There’s no question that digital marketing has come a long way. Since Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989, advertisers have found new and ever-more advanced ways to leverage the internet for marketing purposes. The rise of digital marketing has been breathtaking, and with the advent of AI (artificial intelligence), its storied evolution is entering a whole new chapter.
AI, the software-based simulation of human-like intelligence systems, is without doubt one of the greatest achievements in the history of technology.
Defined by IBM as software which “leverages computers and machines to mimic the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of the human mind,” digital marketers are finding new ways to integrate AI in online advertising strategies.
This hasn’t happened overnight; in fact, the roots of AI stretch back to the 1950s, when Alan Turing floated the idea of ‘intelligent computers’ in his groundbreaking paper, Computing Machinery and Intelligence. In it, Turing poses the question of ‘can machines think?’, and argues for a redefinition of words like ‘machine’ and ‘think.’
But in recent years, and in line with momentous strides forward in computing power, the power of AI has grown exponentially. It is now capable of complex decision-making, nuanced process improvement and intricate self-refinement.
Many scientists note that AI has reached such a high level of sophistication that it can actually evolve by itself; leading some tech leaders, Elon Musk included, to raise concerns.
In any case, and with fears of a dystopian future set aside, AI leaves us with plenty of reasons to be cheerful. Across many sectors – healthcare, education and bioscience included – artificial intelligence presents the opportunity for a genuine revolution.
Thanks to systems such as natural language processing (NLP) and machine vision, the AI/digital marketing relationship has blossomed.
It’s proven an efficient, effective and downright exciting way for marketing teams to meet their business goals and strive for new levels of success. There are a whole host of ways AI can be used to assist businesses; just look at the suggestion algorithms used by Amazon or Netflix, automated chatbots that deal with customer enquiries, or personalised email campaigns, as a few examples.
Content Curation and Generation
One of the most fascinating ways AI can integrate with digital marketing is through content and video creation. Content marketing, whether it be social media posts, ebooks, infographics, blog posts, or indeed, video, has grown to become perhaps the most important facet of digital marketing.
You’ve heard it once, heard it a thousand times: ‘content is king.’
It’s just that now, with the incredible powers of AI video generator added to the mix, the king has an ace up its sleeve.
Powerful AI tools such as our Script to Video or Edit Video Using Text give digital marketers a whole new toybox to play with, allowing for the quick and efficient production of top-quality marketing videography to increase visibility and boost brand awareness. And it doesn’t stop there; AI can benefit content writers, too, via tools like Auto Caption Video or Auto Summarize Long Videos.
Suffice to say, AI represents a new universe of possibility for content marketers, and through the application of smart features and advanced software, a one-stop shop for all things video marketing. It’s a time-efficient, cloud-based solution, eliminating the need to download and install complicated software or purchase expensive computers.
Streamlining Digital Marketing Campaigns
When it comes to the wider scope of digital marketing, implementation of AI is a big win because of the possibilities it presents for optimisation. Using advanced and intelligent software, marketers can dramatically streamline campaigns and increase ROI; by removing the risk of human error, or improving efficiencies in data collection, to take two examples.
Right now, this just might be digital marketing’s worst-kept secret: McKinsey & Company found that, of 400+ advanced use cases, “marketing was the domain where AI would contribute the greatest value.”
In 2020, Deloitte carried out a global study of AI users which showed that “three of the top five AI objectives were marketing-oriented: enhancing existing products and services, creating new products and services, and enhancing relationships with customers.”
Two ways AI and machine learning can help optimise marketing campaigns are through predictive analytics and decision-making.
Take, for example, analyses of text input and customer behaviour. This paves the way for premeditation of how certain users may respond to certain promotions, helping marketers make decisions around customer relationship management (CRM) systems, eCommerce recommendation engines, and more.
None of this, of course, eliminates the need for brands to connect with their audience, and engage users with originality, personality and flair.
It’s not about handing over the reins of your digital marketing campaigns to a computer; it’s about using computers to streamline processes, make efficiency gains and minimise risks, allowing you to engage your audience in deeper, personalised, more meaningful ways. And with AI, the latest tool in the digital marketer’s kit, online advertising is ready to ring in a whole new era of possibility.