How Artificial Intelligence Affects Digital Marketing

The growing expectations of customers compel the digital market to explore and embrace new technologies. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one such technology considered as the driving force behind the recent innovations in digital marketing.

There are lots of digital market tools incorporated with AI capabilities. Most of us do not realize that AI is responsible for the frequent developments in digital marketing. Heard of voice recognition, visual perception, and online translation? Welcome to the world of AI.

But how effective is AI in digital marketing? Is it a boon or a bane? In this article, both sides are reviewed for a balanced view. First, the pros are analyzed in understanding the benefits of AI followed by the cons.

Pros of AI Affecting Digital Marketing

Both the customers and the digital market benefit from implementing AI tools. It is a win-win solution.

1. Smart Content Creation

By using AI, a persuasive website customer content can be written. The content is written based on optimized and personal words, phrases, and visuals. This can be especially helpful for content-driven websites such as those running on WordPress, even if they need to handle multiple sites.

These are aimed at triggering the right emotions and logical thinking. It is written for specific groups of customers. A high-brow style for intellectuals and a jazzy emotionally tinged story for the light at heart. AI does it with precision and right on target.

2. Content Personalization

Customers do feel comfortable and at ease when delving into familiar content. The AI content personalization software does it based on customers’ previous preferred choices. How is this done? Customers’ online shopping habits are tracked and collected as data. The purchasing and recent search history data are stored, analyzed, and summarized.

AI and Your Homework

AI does the preliminary homework based on scientific analysis of a massive amount of data. If the customer is searching for laptops, then information from the laptop websites visited is tracked by AI. Data on brands, configuration, locations, and prices are tracked and stored by AI.

Classification of Data for Target Groups

What happens next? Based on the data collected, AI identifies niche values. This is organized into classifications for laptops. The data enables the segmentation of target customer groups with relevant customized content. It can be developed further for complimentary products and brand names.

A Personalized Search for Laptops

On the subsequent sites that the customer visits in searching for a laptop, the content will be personalized according to the specific product and price range of the customer. AI will suggest to the customer relevant laptop brands and complementary products and services. Also included will be supplementary content such as blogs and videos.

Personalization of content shows AI’s capability in keeping customers engaged with a brand. Customers can zoom into specific websites based on their preferences.

3. Programmatic Advertising

AI has streamlined online advertising by matching the supply and demand for online ads in real-time. As customers load up websites, lots of activities take place in the background orchestrated by AI.

Real-Time Ad Bidding

Ads are consolidated in a real-time programmatic advertising platform. AI coordinates the biddings for ads and decides which ads will be loaded when a customer visits a website.

For example, if a customer visits a laptop website, then leaves without making a purchase. The website and visitor information are relayed to an advertising platform. AI identifies the target customer, selects appropriate ads, and runs real-time bidding auctions.

Highly Targeted Advertising

Based on the bidding results, within the short timeframe of a click, the selected ad is incorporated into subsequent websites visited by the customer.

AI has streamlined advertising from the spray and pray’ method to a funneled method. By using a programmatic platform, ads are placed in the correct channel targeted to the correct audience at the right time.

4. Digital Markets and Natural Language Processing (NLP)

AI has entered the frontier of natural languages, words, and text. This is evident from the progress achieved with the replication of sight and sound intelligence. As a weak AI, it is successful in assisting with task-oriented activities. Digital markets are benefitting from the innovative tools and software that use AI’s natural language processing (NLP) features. These include text and voice recognition features formed from studying the patterns of words.

The AI features based on NLP intelligence have improved digital marketing processes. Customers face fewer challenges in communications with a better quality of support services. These tools include chatbots, email filters, smart assistants, search results, and language translation.

Customer Services in Digital Marketing

As digital markets operate 24/7/365 on a global level, customer support services must operate on similar timelines. In a competitive environment, where every sale counts, it is important that customer services be available to engage with customers. Customers expect a consistent quality of service with timely, comprehensive, and accurate responses.

Chatbots for Global Support

Chatbots fill a global role as it is conversant in local languages. The Standard Operating Instructions (SOPs) of chatbots are met as outlined. Being task-oriented, it can detect incoming connections and answer questions as programmed.

