How to Use AI to Anticipate Customer Needs Across Industries

disclaimer: this newsletter was not written by A.I.

Everyone can think back to a time where they were confronted with the reality of AI's rapid surge into relevance. Maybe it was that first time you tried ChatGPT for yourself and saw the sheer speed with which it could answer a prompt. Or maybe it was when you saw an AI-generated image online that looked so real you had to really squint to believe that it wasn't.

The feelings might have been mixed.

"Is my line of work going to become obsolete?"

"What happens if we take this too far?"

Well, before we know it, we'll be at two full years since the first iteration of ChatGPT went live for public use, and at Fortress we have some takes and tips on the state of Artificial Intelligence, including an easy way to create campaigns that convert and win.

But before we get into that, we want to highlight some interesting developments and case studies in the marketing world we found this week while going about our day-to-day operations that we thought were worth sharing. Check those out below.

• Case Study Shows How Deleting Certain Website Content Can Improve SEO
• Instagram Says Using Certain CTAs Can Impact Post Reach
• 31-year-old built a company that could bring in $48 million this year—all due to olive oil

And one more thing before we do our deep dive into AI predictive analytics: the Fortress team launched two websites in the past week that we wanted to showcase here. The first being for Oetee, an interior design and fabrication studio in Chicago, and the second for Protected Tomorrows, an organization that helps individuals with special needs and their families lead fulfilled lives.

We're proud of both of these sites and can't wait to see the impact they make in the real world.

Here's a video that shows what went into the Oetee site in terms of design and animation, and a link to the Protected Tomorrows site as well.

• protectedtomorrows.com

With that, let's get into it. Here's how to use AI for more than just helping you decide what to order for lunch or coming up with an email subject line for you.

Lesson of the Month: Digital Marketers MUST Embrace AI-Driven Predictive Analytics as a Core Strategy, Not an Optional Tool

It's all about data.

Data is the only reason AI exists; it's what it is trained on, and it's damn good at organizing and analyzing it.

This means that businesses must integrate AI at the strategic level, by making it the backbone of their decision-making process. By leveraging predictive analytics, companies can not only foresee customer needs but also proactively shape them. This approach transforms AI from a tool for enhancement of language to a critical component of business growth and customer satisfaction.

So, let's say you're on a marketing team. Any marketing team. You want to learn from your website insights that you find on Google Analytics to increase your year-over-year sales numbers. Here's a step-by-step guide of what you can do.

Step 1: Collect and Analyze Website Data

Data Collection Tools to Use

• Google Analytics: Provides comprehensive data on user behavior, including page views, session duration, bounce rates, user demographics, interests, and conversion paths.
• SEMrush: Offers insights into organic and paid search performance, keyword rankings, backlinks, and competitor analysis.

Key Metrics to Focus On

• User Demographics: Age, gender, location, and interests.
• Behavior Metrics: Pages per session, average session duration, bounce rate, and exit pages.
• Conversion Data: Conversion rates, user journey, and goal completions.
• Search Insights: Top-performing keywords, search volume, and competition analysis.

Step 2: Feed Your Data into the AI Model

• Prompt Engineering: Perhaps the most fundamental rule of generative AI is that the most detailed prompts are the best prompts. Be sure you're telling your AI exactly what you want to uncover, and what type of analysis you want to see.
• Use GPT4o: GPT4o is OpenAI's most advanced model yet. Read more about it here. Hello GPT-4o | OpenAI.

Step 3: Generate Insights and Create a Targeted Advertising Plan

Audience Segmentation

• Identify Segments: Based on the model's output, identify high-potential audience segments with specific characteristics and behaviors.
• Persona Development: Develop detailed personas for each segment, including demographics, preferences, and online behavior.

Ad Creative and Messaging

• Tailored Messaging & Visuals: This is where it gets fun. Use AI combined with your own creativity to launch personalized ad copy and visuals that resonate with each segment’s unique needs and interests.

Step 4: Measure Success and Refine Strategy

Performance Metrics

• Key KPIs: Track key performance indicators such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, cost per acquisition (CPA), and return on ad spend (ROAS).
• Attribution Analysis: Use multi-touch attribution to understand the contribution of each channel and touchpoint to conversions.
• Iterative Improvement: Continuously iterate on the advertising strategy, leveraging new data and AI insights to enhance future campaigns.

This strategy aligns with what Fortress does for all of our digital marketing clients across sectors. Whether we're trying to reach people who need student loan help, or who need some premium leather gloves, this strategy has shown to be effective in terms of both time and spend and results seen.

We hope you found this newsletter to be informative and helpful, and we'll check back in with you in July. Cheers.