Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a game-changer in the world of marketing. From automating routine tasks to providing data-driven insights, AI is empowering companies to streamline their marketing efforts and drive better results. In this post, we'll explore how leading companies are harnessing the power of AI technologies to gain a competitive edge.
How Companies are Using AI
Content Creation
When it comes to content creation, marketing teams are often under pressure to create content in short periods of time, for many reasons and on many different channels. However, in order to create good quality content that is effective time is needed. Unfortunately, many marketing teams are time-strectched, and this is where AI software can help.
AI software can help companies generate content, from email subject lines, ad copy, blog ideas and posts, captions, social media post ideas, catchy headlines etc. Using these tools brings new ideas to the table while saving companies valuable time and money.
“44% of marketers have used AI for content production” AI Marketing Benchmark Report 2023
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
AI is being used by companies as a CRM tool, AI powered chatbots and virtual assistants play a big role when it comes to customers. It can improve customer experiences by providing personalised customer service, answering queries, and resolving issues on time.
Email Marketing
AI tools are an effective strategy to enable companies to save time and improve their email marketing. By using AI companies can: analyse email performances to identify what needs to be changed for optimal delivery and responses. They can conduct A/B testing, and personalise content to audience segments (Left carts, new audience, loyalty etc). And they can create workflows triggered by users’ actions.
Data Analysis and Insights
AI can help marketers gain a deeper understanding of the data that is available within their company. AI can be used to help predict trends and behaviours through data and this data can be processed in large volumes at high speeds meaning that when the data can be uncovered when it is needed without a human having to spend their time processing it. AI driven data analysis can be used to optimise marketing strategies, identify new opportunities, and make informed decisions based on the insights that are uncovered.
Companies Who are Embracing AI
Netflix
Netflix uses AI-driven machine learning technology to provide personalised content recommendations that come based off users’ individual data. This data is made up of a user’s viewing history, ratings and preferences, Netflix uses AI algorithms to suggest more personalised content recommendations.
Another way Netflix uses AI for personalisation is how it alters the artwork and imagery that is shown when portraying titles. Like the recommendations, Netflix uses data and AI-driven machine learning to personalise the cover artwork. These changes are made to compel users to watch the content as they feel drawn to it, the reason they feel drawn to it is because it is suited to their exact preferences. The artwork may feature an actor that users often watch or show the content in a certain way to reflect their favourite genre.
Meta (Facebook)
Meta's AI-powered advertising platform allows companies to target their content to specific audiences with advertisements that are more relevant and relatable. Meta analyses users data this includes their set interests, behaviours, preferences and what demographics they fit into in order to deliver advertisements that fit their specific profile. This increases rates of engagement and conversions for the companies as they are zoning in their targeting capabilities.
Spotify
Spotify, the music, podcast and audiobook streaming platform uses AI technology with their service called “Discover Weekly”. This is a personalised playlist for each user that is curated just for them, the playlist is curated using user's data from their listening habits and preferences. AI-powered data can collect their user information and create a unique playlist of music that they think the user will like, enabling them to discover new music with ease, which offers an enhanced listening experience.
Amazon
Global ecommerce giant Amazon uses AI-powered data to suggest products to their users based on their previous browsing and purchase history. They can collate the data their users provide and suggest products they would like, or need to re-purchase for example supplements a user has previously purchased, if a period of time has passed Amazon can re-suggest this product to them.
Benefits of AI
Personalised Customer Experiences:
AI-driven algorithms can analyse large amounts of data to deliver highly personalised content to audiences. They can offer product recommendations; marketing messages can be tailored to individual customers’ preferences and behaviours. This level of personalization enhances customer satisfaction and increases engagement and interactions.
Efficiency and Productivity:
AI can automat mundane and time-consuming tasks, such as data analysis, content creation and customer service inquiries. This gives marketing teams time to focus on the higher-level strategic tasks, improving productivity and reducing costs.
Data-Driven Decision Making:
AI excels at processing large amounts of data and discovering patterns and insights that would be a time-consuming task for humans. Data insights enable companies to make informed decisions, optimize campaigns and allocate the correct resources more effectively.
Risks of AI
Privacy:
As AI systems rely heavily on customer data, there are valid concerns about data privacy and security. There is a risk to holding this type of data and companies must implement strong data protection measures and stick to privacy regulations to maintain customer trust.
Bias:
AI algorithms can push the human biases present in the data that they are trained on, which can lead to biased or inaccurate decision-making. Careful monitoring of these results is needed to avoid any bias issues.
Dependence:
While AI can automate many tasks, over-reliance on this system can lead to complacency and can potentially stunt the creativity and critical thinking of humans.
The Future of AI in Marketing
As AI technology continues to evolve, its use is expected to grow rapidly. While AI is unlikely to replace humans in marketing entirely, it will increasingly enhance their capabilities. Marketers who embrace AI and develop the necessary skills to use it effectively will be well-positioned to succeed in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.