Marketers are always looking for new technologies to amplify their brand message, connect with customers, and increase revenue. The long history of marketing has seen many different technologies; some persisted in various forms while others fell to the wayside. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the latest (and perhaps most exciting) chapter in the storied history of marketing. Every day, marketers reap the benefits of AI, and it's no surprise why they eagerly continue to add it to their toolkit.
Traditional vs. Digital Marketing
It's important to examine the various strategies and methods of the past to appreciate the extent to which AI has revolutionized marketing. Generally, there are two categories of marketing: traditional and digital. Examples of traditional marketing include radio and television commercials, newspaper and magazine advertisements, billboards, cold calling, and direct mail campaigns.
In the days of snail mail demand generation, it took creativity (and courage) to stand out, and marketers would have to leverage clever tactics, such as using a hot pink physical mailer to promote a product announcement instead of an ordinary plain white envelope. Moreover, it was challenging to attribute sales growth to advertising content, placement, or external factors.
Fast forward to digital marketing, which uses digital communications and platforms like search engines, websites, email, and social media to reach audiences, and it has become much easier for marketers to track campaign performance through key performance indicators (KPIs). At the same time, unlike traditional marketing, these digital marketing platforms could seamlessly integrate AI, enhancing their capabilities enormously.
How AI Enhances Digital Marketing
Today, many popular search engine optimization solutions, email marketing platforms, and e-commerce sites already leverage AI. Marketers use these AI-powered tools to automate everything from creating subject lines and generating content to optimizing the timing of email campaigns and placing media advertisements. Additionally, AI can make helpful recommendations in real time to marketers and even create lookalike audiences for testing purposes.
Marketers can also use AI to analyze large volumes of data from customer feedback, social media, web analytics, KPIs, etc., to extract helpful insights. These insights help marketers learn customer behaviors and preferences, allowing them to segment and target their customers with personalized content via the most appropriate channel. Likewise, by having AI analyze mountains of data, marketers can predict future trends, allowing them to allocate resources and efforts accordingly. However, it is important to note that an AI tool is only as effective and accurate as the data it has at its disposal.
AI-Powered Marketing In 2024 and Beyond
AI-driven automation will cause considerable disruption throughout the global workforce. Nevertheless, McKinsey reports that while less than 5% of occupations can be totally automated, 60% can be partially automated, including marketing.
AI-powered automation will be an essential tool for marketers moving forward. According to a Microsoft survey, 64% of respondents expressed difficulty managing their time and finding the energy to complete work, leaving little room for innovation and strategic thinking. As such, this technology could help marketers reclaim lost time and prioritize value-added projects by automating repetitive tasks and streamlining time-consuming ones like data analysis.
As AI transforms digital marketing, marketers must remember not to rely too heavily on this technology. For instance, AI cannot evaluate non-quantifiable KPIs or consistently generate high-quality content. Likewise, the data-harvesting capabilities of AI do raise privacy concerns, which marketers will need to address.
Moreover, AI lacks creativity, intuition, and empathy and cannot understand complex emotions like a human marketer. To that end, it will not replace us but augment our efforts. In light of these limitations, marketers must use AI strategically rather than liberally.
Technology Changes, But the Marketer's Role Does Not
Marketers should embrace AI and begin experimenting today to find a home for it among the larger catalog of marketing technologies and methods. While the shelf life of AI is much longer than some of the marketing tools of the past, its true effectiveness still depends on the individual marketer. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the human professional to tie all marketing activity back to specific business objectives within the company's overall strategy.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
