AI has moved well beyond being a new or emerging technology, especially in the world of digital marketing. A 2022 global survey found that around 90% of marketers in 35 different countries use AI in some way in their digital marketing strategies.
With so many free and inexpensive tools available, replacing or supplementing human marketing workflows with AI is the #1 way to become (a) more productive and (b) better understand your audience and how to reach.
Trends: AI in digital marketing
This article explores three exciting trends and best practices for implementing AI within your organization.
1. Generative AI
Thanks to ChatGPT, Generative AI might be the hottest topic in marketing right now. Generative AI involves using AI to create content from existing data and input. Examples of GenAI marketing tools include:
- Content creation tools that use AI to write blog posts, product descriptions, and other written materials
- Software that generates images and videos for branding for explainer videos, social media posts and blog graphics
- Chatbots that chat with customers via text, email, or a social media app
As much as three quarters of today’s marketers are using generative AI in one way or another, whether to supplement their content creation workflow or as a lead generation tool.
2. Personalization
AI increases marketing personalization by extracting real-time content and data to create individualized, data-driven experiences for each target customer. In omnichannel, businesses can use AI to trigger personalized emails, social media messages, website pop-ups, and even full offers based on what a customer is browsing or already has bought.
Using AI, marketers can also analyze large amounts of data about a customer’s behavior. They can use this information to develop better products, improve their targeting and messaging for future campaigns, and meet ever-changing customer demands.
3. Voice Search Optimization
Voice search has gained popularity as a way for consumers to quickly find information and make purchases via their mobile devices. Optimizing content for voice search is 100% crucial for businesses that want to stay relevant and accessible.
AI plays a vital role in optimizing content for voice search. Businesses can use it to analyze speech patterns using natural language processing (NLP) to understand how people speak and the specific expressions they use during voice queries. With this data, you can create content with a more conversational tone and structure, while still incorporating the words that make it easier for voice assistants to understand.
Best Practices for Using AI in Digital Marketing
How you apply AI to your workflow determines whether you produce great marketing content that converts customers or poor content that turns them away.
- Don’t replace humans with AI: Although its low cost makes it tempting to rely heavily on AI for your marketing efforts (especially content marketing), AI lacks the human ability to communicate with your target audience. Your USP, your branding, and your voice all come from your human writers and designers.
- Use AI to automate marketing tasks: For example, CharGPT is not ideal for writing marketing content, but it is capable of performing web searches. Use it to reduce your search time by hours (or days).
- Hire industry experts: Outsourcing your marketing efforts to a team that knows the ins and outs of AI can help you implement the technology in a way that aligns with your company’s goals and target audience. Make sure they have practical experience in your industry (such as a credit union marketing agency for credit unions).
AI in digital marketing is no longer a topic to speculate about in the distant future. This is essential for any business that wants to compete on quality, targeting and efficiency in 2024. By staying informed of the latest trends and best practices, you can effectively integrate AI into your marketing workflow and achieve tangible results.
