Artificial intelligence (AI) has many definitions, with all of them having one thing in common—the ability for computers to make decisions that normally require human intelligence.
You’ll have heard of the various ways AI is using machine learning services to creep its way into our everyday lives, from healthcare to education, the military, and even agriculture.
However, there’s one particular area that AI is slowly and steadily taking over—the world of online marketing, specifically the B2C marketing sphere. While you may have heard of the concept of personalized ads, the AI behind it goes much deeper than just knowing what you’d most likely click on when scrolling through social media.
It’s also worth noting that the situation with AI is not quite as doom-and-gloom as The Great Hack presented it. Let’s dive into just how AI is influencing online marketing.
1. Chatbots
Say you’re looking for your favorite type of cbd flower or vape juice. Scrolling through five pages of different products seems less inviting than having a pop-up box you can type into to get the information immediately. That’s exactly what a bot is, and it’s a pretty powerful tool in customer service.
Chatbots are a type of automated computer program that is powered by AI to do a number of things. They’re most commonly used to:
- Steer buyers in the right direction.
- Solve their complaints with a simple referral link.
- Nudge them toward the products list.
They’re created to be clear in direction, precise in their words, and helpful in nature. They relieve customers from having to email representatives and wait hours for a response—or be put on hold during a call.
The AI learns what you need when you need it, and what other users may ask for in the future. It collects various individual information from each interaction to better understand a consumer’s needs and where to direct them next.
2. Personalization
This digital sales methodology is usually employed by huge corporations, but it works on a more localized level too. It’s what you’re probably familiar with the most. AI excels in this area as it collects data from the way you word questions, what you have in your cart, or what you click on the most while scrolling through social media, among other things.
However, it’s not all about the ads. AI goes beyond just showing you similar Harry Potter mugs to the ones you were searching for on Amazon. Personalization includes everything from sending out personalized emails, call-to-action campaigns, birthday messages, and reminder notes.
Typically, users are much more likely to be engaged with a product or service if it has their name on it. AI does most of the work for businesses in this area, gathering massive amounts of data and processing it in real time to show exactly what makes the consumer tick.
3. Deep Data Analysis
In the world of online marketing, sorting strategies by newest and most recent is key to a successful business. This means following the most popular trends, seeing what content gets the most engagement, and adapting to it at a moment’s notice.
You’ve probably come across a website that seems helpful but looks like it hasn’t been updated since 1999. You’ve probably also seen a fashion store use words like “on fleek” and cringed at the attempt to create engagement with younger audiences.
Having AI that can do deep data analysis for the business branch in question is vital in keeping consumers, and keeping them happy too. This includes anything from researching what kind of strategies boost sales and what color saturation works best to attract young consumers, to using words that engage the most on social media and seeing what design keeps customers on your website.
4. Behavior Analysis
Behavior analysis tends to go hand-in-hand with deep data analysis, but it differs in nature. If you’ve ever been on a website that offers various products in bulk, chances are you’ve run across items that are complementary to what you’ve recently bought.
For example, if you buy vitamin D from a drugstore, the next time you visit you’ll most likely get a recommendation for a vitamin B12 product since they’re usually the vitamins that humans lack the most.
This is what’s known as behavior analysis. Businesses use AI to check previous transactions and gently nudge you into spending more on similar products. However, it doesn’t stop there. More advanced AI can pause constant advertising of certain products that consumers no longer click on, while some even provide the product that a person has bought a month ago and needs a refill on.
5. Upgrading SEO
When you search for a specific word on Google, the first page results aren’t there by accident. This is managed through search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. In a nutshell, businesses use specific words and phrases on their websites to land a better chance of being seen by consumers. AI makes that work exponentially easier.
The process involves a thorough search of internet data to find which word patterns are most commonly used when people browse for something that relates to a specific business. For example, a pet shop will have twice the amount of clicks if it optimizes its website to include keywords that are most frequently used such as “best pet supplies” or “dog and cat accessories.”
However, what more advanced AI can do is also analyze the bounce rate, pogo-sticking percentage, as well as scroll depth and time spent on a website.
The Best AI Is Yet to Come!
While these are some ways in which technology is changing the world of online marketing, it’s important to know that these are just AI’s first baby steps. There is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to integrating AI to simplify marketing efforts for businesses, but the future is bright and full of intelligent tools for brands to use.
