AI in Marketing: Why Should Marketers Care?

MTE Staff Writer

Published on 4th Nov, 2024

We all have seen the landscape of marketing changing with AI redefining the strategies. AI is continuously pushing the boundaries of customer engagement, enabling brands to create new benchmarks. With this transformational shift, AI is weaving into all parts of the business, pushing innovation to a whole different level. But the bigger question remains – why should marketers care about AI? Marketers need to consider AI in marketing to stay ahead of the curve. Chatbots or AI assistants have already made their mark in customer support, and AI content creation is slowly gaining traction. As the ML algorithms improve, marketing and AI relationships will deepen further to cater to the evolving demands of the consumer.

This article will delve into the various ways in which AI is transforming the marketing landscape.

Why Every Marketer Needs AI

Customer expectations have drastically evolved. You need to understand your audience across different devices and channels. 88% of marketers use AI in their jobs, and 90% plan to increase their AI marketing budget (SurveyMonkey). When it comes to AI, it needs to be part of your strategies to engage with your customers better.

1. Enhanced Decision-Making through Predictive Analytics

With AI's predictive analytics, marketers can anticipate customer behaviors and trends before they happen. It means accurate campaign planning, smarter budgeting, and proactive strategy adjustments, improving campaign effectiveness and ROI.  

2. Smarter Advertising with Precision Targeting

From search to social media, AI refines ad placements, optimizes budgets, and ensures ads reach those most likely to convert. This precision targeting reduces costs and increases AD efficiency, helping brands reach their audience more effectively. 

3. Predicting Market Trends for Strategic Advantage

AI identifies market trends and shifts, helping them stay ahead of competitors. It helps brands anticipate what's next, allowing them to be proactive rather than reactive, positioning themselves as leaders in their industry.  

4. Higher ROI and Business Growth

With AI-driven strategies, marketing becomes more efficient, targeted, and results-oriented, translating to higher ROI. For brands, this means better outcomes, faster growth, and a solid foundation for long-term success in an AI-enhanced future.

How AI Helps Marketing

1. Better Audience Segmentation

AI can analyze data to identify specific audience segments based on interests, demographics, and online habits. This segmentation enables marketers to create targeted campaigns that resonate with each group, boosting engagement and conversions.

2. Real-Time Data Analysis for Timely Adjustments

AI can process vast amounts of data in real-time, providing marketers with insights that allow them to adapt strategies quickly. This adaptability is crucial in today's fast-paced digital environment, where trends and consumer sentiment can shift overnight. 

3. Data-Driven Creativity

AI provides insights into what content resonates with audiences, helping marketers make confident, creative decisions. By combining creativity with data-driven insights, brands can design campaigns that not only attract attention but also drive genuine connection.

4. Enhanced ROI and Performance Tracking

AI helps track and measure campaign performance, offering insights into which strategies yield the best results. This helps marketers refine their approach over time, ensuring that each campaign builds on the success of the last, maximizing ROI.   

Examples of AI in Marketing

Many organizations are leading the way and utilizing AI in their marketing strategies. Here are a few examples of how AI is being used in marketing 

Content Creation

To elevate writing quality, Grammarly combines rule-based systems, pattern recognition, and AI techniques like machine learning, deep learning, and NLP. Their latest offering, GrammarlyGo, utilizes generative AI to transform voice commands into content. Grammarly for Marketing Teams is designed to create clear, consistent, and engaging marketing materials across various platforms.  

Social Media Marketing

Starbucks is driving the future of coffee with Deep Brew, a project that harnesses the power of AI and IoT. Deep Brew enables predictive maintenance, optimized labor scheduling, and efficient inventory management by collecting and analyzing data from in-store sensors, such as those in coffee machines. It not only improves operational efficiency but also elevates the overall customer experience.  

Advertising

Google provides AI-driven advertising solutions to help businesses connect with their target audience. Performance Max, Search, and Discovery ads offer versatile options to reach potential customers across various platforms. To further assist marketers, Google has introduced an AI-powered Google Ads Expert chatbot, providing real-time guidance and support throughout the advertising process.

Netflix's success as a leading OTT platform is largely attributed to its innovative use of AI and machine learning. By leveraging algorithms to analyze user data, Netflix can provide personalized recommendations based on viewing history, preferences, and location, keeping subscribers engaged. Furthermore, AI-powered predictive analytics enables Netflix to anticipate future trends and make informed infrastructure and content strategy decisions.   

CRM & Marketing Automation

Salesforce, a leading provider of CRM solutions, is at the forefront of AI innovation. Einstein GPT, Salesforce's generative AI platform, enables AI-generated content across various business functions, including sales, service, marketing, commerce, and IT. With access to a vast repository of customer data, Salesforce's AI-powered predictions, exceeding 200 billion daily, enhance the accuracy of its customer 360 suite. It helps marketers drive impactful campaigns.

HubSpot streamlines marketing workflows through AI-powered solutions. Content Assistant leverages AI to craft personalized marketing content like emails, social media posts, and blog ideas. ChatSpot, a conversational CRM, integrates seamlessly with HubSpot, enabling marketers to create contacts and send follow-up emails through voice commands, saving time and effort.

How AI is Revolutionizing B2B Marketing  

When it comes to B2B marketing, AI is helping to reshape the marketing strategies to make significant impact. Here’s how AI is helping B2B marketing

1.Insights for Targeted Strategies

AI crunches data to uncover hidden patterns which empower marketers to make data driven decisions.

From personalized email campaigns to product recommendations, AI ensures every interaction feels unique.

By forecasting future trends and customer behavior, it allows marketers to capitalize on emerging opportunities and mitigate potential risks.

2.Automation to Elevate the Creative

AI can handle repetitive tasks like data entry, lead scoring, and email scheduling.

AI-powered tools can help generate content ideas, write drafts, and even create visually appealing designs.

AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can answer customer queries and resolve issues quickly

3.Measuring Success, Optimizing for Growth

Marketers can track key metrics, identify areas for improvement, and make adjustments in campaign performance through real-time insights provided by AI.

AI can automate A/B testing, analyzing multiple variations to determine the most effective strategies.

Does AI Helps Improve ROI

Traditional methods of gauging marketing ROI often involve lengthy data analysis, making it challenging to pivot or optimize campaigns. AI helps improve ROI of marketing in a number of ways. By automating tasks, AI reduces operational costs. By personalizing customer experiences, AI increases customer satisfaction and loyalty. By making data-driven decisions, AI improves campaign effectiveness. By providing a clear picture of what works and why, AI makes it easier for marketers to justify their spending and demonstrate ROI to stakeholders.

Conclusion

Technology is changing the marketplace at a breakneck speed. Every day, there is an evolution in terms of technology and customer expectations. As an organization, you must keep up with the latest trends to stay ahead of the curve. The question "Why should marketers care about AI?" is an ongoing debate. Marketers need AI to scale their marketing initiatives but must also balance technology and human oversight. AI cannot surpass human creativity but can help create impactful and engaging campaigns. Embracing AI is essential for staying relevant, agile, and innovative in a rapidly evolving market. After all, AI is the tangible reality that is reshaping the marketing landscape.   