Our friend, AI - how we can use some AI tools for better marketing in a post-Covid world

COVID-19 has ripped apart the very fabric of society. The world of work and business is now unrecognisable. In the marketing arena, big changes are happening and the previously timid entry of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into our everyday activities has suddenly turned into a big giant leap and compels us to rethink every move and task when marketing goods and services. AI, as defined by Wikipedia, is the intelligence demonstrated by machines, and does not involve consciousness or emotionality. The ideal scenario would be to integrate AI into marketing activities while keeping the human touch and empathising with clients and customers. Ginni Rometty, President and CEO of IBM from 2012 to 2020, proposed that AI would not lead to a world of man “versus” machine but rather a world of man “plus” machines.

MANAGE DEMAND AND HAVE IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS 24/7

As small business owners, while we manage businesses with COVID in the background on a daily basis, we try to find cost-effective ways to engage with our customers and clients and, at the same time, manage remote staff and limited operations. Conversational technologies such as chatbots and business messengers help us become more efficient at doing sales, marketing and support online. When using these technologies, we free up human agents to deal with more complex cases. Further, AI bot deployment can be scaled up or down as needed when demand ebbs or flows. We can even show 24/7 availability when required. We can shift our operations to more of an online focus. The need to maintain customer/client relationships and scale operations is critical right now and likely to remain so for some time.

MORE SOPHISTICATED CUSTOMER SEGMENTATION LEADING TO BETTER WEBSITE OPTIMISATION AND ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING

More effective customer segmentation via AI and data analysis leads to better insights into prospect and customer profiles. This brings about enhanced website optimisation and account-based marketing. The marketing message and even the call-to-action can be more personalised and compelling and can be irresistible. Work relationships in the case of account management can be refined and go up one level or two. Advanced analytics through AI allows us to improve the customer experience.

BETTER OUTREACH WITH SMS

In hard times, we need to reach our customers directly, anywhere, in urban areas, rural or inaccessible places, whether it is to share an emergency alert, retain a customer base currently difficult to access, or provide a new product or service that would be of help. We can use Short Message Service (SMS) Marketing for the direct touch and real-time communications. Specialised messaging platforms allow us to distribute our messages accordingly. Research from Zipwhip, a business texting solution provider, found that 77% of consumers use texting more than other messaging tools, and 80% of consumers want businesses to offer the option to text them. 

PROVIDE SEARCH FACILITIES

Voice Search Engine Optimisation (VSEO) is the latest 2021 trend and is predicted to increase, driven by consumers’ use of voice search via their smartphones and devices like Amazon’s Echo and Google Home. It is frequently used to help search for products on an e-commerce site or for local and accessible services. To provide for a more enhanced VSEO, long-tailed keywords are favoured, imitating normal human expressions and colloquialisms. “Businesses that optimise their content for terms used in voice search will have an upper hand in the months and years to come.” - Dennis Vu, CEO and Co-founder, Ringblaze

WELCOME PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS

Predictive tools are at hand to help e-commerce buyers to choose products based on their previous searches or purchases. This AI tool is brilliant and converts indecisive users into hard-core repeat customers. The tool is used by Birchbox, Stitch Fix and Trendy Butler. A further use of AI in predictive analysis is in the situation of shipping-then-shopping i.e. shipping items to a customer without a formal order, with customers having the option to return what they need. However, predictive analysis needs to improve substantially before this business model can be adopted as we do not want massive product returns.

IMPROVE DATA CAPTURE - SAVE TIME AND OPTIMISE PRODUCTIVITY

AI tools helps capture data at popular touchpoints/places of customer interaction for input on the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system for the marketing or sales funnel. We can transfer data from email or call centres into record-keeping systems (i.e. updating customer files), gaining new insights from data, or engaging customers and employees. Using AI-enabled analytics and text, voice, image and facial expression data, businesses can predict what a customer is likely to buy, or deploy targeted digital advertising in real-time.

AI-ENHANCED CUSTOMER CONVERSATIONS FOR A BETTER SALES AND MARKETING APPROACH  

AI helps the sales agent manage a conversation with a prospect or customer, monitoring conversations in real-time. Using advanced voice analysis capabilities to detect nuances/subtleties in a customer’s tone for example, an AI agent might infer that an unmentioned issue remains a problem and provide real-time feedback to guide the (human) salesperson’s next approach.

POPULARISE PODCASTS AND VIDEOS

Better VSEO and customer segmentation also enable us to push podcasts and videos into mainstream marketing channels as long-tail keywords and more precise customer segments are used.

 IT’S A QUESTION OF BALANCE

Companies strike a suitable balance between their own commercial interests and the interests of customers: data privacy, bias, and ethics are important issues to consider.

AI offers the potential to increase revenues and reduce costs. Revenues may increase through improved marketing activities e.g. promotions, product recommendations, enhanced customer engagement; costs may decline due to the automation of simple marketing tasks and customer service. Rather than replacing humans, firms generally are using AI to augment their human employees’ capabilities. Our own adoption of AI depends on our budgets and scale of operations, of course, but it is a choice worth thinking about. “AI is going to make our lives better in the future.” - Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Facebook.

Sources:

“How artificial intelligence will change the future of marketing.” - Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. Jan2020, Vol. 48 Issue 1

“Automation and AI are the new ‘normal’: Marketers will continue to lean on chatbots, voice search, artificial intelligence, and video in the post-COVID world.”- CRM Magazine. Jul/Aug2020, Vol. 24 Issue 6