Practical applications of AI in digital marketing

Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) has become more popular with marketers and it will soon no longer be a choice, but a necessity to stay ahead of the curve with the latest tools. With the recent rapid advances in machine learning, there’s no doubt it will assist with creating compelling content and predicting consumer behaviour.

AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT and image generation tools are just the beginning and will revolutionise industries. However, misuse and overreliance can seriously damage marketing efforts. This being said there are several AI marketing tools that when used correctly can elevate your marketing efforts.

AI marketing tools for content creation

Artificial intelligence is playing a pivotal role in revolutionising content creation not only within the marketing landscape but across many industries. Offering innovative tools and capabilities to enhance creativity and efficiency for marketing teams. AI is bound to become a tool digital marketers will regularly use to assist our content creation.

With the popularity and advancement of AI marketing tools, we are seeing more marketing teams leaning on AI for their creative assets. But like most powerful tools it’s how and when they are used that gain the best results. Avoid the lazy approach by having your copy and creative elements solely created by AI but instead use these tools to enhance and assist your creative vision. With free tools available from ChatGPT and even text-to-image generation from Canva, it’s more accessible than ever to enhance your work. 

We recommend using these natural language processing tools for ideas and inspiration to assist your campaigns. For example, ChatGPT is great for generating ideas and even giving you a jumping-off point for some of your copywriting ideas. Using this alongside your input can streamline your content output.

Generative AI tools we recommend: 

ChapGPT or Claud.ai for copy

Both of these AI writing tools have free and paid options and are a great entry to the simple text response AI. Both allow you to develop ideas and copy inspirations for campaigns.

Midjourney or Canva for images

Midjourney is one of the first AI image-generation tools and has had time to develop its model to produce high-quality results. There are also lots of resources and guides online to help maximise its output to produce extremely detailed and photorealistic results. Canva is also a great free option as it has an easy-to-use interface and multiple free AI features for marketers of all skill levels. 

Predictive AI for analytics and reporting

AI marketing tools are making it easier than ever to analyse large amounts of data. Whether it’s predicting customer behaviour, optimising campaigns or influencing strategies, AI is allowing us to quickly gain insights from campaign data. For example, AI can now easily assist marketing campaigns by analysing audiences for segmentation to maximise campaign performance.

By analysing all of your data on things like customer behaviours, purchases, engagement metrics, and more, AI can identify the key factors that drive successful marketing outcomes across multiple platforms and campaigns. AI can then use this machine learning to forecast future trends and customer behaviour.

Smart audience segmentation and email send optimisation AI tools we recommend: 

Einstein by Salesforce or MailChimp

These are both great tools with lots of AI features that can be integrated into different CRMs. Especially for email marketing, these are essential for optimising your campaigns.

AI in marketing automation 

Alongside implementing AI data analysis tools, you can also automate various marketing processes, such as lead generation, email marketing, social media management and more. For example, AI can be set up to automatically analyse customer data and behaviour patterns to identify potential leads and target them with personalised marketing campaigns. 

Another great example of AI automation is the use of a chatbot that can be programmed to gather valuable customer feedback and answer questions. This data can also inform future marketing strategies by analysing these conversations and interactions with chatbots to gain insights and data for future campaigns.

More AI software is being integrated within marketing platforms, such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems and is now becoming a key factor to consider when choosing a marketing platform. 

Social media automation and AI chatbot tools we recommend: 

Sprout Social or Chatfuel

Sprout Social have multiple AI features to help automate some social media marketing with great analytics tools. Chatfuel also offers an easily integrated chatbot for many top marketing platforms.

How we use AI as an agency...

At our agency, we recognise the potential of AI in digital marketing and creative processes, but we approach its implementation with consideration. We use AI as a supportive tool to enhance our creativity and strategic thinking, not as a replacement for human expertise. Our commitment to clients is clear: we never rely solely on AI-generated content for client work, and human judgment remains at the forefront of all our creative and strategic decisions. 

We have a clear AI Policy that all team members adhere to, ensuring responsible and ethical use of AI tools. By embracing AI with this approach, we harness its power to elevate our marketing efforts while preserving the unique human touch that defines our work, delivering innovative, authentic, and effective marketing solutions that drive real results for our clients. Read our full stance on AI.

So should you implement AI into your campaigns?

AI is extremely powerful and can be beneficial in enhancing your digital marketing efforts however, it's crucial to implement it with caution. An overreliance on AI content can lead to a lack of authenticity and genuine customer connections.

We should strive to strike a balance, using AI as a supportive tool to enhance our creativity, and strategic thinking, rather than a complete replacement. 

Overusing AI risks generating repetitive, generic content and an overreliance on predictive analytics could lead to a failure to account for unexpected market shifts or consumer behaviour changes.

The most effective digital marketing strategies will use the capabilities of AI with the irreplaceable human elements of creativity and direction. By embracing AI in the right way marketers can harness the power of these tools to enhance their marketing efforts.