Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Marketing are not as unlikely bedfellows as you may think. They may just be the ultimate power boost that could make a difference to your business.
Veronica Lind, Business and Marketing Strategist of Vermilion Pinstripes, and CEO of Brilliant-Online, has been swimming in the seas of technology since she was 18. For someone like Veronica, technology is not something to be feared, but to be harnessed and used for a better cause.
Businesses can unlock the power of AI for their marketing. Whether it's AI-driven tools to ace data analysis or craft spot-on content, AI can help businesses to level up their marketing. AI can help you get to know your customers, and even help curate unique experiences they will enjoy. AI can help your message reach the right people at the right timing.
Businesses can start with trying out ChatGPT, which is a text-based AI developed by OpenAI and Microsoft. You can find a free version 3.5 ChatGPT and a paid version 4 which is faster with more features and advancements for $20/month. Do take note though, that the free version is on a server with information up to 2021.
What is AI in marketing?
AI in marketing refers to the application of artificial intelligence techniques and technologies to enhance various aspects of marketing strategies and activities.
AI can analyse large volumes of data, automate tasks, and provide valuable insights to optimise marketing campaigns, improve customer experiences, and drive better business outcomes. It can be used for personalised recommendations, chatbots, predictive analytics, customer segmentation, sentiment analysis, content generation, and more.
AI can automate repetitive marketing tasks, such as data analysis, campaign management, A/B testing, and email marketing. This saves time, improves efficiency, and allows marketers to focus on strategic decision-making and creative aspects of their work.
By leveraging AI, marketers can gain a deeper understanding of their target audience, make data-driven decisions, and deliver more relevant and impactful marketing messages.
CAUTION: Before you start
A word of caution: before you start any marketing automation or AI, please ensure that you have a cookie and privacy policy on your website. Your web designer should include these as part of their scope.
When we design websites, we place codes so we can study the behaviour of people coming to our website. That's planting cookies. We take information from visitors so we want them to understand the privacy policy on our website. These privacy policy should also be mentioned in your Facebook business page profile.
So what can AI do for your marketing?
Know your customers better
AI can help you to write buyer personas. It's how you as a business can get into the heads of your customers, understand what they want and need, and then target your marketing accordingly. AI can help you do that now with just a few prompts.
Beyond this, AI can help you understand customer preferences better by analysing data from customer interactions and giving you valuable insights to shape your marketing strategies.
Convert prospects
If you are short-handed in your team and can't close your sales because of a lack of follow-up, AI can give you unlimited touch points to get your clients to convert. AI can interact with potential customers on your website, guide them through their buyer journey and enhance your sales funnel efficiency.
Improve efficiency
AI can help with scheduling appointments, sending reminders and managing your calendar. Kind of like having a little personal assistant of your own. You can use AI for some routine housekeeping tasks e.g. onboarding processes for new employees.
Analyse data
AI can analyse historical data using algorithms. This can be used to predict future customer behaviour e.g. identifying potential churn, determining optimal pricing strategies, forecasting demand, and recommending the most effective marketing channels. This helps marketers make data-driven decisions and allocate resources more efficiently.
Analyse sentiments
AI can analyse social media conversations, online reviews, and customer feedback to understand sentiment and gather insights about brand perception. This helps marketers monitor their brand reputation, identify emerging trends, and respond to customer feedback effectively.
Recommendation engines
AI algorithms can analyse customer behavior and preferences to provide personalised product recommendations. This helps improve cross-selling and upselling opportunities, enhance the customer experience, and increase conversions.
Chatbots and virtual assistants
AI-powered chatbots can provide automated customer support, answer FAQs, and engage with website visitors. They can simulate human-like conversations, offer personalised recommendations, and assist customers throughout their buying journey. Many are already familiar with the two most famous virtual assistants - Siri and Alexa. Conversica is another one that can qualify prospects in your chat box and funnel them to the right people.
Before you start imagining a world run by robots, let's pause. Yes, AI can help generate content efficiently and can be a great help in marketing. BUT it still requires the human touch to manage the overall picture, and also to edit to ensure accuracy, compliance with guidelines and alignment with the brand's voice and values. What AI is, is it is a great tool to use as a starting point or inspiration for marketers. Humans the need to refine and adapt it to their specific needs for their unique businesses.
Human Reminders
When used well, AI can be your superpower to help your marketing take flight. Make sure you maintain the human in you with these simple reminders:
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Use output as suggestion not gospel
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Always personalise your content
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Add the human personal touch
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Be vigilant about data privacy and security
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Combine AI with your expertise to up your game
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Focus on building relationships with your customers, understanding their problems and providing solutions which AI can't do
Onboarding AI
Are you doing marketing right with AI? Speak to the real HUMAN Veronica Lind about how you can harness the superpower of AI to boost your business.
