AI in Content Strategy and Marketing
Machine learning algorithms, artificial intelligence programs, and other self-learning innovations have taken root in our society. And while content marketers, advertisement agencies, and content creators have nothing to fear from AI, they still pose to change we perceive marketing.
Studies have shown that AI equipped with big data can make astonishing claims and decisions that would take humans days to come up with. Implementing AI into content strategies in order to maximize reach and conversion rates has always been the idea of marketing pioneers.
However, is AI sufficiently advanced to carry out these demanding tasks or is it still lacking in certain departments? What can we expect from AI, machine learning, and their introduction into everyday marketing activities in the near future?
Table of Contents
Cooperation VS Competition
What most marketing experts and industry professionals are concerned about is the competition found in AI algorithms. It’s true that computers think faster and carry out decisions that humans are barely capable of understanding. The real question is whether or not this type of advanced thinking has any place in marketing and content strategies as an individual entity free of human control.
- Just like computers and smartphones, AI algorithms in marketing still need a human touch to be efficient in their work. What most marketers see as competition is actually an invitation for collaboration of humans and machine. Let’s take a look at some of the most innovative ways in which AI can be implemented into marketing strategies:
- AI can conduct demographic analysis, track relevant customers and extrapolate data that can be used to create effective marketing materials. While the computer can use big data to calculate optimal marketing vectors, humans can create graphics, written content and other advertisement materials for customer conversion.
- Using AI on a daily basis can effectively normalize an agency’s workflow across all channels. What this means is that every employee and the department can be up-to-date and ready with actionable results for clients and projects coming their way. Smart Communications, an international company already does this to deliver quality customer experience to all of their clients. AI does this by analyzing the agency’s server data and preparing all the essential files needed to carry out that day’s work.
- While it doesn’t concern marketing itself, data protection and privacy of intellectual property play a huge role in an advertisement. AI algorithms are capable of assigning corresponding copyright protection to every piece of content created by an agency to ensure ownership of said materials. While humans can do this without AI, it does take a while to do and takes away precious time that can otherwise be spent working on current projects.
Can AI create content?
One of the most polarizing questions on everyone’s mind is whether or not AI is capable of creating content on its own. The short answer is – yes and no. A more thorough examination of AI machine learning and content creation leads us to the technology called “Natural Language Processing” or NLP for short.
As the name would suggest, NLP allows AI algorithms to analyze huge repositories of data in order to learn how to write like a human. In essence, an AI is capable of taking the existing data and creating new versions of that content without human interference. Some would say that content writers do the same on a daily basis, but only to a certain extent.
What AI lacks fundamentally is originality, creativity, and inspiration of a human content creator. In some cases (such as small blogs or niche websites) NLP can be a useful tool for spinning content in order to create new iterations. However, in terms of using NLP for large-scale information delivery, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and reader catering, NLP lacks in spades.
In these cases, it’s often smarter to use quality writing services to have new content created by professional writers that know how to appease the target audience. The question of whether or not AI will learn to individually create “creative” content is up for debate. However, in today’s day and age, machine learning and NLP are far from capable of doing so.
AI in marketing today
Now that we have covered the benefits AI can bring to the table of content strategizing as well as the major flaw of the technology, what is there left to say? After all, AI will never be able to fully take over the marketing role filled by industry professionals with years of academic education under their belts.
However, artificial intelligence algorithms can indeed help marketers in a tremendous way. Let’s take a look at some of the ways in which you can use AI in your content strategy today:
Marketing automation
AI algorithms are capable of sorting, delivering and analyzing content for customers. Marketing experts can create content and let AI-driven platforms schedule content and target specific customers that they deem vital for the content they were given. This two-step marketing automation aims to transform the way we see email marketing.
Demographic analysis
We have mentioned the analysis of customers in order to achieve maximum marketing impact – but how does that work in practice? AI algorithms can be given access to big data in order to analyze current customers, email list subscribers and website visitors for patterns in their behavior. This can prove crucial in creating relevant content for that particular audience. The same goes for social media platform analysis and whether or not certain channels are viable for your particular brand.
Responsive web design
AI is already in charge of responsive design solutions across the web. Designers rarely have to code each site they create by hand and often rely on machine learning to do the job for them.
Responsive websites are capable of “responding” to the device, browser, and connection used to access them. Once they extrapolate that data, they are able to adapt their visual and functional options for the maximum comfort of the visitors.
Personalization through chatbots
Chatbots are already present across the internet and serve as customer support agents of many popular companies. What makes chatbots unique is their low price and easy portability, meaning that you can set them up in no time.
Studies have shown that smart personalization algorithms will increase the revenue of businesses that employ them by 15% by the year 2020. This is an exponential rate at which AI is already impacting marketing and the customers’ journey with products across the globe.
Manual and automatic (Conclusion)
It’s up to individual companies to decide whether or not AI technologies are beneficial to their goals. The only thing for certain is that machine learning is learning (pun intended) at an exponential rate. Failing to adapt to current trends and sticking to old-fashioned ways of thinking might prove to be more trouble than it’s worth.
Take every factor into consideration and explore the ways in which AI in marketing can help you in your specific niche. Not two businesses are alike, so make sure to exhaust every option before turning down AI as an unviable option.
Author’s bio: Luisa Brenton has been a brand development manager for over 3 years, now she’s writing in a variety of venues – academic, business, and online marketing content. She’s a graduate of The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Find more on Facebook.
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