Digital Marketing 2.0: Unleashing the Potential of AI
Jeremy Combs
Accomplished Digital Marketing Leader | Strategic Ad Buyer & Performance Marketer | 20 Years in Digital Marketing | Cherokee Nation Citizen
If you have found your way to this article, it is likely that you are looking to enhance your understanding of marketing and digital strategy. With technology continuing to evolve, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into marketing and digital strategy has become a highly relevant topic. As a professional in the field of marketing and digital strategy, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for achieving success. This is why I have decided to address the topic of AI and its growing significance in modern marketing and digital strategy. In the next section, we'll look at the effects of using AI and the tools that can help make it happen. Let us begin this informative journey.
10 Must-Read Books to Maximize Your Social Media Reach.
Introduction
Accenture conducted a study showing that only about 12% of businesses are utilizing AI to fuel expansion and improve performance. However, these businesses credit AI with bringing in around 30% of their total revenue. In addition, they grow up to 50% faster than their competitors, giving them an advantage in terms of both customer experience and sustainability.
I will do my best to explain artificial intelligence and how you can use it to improve your marketing. Furthermore, I will feature a number of the best resources available for achieving these goals.
So, what exactly is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
Well, AI is a field in computer science that's all about designing computer systems that can mimic human intelligence. It's achieved through techniques such as machine learning, voice and image recognition, natural language processing, and more. The aim is to get these systems to perform tasks that typically require human involvement, so, in a way, it's about making computers "smart."
Where did AI get its start?
The roots of AI can be traced back to 1943, when Warren McCullough and Walter Pitts published an article introducing the first mathematical model for a neural network. Then, in 1947, students Marvin Minsky and Dean Edmonds built the first neural network computer, named Snarc. A few years later, in 1950, Alan Turing, a cryptologist, came up with the Turing Test, which is still used today to evaluate AI systems. Then, in 1952, software engineer Arthur Samuel created a program that could learn how to play chess on its own. Finally, the term "Artificial Intelligence" was officially coined by John McCarthy during a conference in 1956.
Since then, technology has kept getting better and is now an important part of our everyday lives.
In what ways does AI function?
It's the result of a synthesis of fields such as electronics, computer science, and mathematics. Together, these fields enable AI through the collection and processing of data, the analysis of that data with mathematical models, and the creation of algorithms that enable devices and software to analyze and make decisions. Machine learning and deep learning allow AI systems to gradually improve in intelligence by learning from experience and adapting to novel tasks and conditions by extrapolating from previously analyzed data.
Intentionality, intelligence, and adaptability are the cornerstones upon which AI rests.
Also, interestingly enough, in 2021, the AI industry grew by a whopping 15.2 percent! It has rapidly become one of the most pivotal areas of IT and is revolutionizing the way we use and interact with computers. More and more programs and apps are being created because of it.
GPT-3 is universally regarded as the most important language model in AI. When it was released in 2020, the GPT-3 developed by the American firm OpenAI had 175 billion parameters.
In the coming months, its replacement, GPT-4, should become available if it performs as intended to mitigate potential security and quality issues.
How can AI be put to use?
The great thing about AI is that it can be applied to just about any industry! Here are a few examples:
What's up with AI in marketing and digital strategy
Businesses now realize the benefits AI can bring to their operations and are increasingly implementing AI technology. Artificial intelligence can streamline and enhance marketing operations while cutting down on operational and training expenses.
Through the use of AI, businesses can better personalize their content to appeal to the preferences of their specific customer base.
Artificial intelligence tools can improve conversion rates and user experience by tailoring advertisements and landing pages to each individual user based on their past actions and preferences.
Artificial intelligence (AI) can streamline processes like keyword research, headline creation, and content production, allowing you more time for planning and innovation.
AI can speed up and improve the quality of the analysis of large datasets, allowing businesses to spot patterns and make better decisions.
In terms of managing relationships with customers, chatbots can handle real-time interactions and quickly assist in problem solving.
