize each user’s interactions and experiences with digital services. By collecting and analyzing relevant data and making astute observations regarding users, competitors, and the market as a whole, AI and ML technology are able to offer data-driven support to marketing teams, enabling brands to offer significantly more value to users and boost their overall brand experience.
That’s not where AI’s contribution ends. AI marketing also speeds up and enhances communication between a brand and its customers thanks to the technology’s ability to analyze customer profiles. The data on these profiles informs the AI of user needs, behavior, history, and preferences which can be used to tailor communication styles, recommend relevant products and services, and assist with problem-solving, further enhancing the customer’s overall experience with a brand and reinforcing brand loyalty. Not only is this achieved in a timely and efficient manner, but the technology also increases overall team efficiency. It does this by managing more routine tasks, which frees up teams to focus on activities that require more human input.
Some examples of AI marketing functions include data analysis, natural language processing, real-time personalization, content production, automated decision-making, and media buying.
AI is already becoming integral to the digital marketing strategies of organizations worldwide, making a significant impact on customer relationships and customer acquisition. Let’s dive a little deeper into some of the ways AI is altering the marketing landscape.
One of the biggest challenges for any marketing team is getting the messaging right for each individual customer–messaging that builds trust and prompts action. However, honing messaging for each individual just isn’t feasible at scale. The challenge is therefore to retain personalized communications while still reaching out to hundreds, thousands, or even millions of customers.
This is where AI comes into play. Natural Language Processing (NLP), Natural Language Understanding (NLU), and Natural Language Generation (NLG) are AI technologies that can assist marketers in the creation of personalized and compelling text content at scale and speed without sacrificing the human approach that has proven so successful in customer relationship-building. These technologies are enabling marketers to enhance the customer experience for everybody by replacing generic emails or advertising copy with content that not only genuinely excites and inspires users but that is written purely with their needs, goals, and interests in mind.
Media buying, when advertising inventory is purchased by brands or organizations on different digital channels in order to increase sales or boost brand awareness with different audiences, is another area in which AI is making huge advances.
AI is able to draw deep insights about user behavior that enable a more targeted approach to digital media buying. Using machine learning, the technology is also able to manage the entire process – optimizing ad bid and spend, personalizing messaging, and performing keyword research – for all platforms and search engines on behalf of the media buying team, freeing up their time to concentrate on the more creative side of producing compelling advertising content for specific user groups.
Email marketing is already benefiting hugely from advances in AI technology. Companies can now run automated multivariate tests that enable marketing teams to try out an unlimited number of variables in their email outreach and campaigns, such as body copy, images, calls to action, or subject lines. Email copy can also be improved, thanks to AI. With NLP (Natural Language Processing), emails can be tailored to meet the specific interests of certain user groups and designed to motivate them to engage further with the brand. Segmenting subscribers is another area in which AI can support marketing teams, enabling even greater personalization of targeted email marketing campaigns. In addition, AI-powered tools for analyzing subscriber behavior support marketers as they identify the right time of day to send out an email campaign, taking into account factors such as location, time zone, and when users are most likely to be responsive. Optimizing the sending time of emails means that users are much more likely to see and open emails and ultimately engage with the brand.
While it’s still up for debate as to whether AI can replace human copywriters, what’s certainly true is that the quality of writing across multiple industries can be enhanced when AI is introduced. Already, we have seen virtual assistants that can help content producers write SEO-optimized copy at speed and correct potential errors. What we’re likely to see more of going forward is AI assisting content creators with headline and topic idea generation, suggestions to improve writing style (rather than just error correction), the optimization of existing content to ensure it is performing at its highest level, and the production of variants of one piece of copy that can appeal to multiple users or audiences.
As we’ve seen, AI is already changing how marketing teams work and the impact brands can have on customers and users. But what can we expect from AI in marketing going forward? Let’s take a look.
As AI becomes ever more sophisticated, its ability to support content creation will also increase. Through continuous feedback loops, content will not only be corrected for errors, but also enhanced and personalized to meet users’ growing needs. As we look to the future of AI in marketing, we’re likely to see the creation of data-informed blog posts, personalized email and website copy, automation of A/B tests for text in social media copy and on-site, and AI-powered keyword research.
In the future, AI won’t just be able to help us create compelling copy; it’ll enable us to produce entire advertising campaigns that more effectively target and convert users. Sophisticated AI tools will be able to identify marketing opportunities and advertising channels that are currently underused in specific fields and optimize advertisement delivery on those specific platforms. Targeting will be more refined and exact than ever before, while budgets will be fully optimized for maximum effect. Machine learning algorithms will assist and advise marketing teams looking for optimal layouts, copywriting, targeting, and bids for Pay-Per-Click campaigns, too.
