Marketing has come a long way in the last few decades, with new technologies constantly emerging to help small businesses succeed. Marketing is no longer just placing an ad in the local newspaper or putting a brochure in the mail- it now requires a multi-faceted approach that incorporates digital media, such as social media, website design, and online advertising.
One technology that is particularly helpful for small businesses when it comes to digital marketing is artificial intelligence (A.I.). A.I. can be used to help businesses analyze their data and find patterns that they might not have otherwise detected. This can then be used to improve the marketing strategies that are put in place.
But before we get to that, you might be asking what exactly A.I. is. Simply put, A.I. is a computer program that can “think” like a human being and can understand complex tasks. Artificial intelligence is everywhere; you may just not notice. It’s used in products like Siri, Alexa, Spotify, and Uber, as well as online social media services like Facebook and LinkedIn. A.I. can also be used to help humans with tasks like translation and data analysis, which is why it’s so important for small businesses to consider how it can help them with their marketing efforts.
So let's get to it. Here are a few ways that A.I. can help your small business:
Use A.I. to Analyze Your Data - One of the biggest benefits of A.I. is that it can help businesses analyze their data in a way that they might not have been able to otherwise. A.I. can help you identify which tactics are working and which ones aren’t, so you can tweak them accordingly.
Automate Your Processes - A.I. can help you automate your processes so that everything is done in a more efficient and organized way. This can save you time, money, and allocate resources elsewhere that can be more productive. For example, chat bots. Chat bots are A.I. programs that can be used to automate conversations with customers on social media and website platforms. By automating that process, you reduce the need for human interaction and can typically address the customers concerns faster.
Streamline Workflows - A.I. can help you streamline your workflows by automating certain tasks or taking the burden off of you. For example, you can have A.I. create customized email campaigns based on certain interactions that you have with your customers or prospects. Regular and relevant emails can help you build relationships with your customers and keep them updated on what’s going on.
Improve Your Digital Marketing Performance - A.I. can also help you improve your marketing performance by providing insights into how your website is performing, what content is most successful, and where you can invest in more marketing dollars. To put it simply, the vast algorithms used in A.I. not only predict outcomes but also help digital marketers act on the predicted outcomes. Predictive analysis indicates possible consumer behavior based on past data, and prescriptive analysis consequently points marketers to where they need to go and what they need to do to improve their standing in their customers’ favor.
There are many other ways that A.I. can help small businesses with their digital marketing, but these are just several examples. Since artificial intelligence is relatively new in the marketing space, you never want to fully rely on it. However, using a few A.I.-assisted tools can definitely help you in your digital marketing efforts. So don’t be afraid to start testing out these tools and see what results you get. In the end, it could be a very worthwhile investment. A.I. for digital marketing is here to stay.