Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an increasingly prominent discussion in the world of business, with the technology aiding in top-end decision making and digital marketing, just to name a few. Two specific areas that have become of particular interest in Artificial Intelligence have been Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL), each of which plays an integral role in many of the AI systems being utilised today.

 

Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL)

Machine Learning at its core uses predictive algorithms that learn and take into account previous structured data to provide educated solutions related to future performance or processes.

Deep Learning involves utilizing a number of layered algorithms which create a technological version of a neural network. This network can then be used to gain a greater understanding of data, which an AI can then learn from.

Examples of each include:

Machine Learning:

  • Personalization of Content (based on past data)
    • Netflix’s “recommended for you” category
  • Content Creation
    • Grouping of customers into specific groups (prospects vs loyal customers) based on historical data. Allowing for effective targeting.

Deep Learning:

  • Artificial Intelligence
    • Chatbots
    • Voice Assistants (Alexa, Siri, Google)
    • Google’s AlphaGo program
  • Recommendation Engines
    • Shopping, news and even things to watch, based on previous behaviour and compared to individuals with similar behaviours.
  • Language Analysis
    • Facebook’s DeepText Tool

 

Utilising Artificial Intelligence in your Digital Marketing Setup

So how does this link to digital marketing? Artificial intelligence (AI) encompasses a host of different options for businesses. Some of these areas have a direct impact on marketing capabilities, while others have more of an indirect impact.

 

Direct Impact on Marketing Capabilities

Predictive Analytics – Combining AI with Analytics

Predictive Analytics in digital marketing allows businesses to gain an understanding of the success of previous marketing campaigns, as well as provide insights into future strategies that could be successful. By combining AI with analytics, businesses can be provided with objective marketing recommendations based purely off the data fed into the AI. This data is produced at a faster rate and with greater accuracy, meaning it is less likely that potentially important data will be overlooked.

 

Content Creation

In terms of content creation, AI looks to aid with targeting customers. For instance, if an AI saw that consumers were all searching and mentioning a certain laptop charger, it could recommend content surrounding that topic, which could be vital for both marketing and the customer. Many larger companies are already using AI to write content. This content is tailored based on the audience data fed into the system. Due to an AI’s ability to write high amounts of content in a little amount of time, it makes AI the perfect option to help these sites build up their content.

In terms of personalisation, AI is able to write messages that are more likely to resonate with particular audiences/target groups. For example, just this year JP Morgan Chase signed a 5 year deal with a software company after the AI machine-learning tool crafted better ad copy than its own writers, as measured by higher click rates (more than double in some cases).

 

Indirect Impact on Marketing Capabilities

Voice Assistants

Voice assistants are a perfect example of how technology and AI have begun to influence marketing efforts of businesses. Voice assistants such as Alex or Siri are themselves a form of AI which uses speech recognition (deep learning) to be able to understand information posed by end users and provide them with answers to their queries. The increased popularity of voice assistants has led to an increase in the number of voice searches. This has then had a knock on effect to the marketing efforts of organisations who are now looking to optimise their content, so it can be easily deciphered and utilised by voice assistants.

 

Chatbots

Chatbots and Virtual Assistants are becoming increasingly prevalent and have been crucial in the area of CRM (Customer Relationship Management). These chatbots are most commonly utilised to mimic real people in responding to customer queries over online chats (hence the name). This has also meant that businesses are able to help customers find exactly what they are looking for in a timely fashion (pushing them to convert), essentially allowing chatbots to become a marketing tool to help keep customers engaged and draw them into the business.

AI is an ever expanding field and marketing is no exception with many organisations already looking to invest considerable time and money to grow their own AI departments. While this isn’t the case for all businesses, an understanding of the benefits of AI is vital so that when it is more publically available, they are able to effectively engage and utilise this technology with their current applications. For more information on how AI can benefit your business, speak to our friendly team at Redline Digital.