What Marketers Need to Know About AI
Technology is developing at a rapid rate which is extremely exciting for marketers. The introduction of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) like Siri and Alexa has created new outlets to build brand awareness and subsequently drives sales! Enter the era of Voice-Optimized Content. There is a lot of research and predictions stating voice search will account for 50% of search queries by 2020. I completely agree with this prediction because I use my Echo daily to turn on/off my lights, play music, find out the top stories, text my friends back and of course, to find out the weather report. If you’re interested in in learning more about AI in general, I would recommend the book, 'Life 3.0' by Max Tegmark. Prepare to be creeped out!
Before we go any further, it is important to understand how this technology can help your brand. AI can support three important business needs - automating business processes, gaining insight through data analysis and finally you can use this technology to engage with your consumers and your employees in targeted ways.
Voice technology should be seen as another marketing tool to improve the total user experience. Furthermore, it is a more convenient tool for the user than traditional methods because voice query results are much faster. At an Accquia conference I attended last year, I learned how the DMV in Georgia is using AI to help their consumers get the information they need prior to going to a facility. Georgia’s DMV saw phone volume decrease and consumers are getting through lines faster because they know what they need to bring in to the DMV ahead of time.
How do we as marketers take advantage of this new technology? Below are four things you should consider as you enter the world of AI!
1. Get ready to spend some money
I cannot give you an exact amount, but you should expect to pay upwards of $70k for a decent platform. This does not include the costs associated with maintaining the platform, you should expect on-going costs as you increase the platforms complexity and how your consumers use the system.
2. Bolster Your Marketing Mix
While there are various ways to optimize digital advertising and account-based marketing, AI solutions help marketers take them a step further for deeper insight and analysis. AI can tap into the abundance of consumer data hidden in keyword searches, social profiles, and other online data, for smarter and more effective digital ads. The results are human-level outcomes and insights without the manual human labor. Does this remind you of a Hollywood movie? We're getting creepy!
3. Voice-optimized content needs to support conversational search queries
We must first understand how consumers search and then we need to optimize our content to stay ahead of the game! We know each generation searches differently online. Baby Boomers generally write full sentences, millennials write two words, etc. AI has changed this. We now speak 6-8 words into our device. These longer keywords are more specific yet yield less search traffic but they have higher conversion rates. Look at and start working on how people ask questions or search your brand. Identify bottlenecks and scale towards your challenges. This will pay off in spades!
4. Build a data strategy
I harp on this a lot in my blog and that is because data helps you immensely! You will want to make sure you have a data warehouse! This is vital! The more data availability, the better you can access and leverage AI. Having a data warehouse in one easily accessed place will make it simpler to provide predictions and trends which directly impact the way you spend your marketing dollars.
As the customer journey becomes even more entwined with technology, it is important to read up! If you are newer to AI I would suggest you start learning the terminology. Computer World published a great article to get you on your way - Learn 5 Things You Should Know About AI. And, don’t forget to check out the book I mentioned above.
It is time for marketers to start thinking about the entire customer journey as it relates to new technologies. Marketers can capitalize off AI through influencing search, recommendation engines (think Amazon’s product recommendations), programmatic advertising, customer segmentation, and content generation. I am just scratching the surface here; AI is the future and we are marketers need to start thinking how to utilize this technology in a creative and fun way! Gosh, I love marketing!