First Line of Support Chatbots

Most of us digital natives have experienced interacting with chatbots. It handles the first level of customer service support. After the eager welcome message, the answers to preliminary basic questions about the products and services do help to a certain extent. This enables customer services to focus on second-level support at an advisory level.

Voice Support using AI

Smart voice support gadgets take orders and respond immediately. Heard of Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa? These gadgets are popular as knowledge experts with immediate responses. Siri, Alexa, and other smart assistants use AI for voice recognition. They recognize speech patterns, then infer their meanings and provide an immediate response.

Voice Support Tools in Digital Marketing

Smart assistants using voice-recognition features are tools that help with digital marketing. Customers verbally ask for product or price information, and these questions are responded to accurately and promptly. When searching for online products, smart assistants can be used for inquiries and purchasing decisions.

Smarter Text Search

Text search has become more intelligent with AI. When searching for a product name, an entire list of suggestions appears. And the strangest thing is, some are related to what one is thinking! This is very apparent in the Google browser.

AI and Search Engines

Search engines can predict the full text of customers’ search inquiries. When a few words are entered in the search area, AI kicks in. Based on similar past search behaviors and NLP, a list of relevant search results appears on the screen. Customers searching for specific products see a complete list of options relevant to the product. This improves effort and time as one can immediately zoom in and pick out a suggestion.

Email Marketing Campaigns

Emails are an important tool for digital marketing, as they have mass reach, relatively cheap, and are fast. AI software is used to structure and streamline email processes for email campaigns.

The tasks facilitated by AI include:

• Writing pre-set subject lines,
• Scheduled send times
• Cleaning up email lists
• Writing newsletters.
• Personalized emails

Multi-Language Support

Digital marketing operates on a global platform where people speak different languages. To get a share of the regional markets, website content has to be in the local languages. AI’s NPL can translate websites into local languages that are grammatically correct. Visitors can read and understand the content in different languages with no issues. This motivates visitors to probe deeper about the product.

5. Replacing Low-Value Repetitive Tasks

Weak AI is built for handling repetitive tasks of low-level intelligence. The tasks are executed efficiently with consistent quality. By shifting low-value tasks to AI tools, the task can be restructured for employees to handle high-value tasks. Employees achieve higher satisfaction levels, and the company can shift gear to more innovative functions.

Cons of AI Affecting Digital Marketing

Let us look at the other side of the coin that is the negative effects of AI.

1. Lack of Flexibility

AI tools are machine-oriented in following strict instructions. The level of possibilities incorporated into machines depends on the programming complexity. As it follows instructions, it might not resolve issues external to the tasks it has been programmed. AI can be used in very specific roles and situations. There are situations where emotional thinking supersedes rational decisions for better solutions.

2. Lack of Creativity

The creative mind imbibed with emotional instincts can think inclusively out-of-the-box. AI’s range of creativity is limited by its software capabilities. Most creative jobs require intuitiveness and an understanding of people. These talents are within the purview of human intelligence. It is difficult to say if it can be entirely replicated in the near future.

3. Right to Privacy and Data Protection

The tracking of personal data and the history of past search activities contravene the basic fundamental rights to freedom of expression and association. Data protection is associated with the right to privacy. Data collection is an integral component of refining and strengthening AI features. The collection of data poses a high risk to privacy and data protection. The small amount of data collected from each individual when consolidated and analyzed by AI can output minute details of individuals’ private lives.

4. Greater Job Transitions

Introducing greater efficiencies in job processes by using AI tools could lead to job transitions. This potentially leads to an increase in job unemployment. This is a worrying concern for those who do not possess the required skills and talent. There can be a multitude of other reasons, including personal and financial reasons. But the bottom line is there will be higher levels of unplanned unemployment with AI tools coming into the picture.

Conclusion

The pros and cons of AI affecting digital marketing show an overbearing number of pros. The current capabilities of AI are being harnessed by digital marketing to improve its processes and features. However, the cons have to be aligned with the further development of digital marketing and the emergence of strong AI.