Artificial Intelligence in Digital Marketing

"The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race, "said Stephen Hawking in his interview with BBC, while we are still very far away from the development of a full blown artificial intelligence and it turning against us, currently at least, Artificial Intelligence or AI is being used in every field possible in order to make our lives more convenient.

So what is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence or AI is “The science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. It is related to the similar task of using computers to understand human intelligence, but it does not have to confine itself to methods that are biologically observable.”

AI is currently a buzzword in the field of technology, but it has pervaded almost all spheres of our life and when combined with Big Data and Data Analytics, it can become an extremely powerful tool in improving our lives. Given its utilitarian nature, the power of AI is being leveraged by firms all over the world to differentiate themselves from competitors, lower costs and offer better service to customers.

AI in Digital Marketing

With the growing importance of the online platform, all the firms are shifting away from traditional marketing and moving towards online marketing, otherwise known as digital marketing. In digital marketing all marketing activities are carried out online. The main advantage of online activities is the creation of huge amounts of data and the ease with which this data can be collected. AI along with analytics tools could make use of this data to significantly improve user experience and thus create value for the firm.

The following are a few examples of AI is helping the Digital Marketer in reaching out to customers in a better and more efficient way

Optimization

AI is being utilized to increase the effectiveness of conversion rate optimization while speeding up the process through what is called as ‘machine learning’ wherein algorithms constantly evolve and improve to find the best possible combination of page components. AI-based processes are faster than AB testing tools as it allows the page developer to test a variety of page elements with a smaller sample than what is required to perform an AB test

Recommendations

Predictive Analytics can be used to recognize customer’s preferences and then provide relevant recommendations as to what they could do next, be it purchase decision or any other such decisions. An example of a website using this tool is ‘Youtube’ which, based on a series of videos you have previously watched recommends other similar videos

Ad targeting

By learning a consumer’s tastes and preferences and using this data in conjunction with the capabilities of AI, companies are hyper targeting customers. Each person will see a different ads based on what the AI considers the person is most likely to click. This specific targeting would lead to reduced costs as the marketers would now focus only on a few websites while increasing the probability of converting the click

Virtual Shopping Assistants

As the importance of excellent user experience and reactive customer services increase, firms are turning towards using AI-inspired virtual assistants to help customers find specific products, answer queries or simply teach users how to navigate the site.

This is not only providing customers with 24/7 self-service and customer care, but reduces the number of phone operatives required to answer query calls and therefore outgoing costs as a result.

Website design

While website design for ages has been carried out by programmers, thanks to advances in technology firms likes Grid, Wix claim to have developed technology that would enable AI to design your website. The process would start by asking the person a series of questions regarding their business, the type of website needed. It would then present the user with a combination of layout, design and content. However this technology is yet to be proven.

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