AI in Marketing – Why, Where and How
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is currently one of the most important topics in marketing and will undoubtedly become much more significant in the future. However, many companies still lack an understanding of the areas in which AI can help them and how they can integrate the new technology into their work. A look at the benefits, areas of application and the approach to AI marketing.
Benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence is not only promising for the future but is in large part already present in the field of digital marketing. Chatbots are a good example of this. They replace, at least partially, humans in customer service, where those would have to answer repetitive questions. So one obvious advantage of AI is the automation of regular time-consuming tasks, in order to improve efficiency and to allow employees to focus on more interesting tasks with a higher added value. Besides this, AI can help a lot in both planning and performing marketing activities with more precise forecasting and targeting.
To better understand these benefits let’s take a look at the typical application areas for Artificial Intelligence.
Areas of AI Marketing
- Customer Interaction: Chatbots and other ways of AI-powered communication with customers can save personnel costs in customer service on a large scale. As AI technologies develop very fast in this area, solutions are constantly getting better in mimicking human behavior. A both quick and qualified automated response to a customer inquiry is therefore no longer a future vision.
- Data Analytics: AI is naturally much faster than humans at evaluating large amounts of data. This applies especially to segmenting and targeting customers, but also to forecasting consumer preferences.
- Task Automation: The most obvious advantage of AI is the execution of repetitive tasks without having to bother the staff. This applies also to marketing activities: E. g. keyword bidding can be done AI-based, as well as pricing.
- Content Creation: Machine-based ads are increasingly becoming popular with marketers. They save time, and the content can by tailored perfectly to market standards and users’ preferences.
How to Approach an AI Solution
When planning and implementing an AI solution, companies typically face two major challenges: technology and people – with both of them overlapping. Therefore, the first step should be a thorough analysis of the IT systems as well as the pool of experts. Most AI solutions require a strong technical setup as well as a team that is ready to work with it. A deficiency in one or both of these fields will naturally affect the cost of the project. That's why many companies turn to an external service provider to provide the necessary infrastructure as well as the experts. This also shows that careful planning, in terms of time and budget, is essential to make the AI solution work and deliver the desired ROI. Another challenge is the state of the data. AI can only deliver meaningful results if the data is structured and accurately maintained. Therefore, the implementation is often preceded by a review and cleansing of the data. Last but not least, it is important to remember that the AI solution will very likely need to evolve. This means that constant monitoring is needed, a permanent project team, and an IT infrastructure that leaves room for growth.
OMMAX whitepaper on AI marketing
For a deeper insight into AI marketing download the OMMAX whitepaper “Integrating Artificial Intelligence into your marketing strategy”
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