Artificial Intelligence has taken the world by storm! Learn how to best implement it into your marketing strategy for a successful 2018.

With RSA 2018 now upon us, it’s a perfect time to talk about the importance of Artificial Intelligence and its future in a quality marketing strategy.  AI has become increasingly popular.  As technology continues to advance, AI use is growing.  So are the benefits it provides. Such brands as Tesla and Amazon use AI to create unique customer experiences. Tumi and other brands are beginning are seeing its advantages, too. While Tumi sent out 40 million fewer emails last year than it had the year before, thanks to AI it saw a 6x spike in eCommerce revenue.  So how does AI work, and how can it be integrated into a successful marketing plan?

The first thing to note is that Artificial Intelligence in your Marketing Plan does not mean replacing employees. Instead, AI is a tool that can help employees work faster and collect more advanced data. One advantage of AI is that it can collect and analyze large amounts of data, such as browser history, purchase history, then offer suggestions about how to move forward.

One great example of AI was provided by a sales associate at Tumi. When a longtime customer entered a Tumi store recently AI, having scanned his purchase and browser histories, predicted that he would be shopping for women’s luggage. The sales associate was confused – after all, the customer was a male!  When she spoke with him further, he said that he was shopping for a gift for his wife.  AI had analyzed various data and made a recommendation faster than any human could.  As a result, the sales associate’s job was easier. It was also more likely that the customer would leave with a purchase.

AI can also be a very effective digital marketing tool. The data it collects can be used to generate personalized messaging for customers and find new ones who have shown interest in similar products or industries. Facebook ads are a great example of AI at work. They allow you to target specific demographics and even specify areas of interest that relate to your product. Facebook’s software can then comb through user profiles and data to find a potential target audience. This enables advertisers to create target messaging making it particularly cost effective. It also prevents Facebook users from receiving irrelevant ads.

Artificial Intelligence can also be integrated into your digital customer as a chat-bot. These can help to keep customers on your website — and keep them coming back. Chat-bots are becoming more and more advanced. Current AI software can write “human-sounding” responses that help customers with brand-related questions, as well as ones about sizing and color. Chat-bots can provide customers with the one-on-one shopping experience they appreciate without adding much manpower behind the scenes.

For some people, AI is a scary word. They may imagine expensive, lifelike robots replacing humans in their jobs. But, in fact, Artificial Intelligence is extremely cost effective. It’s a tool that can help CMOs and other professionals work faster and more intelligently.  And there’s no need to implement an entire AI program at once. Instead, you can gradually bring AI into your marketing plan for a truly successful 2018.

For more information about AI or any other communication-related issues, please email us here or call at 415-351-2227.