Effective AI Tools for Improved Marketing
Here is a list of some AI-based solutions, tools, and software to enhance your marketing performance and streamline repetitive tasks:
AI for SEO and Content Creation
Keyword Optimization: Tools such as Google Ads and SEMrush use AI to optimize keyword strategies, maximizing advertising visibility and relevance.
Content Creation: Automated content generators and semantic analysis tools are available for generating SEO-optimized articles and editorial content quickly, with a reduced likelihood of errors.
Some of the popular AI tools for content creation include:
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AI for Social Media
AI plays a crucial role in enhancing the content creation process for social media platforms, some popular tools include:
AI in Design and Creation
Artificial intelligence has made its way into the fields of design, graphics, and artistic creation as well:
AI in Data
In the field of data, AI plays a significant role:
Web data analytics: Tools such as Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Tableau, and Power BI utilize AI to analyze website performance data and optimize advertising campaigns.
Sales forecasting: Solutions such as Salesforce Einstein and Oracle CX Cloud employ machine learning to predict sales trends and adjust marketing strategies accordingly.
Trend detection: AI-powered tools like Google Trends and BrandWatch monitor online trends to inform marketing strategies.
AI in Web Development
Artificial Intelligence has a significant role in streamlining web development processes. Some of the ways it can be applied include:
Landing page and email design: Tools like Unbounce allow you to design effective landing pages and emails with ease.
Chatbots: AI technologies like Quickchat enable companies to automate customer interactions and enhance the user experience.
Additional useful tools
There are numerous applications and tools that can help streamline your organization's workflow. Here are a few more tools to consider:
The Pros and Cons of Artificial Intelligence
Advantages of AI
The benefits of artificial intelligence are numerous and can be seen as follows:
Saving Time: AI can operate 24/7 without rest, allowing for continuous productivity.
Cost-effective: Delegating repetitive tasks to AI can reduce costs and improve productivity.
Information Source: AI provides access to a vast amount of information from various sources.
Data Analysis: AI has the capacity to process and analyze large amounts of data.
Versatile Application: AI can be used in a variety of fields, from the simplest to the most complex.
Disadvantages of AI
However, AI is just that, artificial, and has its limitations:
Lacks language nuance: AI can struggle with the subtleties of language, leading to bizarre outcomes in text and images.
Needs Supervision: AI requires close monitoring to ensure its outputs are accurate.
Lacks Diversity: AI often generates uniform and generalized information, which can impact the quality and variety of content produced.
Lacks Emotion: AI-generated content can be perceived as lacking emotion, affecting brand communication.
Ethical Concerns: AI can spread misinformation or false news if it is trained on incorrect data, highlighting the need for ethical oversight.
The Ethical Dimension
In order to ensure AI is used in an ethical and responsible manner, computer scientists are advocating for reverse engineering to be implemented. Sociologists, anthropologists, and engineers are working together to develop a legal framework and ethical guidelines to safeguard AI's use.
Despite the benefits, AI also brings with it many potential dangers. Over a hundred experts have called for the United Nations to ban autonomous weapons, such as "killer robots." China has invested 150 billion dollars by 2030 with the aim of becoming a leader in AI technology.
Conclusion
AI can be an asset for automating low-value tasks, but it must always be used as a supplement to human efforts, with appropriate oversight and control over the content it generates. Currently, AI is not yet capable of fully replacing human reasoning, particularly in the areas of creativity and strategy.
As DataScientest warns, "Because of its ability to learn and evolve autonomously, AI could someday surpass human intelligence and turn against its creators." Whether this becomes a reality remains to be seen.
Inventor Serial Entrepreneur
1 年????
Stark Growth- Bold Branding for The Outdoors Marketing Executive | Brand Positioning & Management | Digital Strategy | New Product Launch | Campaigns | Content Development | Media Planning | PR | Creative Development |
1 年That’s some smart stuff.. when do you have time to when you are putting this all together??
Associate Product Manager at RoaDo | Product Enthusiast ????
1 年Interesting read Jeremy! We at Zipteams are working on enabling both sales and marketing teams using our conversational AI product!