Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way businesses approach marketing. With the ability to analyze large amounts of data and make predictions based on that analysis, AI is helping marketers to better understand their target audience and deliver personalized content and experiences.
AI-powered tools can also automate certain marketing tasks, freeing up time for marketers to focus on more creative and strategic work. In addition, AI can help to optimize marketing campaigns by identifying patterns and trends in customer behavior, making it easier to target the right audience at the right time with the right message.
As AI continues to advance, it is likely to have an increasingly significant impact on marketing. This article will explore how AI is changing the online marketing landscape and how businesses can leverage this technology to improve their marketing efforts.
That’s a pretty tidy introduction to this article if I do say so myself. It gets straight to the point and provides a good summary of how AI is broadly shaping marketing.
But what if I told you it only took me less than five seconds to write it?
That’s because I didn’t actually write it. I asked an AI - in this case ChatGPT - to write it for me. All I did was load up the page and asked: “can you write me a short introduction to an article exploring how AI will change marketing?”. And, almost instantaneously, the above introduction appeared.
Programs like ChatGPT and DALL-E are the flavor of the month right now because it is showing people what is possible through modern AI technology. They are visual representations of incredible shortcuts and efficiencies AI creates. And they are just the tip of the iceberg.
The age of efficiency
AI is poised to transform society on a scale comparable to the industrial revolution. But it is already playing a fundamental role in marketing strategies today. So far we have seen multiple AI platforms like copy.ai and jasper who can write blog posts, emails and social media posts using the natural language processing models that underpin ChatGPT.
It has also proven significantly useful in improving the significance and relevance of the content in campaigns. AI tools like MarketMuse are now able to optimize and analyze content to identify gaps that help brands create more detailed and informative content that will rank higher in search results.
AI is also a powerful means of increasing retention of customers and reducing churn. Tightened budgets means that customer loyalty is paramount. AI can analyze the long-staying customers in your base and use prediction modelling to flag triggers for potential churn and address these prior to an exit email.
Applications such as Mutiny and Unbounce offer AI driven personalised landing pages for websites using AI to write different homepages based on visitor data gathered prior to their visit. Chattermill, which improves customer feedback processes, has already sent ripples across the business landscape.
Gustav is a Founder and CEO at BrightBid, an AdTech company working with cutting edge technology - helping companies worldwide succeed with their advertising on Google with AI.
One area where it has particularly large financial benefits is the use of AI in Search marketing.
Search marketing is a hugely important tool for both customers and marketers. Modern consumers use Search to turn ideas into action. Modern marketers use Search to make sure their brands are appearing as results exactly when they need to be. This symbiotic relationship means it is a highly effective channel for marketers - with Google Ads producing an average ROAS of 200%.
And the integration of AI in different marketing campaigns significantly improves results. Specifically in Search, AI helps to create responsive search ads (RSAs) which deliver ads based on multiple combinations of a set of headlines and descriptions. It then automatically optimizes the campaign based on which version works best against campaign KPIs and bid the best amount to win the customer based on their potential value to the business.
The effectiveness of search marketing is no secret - which, in turn, makes it a hyper competitive channel especially in markets like the UK which is the second-largest market for Google Search, taking around 40% of all UK ad spend.
AI is helping marketers get ahead of this competition. It’s no longer just a homoeopathic addition that drives small uplifts on existing approaches. It is doing the heavy lifting.
Computer says go
As ChatGPT noted, AI is particularly good at helping marketers drive efficiency as it can help marketing teams do more with less in terms of team members and time. As such it is helping businesses navigate through a precarious economic period with the cost-of-living crisis.
In this turbulent economic period, marketers are under pressure to optimise for profit - and not just clicks, leads or long-term brand interest. In a recession, it is all about revenue and cash flow. Most, if not all brands need to adopt cost effective measures that achieve greater ROI and also secure new customers.
As well as empowering better decision making - AI also engenders better data management, significantly reducing the risk of improper data interpretation, supporting optimal data integration, and eliminating data silos.
From zero to one
AI is helping marketers work smarter, not harder. Just as it did with helping me write the introduction for this article. AI has proven to be so much more than experts in a room tweaking an algorithm. It helps to build an important relationship between brands and consumers, while also achieving exceptional results in the process.
The future potential for this technology is limitless. But the present potential is already transformative - especially for marketers. Plotting a path through recession is a huge challenge for any business. But now, we have unprecedented access to tools which, through AI, empower us to establish efficiencies and identify reliable routes to growth.
