For consumers, artificial intelligence conjures images of flying cars and personal robots who clean our homes. However, the fact is that AI is already here and has taken form in our modern, everyday lives. Consider the popularity of Siri and Cortana in electronic devices. Simply defined, AI is artificial intelligence or a computer program that mimics the way people behave and think. One huge benefit of AI is that it allows for machine learning.
Machine learning is essentially a computer program that enables machines to analyze patterns in human behavior. Social media behemoth Facebook uses both AI and machine learning to analyze text, recognize faces in photos, and target ads. Collecting and analyzing information about users allows artificial intelligence programs to gain more insight into how users work.
While marketers might be hesitant at first, AI points to better and more comprehensive user experience. Of course, content marketing will significantly change as AI grows and develops over time. Let’s look at five ways artificial intelligence is changing content marketing.
In-depth analysis
Gone are the days of stumbling around in the dark with customers. With more advanced technology and the help of AI, there’s plenty of data at your fingertips. Savvy businesses know that they can use this data to their benefit and give consumers what they want. Regardless of their sector or business model, they can deliver exactly what consumers crave with the help of AI.
Artificial intelligence uses algorithms to sort through data and create the best strategies to market content. By focusing on analyzing those consumer patterns and generating insight that way, a business can market the right content. If the analysis shows one type of content to be more popular than another, companies can pick up on how and why.
All of that comprehensive information points to better content marketing. A lot of the guesswork gets taken out of the process when business explicitly know what customers like. Furthermore, they can continue to provide content customers appreciate and thereby solidify customer loyalty. Beyond delivering great marketing, companies are guaranteed to benefit monetarily from AI content marketing.
Automation of content
AI won’t only help market great content to consumers, it will be able to create it, too! Chances are you may have already read content generated by artificial intelligence. Short blurbs and news snippets are simple and fact-based content easy for AI to put together.
Marketers can save time and effort by allowing artificial intelligence to create content for them automatically. The key is a carefully crafted algorithm that will enable computers to craft human-like language. Since 2015, news outlets have been using AI to generate news stories. In 2017, the Washington Post used artificial intelligence to generate 850 news stories. Journalists, like many other professionals today, have begun to worry that they’ll be automated out of a job.
While artificial intelligence is more than capable of generating content, it is not yet likely to completely take over. At this stage, less than a quarter of content out there comes from AI and algorithms. Truthfully, that doesn’t seem like much but who knows what the future of AI holds?
More personalized content
Remember Netflix, the online streaming giant that put the movie rental company Blockbuster out of business? Well, Netflix is a perfect example of AI providing personalized content. Their algorithm analyzes what people watch to provide them with suggestions of what to watch next. Similar companies like YouTube and Spotify are using comparable algorithms to generate suggestions.
Although it doesn’t stop at online streaming services. Companies collect information like age, personal interests, location, device, and surfing times to provide personalized content. Whether it’s an ad on Instagram or a suggested place Near You on Google Maps, AI helps offer better content. Artificial intelligence is making way for content marketing to become wholly personalized.
In fact, this personalization continues on into the world of newsfeeds, as well. Social media platforms use artificial intelligence to customize feeds to users’ preferences. After all, users who see content that interests them are far more likely to interact with it. Content marketers use this information to find out what content will be successful with specific demographics. Many writing services like Trust My Paper use AI to edit and analyze their text before sending it to customers.
AI marketing assistants
Content marketing would appear to be trending towards AI marketing assistants. Computing legends IBM already have a marketing assistant on the job, and her name is Lucy. Lucy goes beyond merely analyzing data and generating content, she can actually plan and segment. In fact, Lucy is so effective that she can do in one minute what a team of humans does in several months.
Marketers looking to take the lead will be keen to employ artificial intelligence marketing assistants on their team. The ability to receive instant answers on what regions to target or what content to include provides serious marketing power. Finding out the specific personality traits of your target audience will never be any more relaxed than with AI. These marketing assistants even can check up on your competitors for you.
The predictive abilities of artificial intelligence are really what give these marketing assistants their strength. Marketers will be able to plan and analyze a variety of hypothetical plans to select the ideal one. For now, artificial intelligence marketing assistants may be out of reach for most budgets. However, as they become more affordable, content marketing will begin to evolve completely.
Improved customer experience
Plenty of businesses already include chat boxes on their websites, which allow for more personalized customer experience. As AI develops this trend toward personalization will only continue. Chatbots and intelligent assistance will become the norm. In the world of content marketing, artificial intelligence will immensely transform the customer experience.
Sportswear brand Northface already uses AI in their online store to mimic the in-store experience. This AI service, powered by IBM, asks consumers about their preferences to help them find the ideal jacket for them. Hilton Hotels is also using artificial intelligence to improve customer experience. Their AI robot named Connie can help guests find their way around the hotel or select a place to dine.
Mass media campaigns are a thing of the past. Consumers of today expect a tailored experience. Artificial intelligence enables marketers to provide that experience quickly. However, the reality is that there are so many channels and campaigns out there, that marketers are falling behind. Attempting to do it all manually just isn’t realistic anymore. This is where the computing power and analysis of AI can really help content marketers improve.
Final thoughts
While most of the content marketing done today is still very much manual, things are changing. Marketers are letting algorithms and machine learning do more of the work for them. It’s only natural as artificial intelligence becomes more and more a part of our daily lives.
Consumers of today expect personalized experiences and relevant ads. They’ve signed away their rights to privacy for the comfort of better user experience. Artificial intelligence is giving them what they want. It will continue to do so as AI grows, expands, and takes over the marketing landscape.
