Let’s be clear from the outset that the concept of marketing hasn’t changed. Same as many years ago when it was used to attract new customers and increase brand awareness, so it is used today. However, the means to achieve goals have certainly changed, especially with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI).
If even several years ago it would take a good chunk of the day to create a marketing campaign aimed at a specific audience, now it can be done in a matter of minutes. More importantly, these campaigns automatically deliver the most relevant content based on the interests of targeted users, resulting in higher conversion rates and improved return on investment (ROI).
Without a doubt, AI has provided teams with a unique set of tools that enable them to streamline processes, gain valuable insights, and drive meaningful results. According to Demandbase, in 2019 alone, more than 84% of companies either already used AI in their marketing campaigns or were in the process of incorporating it into their strategies.
Sure enough, this number is growing at an unprecedented pace every month. In this article, however, we will shed light on the unique journey of companies that embarked on a path of change and how the industry has changed thanks to intelligent technologies.
While it might seem that AI is something very new and innovative in the field of digital marketing, its emergence has been a gradual process that spans several years.
The initial integration of AI into digital marketing can be traced back to the early 2000s when basic machine learning (ML) techniques began to gain traction. It was at this time that the potential of AI was being actively discussed in scientific sources such as Academia.edu, and Google and Amazon were deciding how to take advantage of it.
Nine years later, it was successfully integrated by Netflix, which showed the world just how powerful AI can be by using it to generate personalized content recommendations. Around the same year, Spotify joined the trend by building ML algorithms into music personalization.
So while some people still view AI as the future, something you can get your hands on when the time is right, it’s as clear as day that time has already arrived.
One of the important components of any marketing strategy is content. It’s content that attracts visitors and ultimately converts into sales. The formula here is simple: the more content you create, the higher the chances of engaging your target audience and driving conversions.
However, consistently creating high-quality content can be a time-consuming and costly process. Even hiring a proficient copywriter can’t always solve the problem, seeing the amount of content that needs to be created to stay ahead of the curve.
Yahoo was one of the first companies to address this particular issue. In 2013, they introduced their Automated Insights Wordsmith Platform, which used artificial intelligence to analyze billions of sports-related posts and could create machine-generated content based on this information.
If you haven’t been into marketing for too long, you may not have heard of the Yahoo platform, but you could have heard of Verizon, which is its more recent name. In just one year after integrating a machine learning approach, the company managed to achieve unbelievable results:
In 2014, the industry was introduced to programming marketing. This innovative approach combined the power of AI and marketing automation and allowed marketers to automate the delivery of personalized content and messages to users based on their behavior, interests, and demographics.
In the same period, AI-powered chatbots began to emerge. These virtual assistants, equipped with natural language processing capabilities, could:
All this rendered them useful across various industries, not just in marketing.
While you might not have been aware of the Yahoo platform, you most definitely should have heard of RankBrain, a new algorithm introduced by Google in 2015. The unique thing about it was, as you’ve probably already guessed, the utilization of ML and AI techniques to enhance search engine results.
Traditionally, search engine algorithms relied on keyword matching and basic signals like backlinks to determine the relevance of web pages. However, as the volume of content increased, traditional methods became less effective in delivering the most relevant results.
RankBrain changed the game by incorporating AI into the search process. Now, it’s become not enough just to stuff the text with dozens of keywords as it was a couple of years ago. In order for the content to rank high in search engines, it has to be meaningful and match the intent. And now to multiply the effects, link building through free link building tools and SEO agency’s has become more serious in this game.
In 2016, virtual assistant devices such as Amazon Echo with Alexa and Google Home with Google Assistant gained significant popularity and became a household staple. These devices marked a major step forward in the integration of AI in digital marketing.
Virtual assistants have become an integral part of consumers' lives, offering voice-activated support and providing information, entertainment, and even performing tasks on command. Marketers quickly recognized the potential of these devices as a new channel to reach and engage with their target audience.
Not only do these assistants allow brands to provide customized interactions, offering consumers personalized recommendations and advice but they also serve as a tool to collect valuable data on user preferences and interests. This empowers them to get the information they need to make informed business decisions.
