Lately, it seems like everyone is focused on AI. To summarize what I’ve read: AI is the panacea; problems will cease to exist and we will be more productive than ever if we just use AI.
In reality, AI is not new, at least in marketing. We have been using it for years and its use continues to grow as new automation possibilities emerge with each advancement in AI capabilities. AI is one of many tools at our disposal. Like all tools, we must follow the mechanic’s motto: “Use the right tool for the right job.”
Determining Marketing Jobs That Are Right for AI
What jobs are suitable for AI? To answer this question, let’s take an example of a marketing campaign in which we sell all-inclusive vacations to Mexico and see in which area AI can be useful.
Assuming this is our first foray into marketing our fictional vacation to Mexico, we don’t have the ability to evaluate historical data. If we had historical data, we could use AI to analyze it and derive key insights, but I’d still like a human to review the results.
Dig deeper: Implementing AI in MOps from campaign launch to refinement and optimization
Setting campaign goals with the help of AI
AI could help us refine our campaign goals, but we already know that our KPI will be the number of holidays booked. We can determine the target number based on our financial data. If the data is structured and in an accessible environment, this is something AI could do, but I am skeptical about its effectiveness.
Identify audiences and channels
I don’t usually use AI for this, but for the purposes of this article, I decided to give it a try. At first, the AI gave me a pretty good answer for determining campaign audiences and channels, but it was very general. I pushed it for this specific campaign, and the results were slightly more accurate but still very general.
As for channels, he gave me all the relevant channels that existed, and when I asked him to allocate the budget, it was pretty random. The good news, though, is that he said what I always say, which is that this is a starting point, and we should make changes after we start based on the results. As someone who has a solid process for this, I don’t think AI helped me here.
Using AI for Keyword Research
Keyword research is an area where I’ve been using AI for years and wouldn’t have it any other way. AI saves me hours and does work I don’t want to do. If you’re not using AI for keyword research, you’re doing it wrong. That’s not to say I don’t have a role to play in the process, but AI does about 90% of the work.
Dig deeper: How brands like Klarna and Mars are using AI in their marketing operations
Create AI-powered creations
In my opinion, this is the biggest advancement in AI. Previously, we relied on creative teams to create 100% of the content. Today, writing the content we need for search is almost entirely done by AI.
For static ads, AI can handle about 80% of this work, with human intervention required at the beginning and end. Video is still primarily a human activity, but AI is a great assistant and can save time. Overall, marketers should look for AI opportunities at this stage.
Campaign Execution: The Next Frontier of AI
The penultimate step is execution. This is, in my opinion, the next big opportunity for AI. Given the repetitive and concrete nature of the work, AI would be better positioned to take over this human endeavor eventually. But today, this is a human step.
Measurement, reporting and analysis with AI
When it comes to analytics, AI can do a first pass on the data to look for anomalies. Deeper, more exploratory analyses will be done by humans, but we can use AI strategically for some concrete tasks, like data cleaning.
When it comes to analytics, we’re moving from being doers to being trainers of AI so they can do the analytics we want. AI saves us time and is often more accurate than humans. However, when abstract thinking is needed, humans always take charge.
Integrating AI to succeed in your marketing
As you can see, AI is playing a growing role in running effective marketing campaigns and is poised to grow its footprint. I don’t foresee AI taking over completely, because if we’re all using the same tools and processes, where will the competitive advantage come from? That said, if you’re not integrating AI into your process, you’re leaving money on the table.
Dig deeper: AI in Marketing: Examples to Help Your Team Today
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