AI is all about adding intelligence to machines to supplement and streamline the things that humans are trying to accomplish. It allows us to understand and make decisions based on massive amounts of data. In fact, you’re probably already using AI in ways you’re not even aware of, such as speech recognition when you ask Cortana for the latest news or the chatbot that you interfaced with the other day for technical support.
Below I’ve called out some of the key AI terms for marketers, to give you a foundation for finding ways to harness the vast potential of AI.
AI for consumer engagement
AI is great at helping brands to engage directly with consumers at their time of need. Here are a few AI technologies that are helping brands to connect with customers on a deeper level.
Bots: These guys are super helpful for marketers who want to interact with a consumer. Using natural-language processing and machine learning, bots help customers quickly discover answers. Chatbots are great at providing the first round of customer support since they’re available 24×7 and can often find information faster than a human customer service representative.
Digital assistants: Think Cortana, Alexa, and Siri. Similar to bots, digital assistants answer questions and provide information. But because digital assistants use natural language processing, you can use them hands-free. Plus, thanks to machine learning, they learn habits and context and thus are able to provide far more accurate results.
Intelligent agents: An intelligent agent uses sensors plus AI to observe its environment and then act upon the information it receives. An example is a thermostat that responds to voice commands and adjusts the temperature based on changes in the environment, timing, and other factors. Another example might be wearable technology, such as a fitness tracker or watch that transmits data to your smartphone.
AI for more personalised marketing
Consumers have come to expect more personalized offerings and recommendations. Because it can provide deeper insights based on massive amounts of data, AI allows marketers to personalize brand experiences to appeal to their customers’ specific needs and interests.
Churn prediction modeling: Wouldn’t it be nice to identify and reconnect with disengaged customer segments? With churn prediction modeling, you can. This technology uses AI to identify disengaged segments, and model, test, and validate the likelihood of churn to give marketers specific actions to take to keep these customers engaged.
Cognitive computing: This nifty technology allows you to get inside the consumer’s head. Cognitive computing encompasses vision, language, speech, and knowledge processing, mimicking the human brain to help marketers make better decisions around consumer behaviours, shopping habits, and more.
Predictive search and analytics: Predictive analytics takes the guesswork out of marketing decisions. This technology uses AI and machine learning to identify patterns in data to predict the likelihood of future events and outline which actions to take in response. Predictive insights can help marketers understand when and what a consumer will purchase and help them make the right investments to drive sales. Predictive search anticipates what consumers are looking for in order to proactively serve up personalized information, enabling marketers to invest search marketing dollars more effectively.
Smart personalisation: This technology enables marketers to customize brand experiences on the fly based on a consumer’s location, demographics, device, and behaviours. Smart personalization enables marketers to automatically serve up an ad or a special offer that appeals to the customer—right when they need it.
AI for marketing automation
Making the most of your marketing investment is often about streamlining and automation. And AI can help you achieve that. Although there are several ways that AI can automate marketing, one of the key ways is through programmatic advertising. This technology takes care of buying, selling, and even optimizing digital ads on your behalf. You simply upload your creative assets into a template and programmatic advertising displays it to those who will be most receptive.
Once you speak the language of AI, jumping on the AI bandwagon is much easier. And there’s no better time than now to start integrating AI into your marketing strategy.