How Artificial Intelligence Can Benefit B2B Marketing
The largest, and probably the coolest, technology trend to emerge in time for 2017 has to be artificial intelligence, or AI. Get used to that abbreviation because you are going to see it pop up more and more as this technology continues to spread. From Siri, to self-driving cars, to pizza tops (high top sneakers that order pizza for you—yes, this is totally real), we are seeing AI transform itself into various industries.
Some of the many anticipated benefits of artificial intelligence include providing better insight on potential accounts and a more detailed analysis of campaigns, in addition to identifying prospective customers. In the next few years, AI will revolutionize the marketing industry and make itself a permanent fixture in our daily lives. From scheduling meetings to acquiring new leads, AI will become vital for any B2B marketer. Here are a few ways in which AI will change B2B marketing…
Predictive Analytics can assist in targeting and sales
Ever hear of Salesforce? An excellent example of AI technology at work. This software and others alike have been developed to collect and analyze customer data more efficiently than any human would. It also has the ability to increase metrics such as lead volume, lead conversion, and sales acceleration. Based on the information it interprets, it will give you suggestions on new leads suited for you, while nixing those who aren’t. This saves you time in going through all that customer data yourself, and helps you to properly understand the behaviors, motivations, and hesitations of current and future leads.
Tools such as Predictive Search Programs
This is exactly what it sounds like. Have you typed something into Google and it automatically fills your search query with suggestions? That is a predictive search program doing its job. It is extremely useful when it comes to websites that contain a lot of information. And beneficial when it comes to potential prospects who are first-time visitors; it helps them find exactly what they are looking for without any hassle. New visitors are more likely to return to a site where they had a good user experience. If a site is too confusing and overwhelming, you probably won’t be seeing them again.
Virtual Assistants
Siri, Alexa, Cortana are all voice-controlled, hands-free assistants. They use voice processing which makes them capable of answering basic questions as well as automating basic human tasks. The notion behind AI is to have machines and software “think”, so that we are able to be more productive and achieve our goals and objectives a little faster.
Personalization
Although many aspects of AI are in fact automated, personalization is something this technology will actually improve upon. By using machine-learning algorithms, marketers will be able to personalize their content and campaigns relevant to the individual that is being targeted. This process pulls data-rich information about a customer’s behaviors and preferences, and predictively personalizes content based on that individual. It is always a struggle getting the right piece of content delivered to the right person but with AI, this will be more accurate. If executed properly, the ability to translate personalized conversations to large amounts of customers will ultimately result in more conversions.
There are so many other benefits to AI that were not mentioned. In fact, half of this blog post was written using AI—voice-to-text software on a smartphone! As this technology develops and progresses, we are hoping to continue adding to the list of promising qualities. 2017 has only just begun and we are anxious for what comes next.