Chatbots and conversational AI continued to gain popularity and became more sophisticated in 2017. Many businesses integrated chatbots into their websites and messaging platforms to provide instant customer support.
Furthermore, 2017 was the year of significant progress in voice search optimization, with more users searching for things using voice commands. Marketers started to recognize the importance of optimizing their content for voice search queries, which often differ in structure and length compared to traditional text-based searches.
It was also in 2017 when AI-powered analytics tools and predictive modeling gained traction, allowing marketers to identify patterns, trends, and correlations within data. This helped them make more accurate forecasting and create more precise marketing campaigns.
In the realm of cryptocurrency, AI-powered analytics tools and predictive modeling have also been utilized for making price predictions. For instance, platforms like CoinDataFlow leverage advanced algorithms to analyze historical data and market trends, enabling investors to access Litecoin price predictions and make informed decisions about their investments in the cryptocurrency market.
Though we’ve skipped a few years, you can definitely see that AI technology has only become more powerful in recent years. It’s enough to look at the tools such as Chat GPT, Jasper, ChatSonic, and many others to see that we’ve only brushed the surface of the full potential of intelligence technologies, and there’s more to come.
AI has permeated various industries, revolutionizing their operations and unlocking new possibilities. From healthcare and finance to manufacturing and retail, AI is transforming the way businesses operate. The application of AI in the oil and gas industry has transformed operations, enabling advanced data analysis, predictive maintenance, and optimize exploration and production processes. As a result, it is challenging to imagine any field of activity today that has not been infiltrated by AI.
What this means for marketers is that, if they haven’t yet been using AI, they should get started now. Otherwise, it may be too late.
AI is proving to be useful in so many ways we’d find it quite hard to cover everything in our article, but we’ll try to outline the most effective ways.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, the introduction of programming marketing has revolutionized the industry, enabling marketers to automate the process of ad buying, placement, and optimizing campaigns. With programmatic advertising, companies can:
Many companies now resort to programmatic advertising to boost their sales. According to research by Media Radar, in 2019 the overall spending on programmatic ads increased up to 42%, and this number is only expected to grow.
AR has emerged as a powerful tool in marketing, and AI plays a crucial role in enhancing AR experiences. AR overlays digital content in the real world, creating interactive and immersive experiences for users. AI algorithms enable advanced object recognition, tracking, and image processing, making AR applications more realistic and seamless.
Here’s what we can expect to see:
Since 2017, voice search has gained significant momentum and has become an integral part of the marketing landscape. Whether it’s a habit of using voice-active virtual assistants or banal laziness, a fact is a fact. An Accenture report confirms this, stating that more than 38% of users now rely on voice search when looking up things on the Internet.
To stay competitive in the dynamic marketing landscape, it’s important to embrace this trend by taking advantage of conversational marketing. Additionally, you could look in the direction of incorporating voice-activated advertising into your marketing campaigns.
Consider partnerships with voice assistant platforms to promote your products or services through sponsored voice search results or targeted voice-activated ads. This can increase brand visibility and capture the attention of Generation Z-ers.
If you’ve not been using chatbots yet, it’s time to jump on the bandwagon and join thousands of other companies that have already successfully integrated them into their websites and increased their conversions.
To optimize chatbot integration and achieve optimal results, it is essential to hire .NET developer. By hiring a proficient developer, you can ensure the seamless integration of chatflash into your website, leading to increased conversions and improved customer engagement.
The benefits of using chatbots are numerous, but one of the most important is that they can close a deal without you even being there. This level of availability boosts sales as well as enhances the level of customer satisfaction.
To bring it to the chase, the evolution of AI in digital marketing has revolutionized the industry and transformed the way companies interact with their audiences. And though the core concept of marketing remains the same, tactics and strategies used today have changed a lot, allowing marketers to deliver personalized experiences, optimize campaigns, and drive impactful results.
By embracing AI and staying updated with the latest trends and tools, companies can navigate the evolving landscape with confidence and achieve their marketing objectives in a more efficient and effective manner. The future of marketing, as we can clearly see it, is AI-driven, and those who harness its potential will have a competitive edge in the digital realm.