Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the present and the future, and not only in the field of digital marketing. Most have heard of it, but many don’t know what it’s all about. We have some examples at our fingertips, such as Siri, such as automatic translators or even the social networks that we consume daily. All of them have powerful AI engines that help them to provide us with relevant content day by day. With the ability to gather large amounts of information and then learn from them, AI is transforming the way we perceive opportunities in the digital world. The challenge is to take advantage of it. Jorge Zuñiga Blanco, an entrepreneur and technology expert from Costa Rica, discusses how AI can improve digital marketing strategies.
According to a recent report by Business Insider, 50% of marketers currently use some form of AI in their strategy, while another 27% intend to incorporate technology soon. AI is a broad branch of computer technology that builds intelligent engines capable of performing tasks through the simulation of human intelligence. It is an interdisciplinary science that studies machine learning and deep learning for the automation of types of tasks that routinely operate applied to various industries.
“Marketing tools that use AI allow you to take advantage of large amounts of available data to discover ideas and patterns that would otherwise be impossible to identify or that would take a long time to process,” asserts Zuñiga. It advances beyond pure data analysis; its evolution is rapidly moving towards generating them, as science redefines the ability of machines to make better decisions.
For many years, marketing specialists hesitated to apply AI to their marketing strategies. There was confusion, doubt, skepticism about its effects, and so on. But now, there are many brands that have incorporated it into their decision-making processes. The experience of large brands such as Mercado Libre, Amazon or Spotify shows that the application of this technology tends to significantly increase the ROI of stocks.
For example, Amazon uses AI to show only relevant products to shoppers based on previous searches, purchases and visits. This increases the likelihood that a user will make an initial purchase or become a regular customer, thanks to those suggestions. If you’re using Doppler or another Marketing automation tool, you’ve probably created segmented campaigns or automation based on user behavior. This type of functionality works with the processing of large volumes of information in real-time and thus allows you to optimize your email flows.
Within the AI of a Chatbot is machine learning or machine learning and what is known as Natural Language Processing (NLP). It can be applied in different fields to create Chatbot algorithms and detect conversations mimicking human conversation. With the advancements of AI and the rapid growth of messaging applications such as WhatsApp, chatbots are increasingly necessary for many industries, facilitating the communication process throughout the entire customer journey, especially in areas of Support.
Google and RankBrain’s voice search and algorithm have been the main advances in AI of this last time. Other innovations that are widely used include Amazon Echo, Google Home, Siri, and Cortana. All of these engines help users perform searches through a voice command. “The way users search for content has changed,” explains Zuñiga. “Therefore, it is also necessary for marketers to optimize the content on our SEO-oriented site and start thinking about voice search marketing strategies.”
Creating quality content is difficult and time-consuming, but AI can train engines to deliver engaging and highly personalized content, optimized for conversion. This is because they can learn from users’ preferences and create material according to their tendencies, interests and interactions.
With the emergence of the streamlining and complexity of AI engines, different platforms have emerged that help the work of the marketing professional. They mainly analyze and execute actions as a result of the large collection of information from different channels. Think about all the information available from our users that we are not using: On-site behavior, likes and preferences, demographics, purchase history, apps you use, and many more. Now let’s think about analyzing and crossing all that information to obtain data that will help us make decisions and plan a marketing strategy.
A much talked about topic in the email marketing industry is the definition of “the best time to send a campaign.” But in general email marketing and doppler industries, the best time will depend on each industry, each market and each message. And if we want to get really nitpicky, it will also depend on each user. That’s why AI can offer the answer to the question of the best time: eliminating conjecture through the automatic analysis of several data points. Their algorithms can ascertain the most suitable time for them to be viewed and read. They also identify the frequency of sending email campaigns and automate the entire process individually.