It used to be that artificial intelligence was the stuff of sci-fi movies. But with the advent of everyday applications like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, and even the Pokemon Go craze, most of us are now familiar with the power and the influence of AI technology.
While some fear that AI and bots will replace humans in the workplace, I’m seeing quite the opposite, considering how AI is already starting to impact marketing—for the better. AI in digital marketing lets marketers better create truly personal, relevant connections with engaged customers.
When you consider that the key to successful marketing lies in the ability to deliver the right message, to the right audience, at the right time, using the right channels—then you’ve got to recognize the value of using AI to drive that process. AI, or intuitive computer software, can work to give us smarter searches, more targeted touches and refined content delivery.
As AI technology becomes more mainstream, it will be used to make sense of data, which is the key to creating customer engagement, fostering sales, driving growth and building a brand. AI will sort through data to answer the questions that we need to better manage our campaigns: Which customers buy a particular product? Which make purchases on their mobile devices? Which customers delete emails? Which click through?
Down the road, many industry experts believe that AI will manage the rote mechanics of marketing, making sense of big data and providing the analytics that we need to make more meaningful customer connections, while leaving the creative content work for us humans.
This is only the beginning. It will be exciting to see where AI takes us.