Although Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are already making an appearance in digital marketers’ toolkits, going forward, these realities will enable interested users to further customize products and services to meet their specific requirements or desires before deciding on a purchase. In e-commerce, images or videos of clothing could be individually customized by the user with different colors or sizing, or car showrooms could provide virtual test drives with different vehicle types or models to allow potential customers the opportunity to try out specific features or even routes. From enhancing in-store customer experiences to boosting customer-brand relationships through more realistic interactions to simply providing a unique shopping experience, companies will be investing heavily in AR and VR to stay abreast of marketing trends and user expectations.
Using an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system that transforms voice signals into text, voice search is already in use by millions to search the internet or digital devices using only spoken words. Considering the current popularity of voice search, marketers will need to prepare for a future that sees users increasing their adoption of this technology. One element of this preparation will be optimizing SEO for a future of AI-driven voice search. This might include, for example, the incorporation of long-tail keywords in landing page copy or blog content that is more compatible with voice searches.
Customer service via virtual assistants is a trend we’re only likely to see increase as we look to the future. Holding conversations with users and potential customers in real-time, virtual assistants enable companies to actively engage with their target audiences to support marketing efforts such as building brand awareness, enhancing the user experience, answering commonly-asked questions, and reinforcing the customer-brand relationship. With technology becoming ever more sophisticated, virtual assistants will be able to fully replicate the human customer service experience when human teams are unable to be online. From providing a better understanding of a company’s customer base, to enabling real-time decision-making based on the most up-to-date information and offering predictive analytics for real-time customer insights and support, AI will continue to offer hyper-personalization via virtual assistants that will fundamentally differentiate a brand from its competitors.
In this article, we’ve outlined some of the key ways in which AI marketing currently contributes to and enhances the work of marketing teams and how we can expect the role of AI in marketing to evolve going forward. From the generation and optimization of different content types, personalization across the board, the automation of campaigns, transformed user experiences with augmented and virtual reality, increased voice searching capabilities, and enhanced 24/7 customer services, thanks to AI, we can expect a shift towards a wholly data-driven, hyper-personalized marketing future designed to meet the huge demand for transformative user experiences.
But as we look to the future, what can we expect from AI technologies, and what kind of impact are these tools going to have on marketers and brands? In this article, we’re going to take a look at how AI is currently supporting marketing teams and take a deep dive into what we can expect from AI marketing in the future.
In response to the demand for a more meaningful and personalized experience with brands and products, AI marketing has become a key tool for developing stronger brand-customer relationships. It does this through the application of Machine Learning (ML), Deep Learning (DL), and Natural Language Processing (NLP), which work together to optimize each user’s interactions and experiences with digital services. By collecting and analyzing relevant data and making astute observations regarding users, competitors, and the market as a whole, AI and ML technology are able to offer data-driven support to marketing teams, enabling brands to offer significantly more value to users and boost their overall brand experience.
That’s not where AI’s contribution ends. AI marketing also speeds up and enhances communication between a brand and its customers thanks to the technology’s ability to analyze customer profiles. The data on these profiles informs the AI of user needs, behavior, history, and preferences which can be used to tailor communication styles, recommend relevant products and services, and assist with problem-solving, further enhancing the customer’s overall experience with a brand and reinforcing brand loyalty. Not only is this achieved in a timely and efficient manner, but the technology also increases overall team efficiency. It does this by managing more routine tasks, which frees up teams to focus on activities that require more human input.
Some examples of AI marketing functions include data analysis, natural language processing, real-time personalization, content production, automated decision-making, and media buying.
AI is already becoming integral to the digital marketing strategies of organizations worldwide, making a significant impact on customer relationships and customer acquisition. Let’s dive a little deeper into some of the ways AI is altering the marketing landscape.
One of the biggest challenges for any marketing team is getting the messaging right for each individual customer–messaging that builds trust and prompts action. However, honing messaging for each individual just isn’t feasible at scale. The challenge is therefore to retain personalized communications while still reaching out to hundreds, thousands, or even millions of customers.
This is where AI comes into play. Natural Language Processing (NLP), Natural Language Understanding (NLU), and Natural Language Generation (NLG) are AI technologies that can assist marketers in the creation of personalized and compelling text content at scale and speed without sacrificing the human approach that has proven so successful in customer relationship-building. These technologies are enabling marketers to enhance the customer experience for everybody by replacing generic emails or advertising copy with content that not only genuinely excites and inspires users but that is written purely with their needs, goals, and interests in mind.
Media buying, when advertising inventory is purchased by brands or organizations on different digital channels in order to increase sales or boost brand awareness with different audiences, is another area in which AI is making huge advances.
AI is able to draw deep insights about user behavior that enable a more targeted approach to digital media buying. Using machine learning, the technology is also able to manage the entire process – optimizing ad bid and spend, personalizing messaging, and performing keyword research – for all platforms and search engines on behalf of the media buying team, freeing up their time to concentrate on the more creative side of producing compelling advertising content for specific user groups.
Email marketing is already benefiting hugely from advances in AI technology. Companies can now run automated multivariate tests that enable marketing teams to try out an unlimited number of variables in their email outreach and campaigns, such as body copy, images, calls to action, or subject lines. Email copy can also be improved, thanks to AI. With NLP (Natural Language Processing), emails can be tailored to meet the specific interests of certain user groups and designed to motivate them to engage further with the brand. Segmenting subscribers is another area in which AI can support marketing teams, enabling even greater personalization of targeted email marketing campaigns. In addition, AI-powered tools for analyzing subscriber behavior support marketers as they identify the right time of day to send out an email campaign, taking into account factors such as location, time zone, and when users are most likely to be responsive. Optimizing the sending time of emails means that users are much more likely to see and open emails and ultimately engage with the brand.
While it’s still up for debate as to whether AI can replace human copywriters, what’s certainly true is that the quality of writing across multiple industries can be enhanced when AI is introduced. Already, we have seen virtual assistants that can help content producers write SEO-optimized copy at speed and correct potential errors. What we’re likely to see more of going forward is AI assisting content creators with headline and topic idea generation, suggestions to improve writing style (rather than just error correction), the optimization of existing content to ensure it is performing at its highest level, and the production of variants of one piece of copy that can appeal to multiple users or audiences.
As we’ve seen, AI is already changing how marketing teams work and the impact brands can have on customers and users. But what can we expect from AI in marketing going forward? Let’s take a look.
As AI becomes ever more sophisticated, its ability to support content creation will also increase. Through continuous feedback loops, content will not only be corrected for errors, but also enhanced and personalized to meet users’ growing needs. As we look to the future of AI in marketing, we’re likely to see the creation of data-informed blog posts, personalized email and website copy, automation of A/B tests for text in social media copy and on-site, and AI-powered keyword research.
In the future, AI won’t just be able to help us create compelling copy; it’ll enable us to produce entire advertising campaigns that more effectively target and convert users. Sophisticated AI tools will be able to identify marketing opportunities and advertising channels that are currently underused in specific fields and optimize advertisement delivery on those specific platforms. Targeting will be more refined and exact than ever before, while budgets will be fully optimized for maximum effect. Machine learning algorithms will assist and advise marketing teams looking for optimal layouts, copywriting, targeting, and bids for Pay-Per-Click campaigns, too.
Although Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are already making an appearance in digital marketers’ toolkits, going forward, these realities will enable interested users to further customize products and services to meet their specific requirements or desires before deciding on a purchase. In e-commerce, images or videos of clothing could be individually customized by the user with different colors or sizing, or car showrooms could provide virtual test drives with different vehicle types or models to allow potential customers the opportunity to try out specific features or even routes. From enhancing in-store customer experiences to boosting customer-brand relationships through more realistic interactions to simply providing a unique shopping experience, companies will be investing heavily in AR and VR to stay abreast of marketing trends and user expectations.
Using an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system that transforms voice signals into text, voice search is already in use by millions to search the internet or digital devices using only spoken words. Considering the current popularity of voice search, marketers will need to prepare for a future that sees users increasing their adoption of this technology. One element of this preparation will be optimizing SEO for a future of AI-driven voice search. This might include, for example, the incorporation of long-tail keywords in landing page copy or blog content that is more compatible with voice searches.
Customer service via virtual assistants is a trend we’re only likely to see increase as we look to the future. Holding conversations with users and potential customers in real-time, virtual assistants enable companies to actively engage with their target audiences to support marketing efforts such as building brand awareness, enhancing the user experience, answering commonly-asked questions, and reinforcing the customer-brand relationship. With technology becoming ever more sophisticated, virtual assistants will be able to fully replicate the human customer service experience when human teams are unable to be online. From providing a better understanding of a company’s customer base, to enabling real-time decision-making based on the most up-to-date information and offering predictive analytics for real-time customer insights and support, AI will continue to offer hyper-personalization via virtual assistants that will fundamentally differentiate a brand from its competitors.
In this article, we’ve outlined some of the key ways in which AI marketing currently contributes to and enhances the work of marketing teams and how we can expect the role of AI in marketing to evolve going forward. From the generation and optimization of different content types, personalization across the board, the automation of campaigns, transformed user experiences with augmented and virtual reality, increased voice searching capabilities, and enhanced 24/7 customer services, thanks to AI, we can expect a shift towards a wholly data-driven, hyper-personalized marketing future designed to meet the huge demand for transformative user experiences.
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