Revolutionising Marketing: The Role of AI

Introduction

We’ve been hearing about Artificial intelligence (AI) for years from movies to super fancy tech - it seems like the last few years have seen a real explosion in the use and proliferation of AI. Brands and social media giants alike are looking at ways to tap into it. All jostling for space amongst the attention real estate of consumers. One arena where it's having a big impact is marketing. Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the marketing landscape. From chatbots to predictive analytics, AI is being used to automate tasks, personalise experiences, and drive results. People are looking to get things done quicker and smarter.

The past few years have seen it help evolve marketing and sales to another level. And now generative AI has entered the fray. It’s poised to disrupt the way B2B and B2C players think about customer experience, productivity, and growth. Generative AI is a type of AI that can create new content, such as text, images, and videos. This makes it a powerful tool for marketing and sales teams, who can use it to create personalised content, generate leads, and automate tasks.

Of course, there are also some risks associated with generative AI. For example, it is important to make sure that the content created by generative AI is accurate and high-quality. Additionally, it is important to use generative AI in a way that is ethical and responsible. Overall, generative AI is a powerful tool that can be used to improve marketing and sales results. However, it is vital to use it responsibly and to be aware of the risks involved.

What the numbers are saying

• Research indicates that businesses that invest in AI are seeing a revenue uplift of 3 to 15% and a sales ROI uplift of 10 to 20%. (McKinsey, 2023)

• The same research found that 90% of commercial leaders expect to utilise generative AI solutions “often” over the next two years. (McKinsey, 2023)

• 44% of business leaders saw increased productivity through AI. (PwC, 2022)

• 75% of customers expect better experiences from businesses using new technology. (Salesforce, 2020)

• About 58% of Chinese companies deployed AI, and another 30% are exploring AI adoption. India has the second-highest AI adoption percentage. The global average is 34% of companies deploying AI and 42% exploring AI adoption. (IBM, 2022)

How is AI transforming marketing and sales channels

AI is still a relatively new technology, but it is already having a major impact on marketing. As AI continues to develop, it is likely to have an even greater impact on the way we market our products and services.

One of the most significant impacts of AI on marketing is the ability to personalise experiences. AI can be used to analyse customer data to create highly targeted and relevant marketing messages. This can lead to increased engagement and conversion rates. For example, generative AI can be used to create personalised email campaigns that are tailored to each recipient's interests. This can help to increase open rates and click-through rates, and ultimately lead to more sales.

Generative AI can also be used to generate leads. For example, it can be used to create chatbots that can answer customer questions and qualify leads. This can free up sales reps to focus on more complex tasks, and it can help to close more deals. Finally, generative AI can be used to automate tasks, such as creating social media posts and generating reports. This can free up marketing and sales teams to focus on more strategic activities, and it can help to improve efficiency.

Sales teams and businesses also need to understand that customers are changing how they engage with brands. They want to be able to interact with them in a variety of ways, including face-to-face, over the phone, online, and through self-service channels. And they want to do this whenever they want, wherever they are.

Winning companies are adapting to these changes. They are using advanced sales technology to provide customers with the best possible experience. They are also building hybrid sales teams that can combine the strengths of traditional sales reps with the capabilities of new technologies. And they are tailoring their strategies to meet the needs of their customers in different channels.

AI technology is playing a major role in this transformation. AI can be used to automate tasks, personalise experiences, and provide insights that can help businesses improve their sales results. And as AI technology continues to evolve, it will become even more powerful and versatile.

Here are some of the ways that AI is being used in sales today:

• Automating tasks: AI can be used to automate tasks such as lead generation, qualifying leads, and scheduling appointments. This frees up sales reps to focus on more complex and strategic tasks.
• Personalising experiences: AI can be used to personalise customer experiences by providing them with content and offers that are relevant to their interests. This can help businesses to increase customer engagement and loyalty.
• Providing insights: AI can be used to provide businesses with insights into customer behaviour and preferences. This information can be used to improve marketing and sales strategies.

As AI technology continues to evolve, it is likely to have a major impact on the future of sales. Businesses that embrace AI will be well-positioned to succeed in the years to come.

AI technology is becoming more accessible, sophisticated, and widely adopted, which is leading to a significant improvement in sales results for businesses that are using it. It’s also becoming significantly cheaper to use with the cost of AI technology decreasing in recent years, making it more accessible to businesses of all sizes. This has led to increased accessibility of AI products such as Copy.AI and ChatGPT with businesses now turning to it for all manner of tasks to help boost sales. It also has developed a certain sophistication which is enabling businesses to use it to automate more tasks and personalise customer experiences more effectively. This is leading to a significant improvement in brand exposure and sales.

The challenges of AI

While the business case for artificial intelligence is undeniably strong, it's important to recognize the lightning-fast pace at which AI technology is advancing—and the potential risks that come with it. When we asked business leaders about the main barriers hindering the adoption of AI in their organizations, they consistently pointed to internal and external risks as the top concerns.

From issues like intellectual property infringement to data privacy and security, there's a range of challenges that require thoughtful strategies and proper governance. It's clear that human oversight and accountability are crucial, which may call for the creation of new roles and capabilities to fully seize the opportunities that lie ahead.

There are many challenges that businesses face when using AI in sales and marketing. As touched upon above It's by no means a perfect solution and some say it is still in its infancy.

Here are a few issues that are faced by businesses when looking to implement AI:

• Data quality: AI technology is only as good as the data that it is trained on. Businesses need to ensure that the data that they use to train AI models is accurate and complete.
• Bias: AI models can be biased if they are trained on data that is not representative of the population that the model is intended to be used on. Businesses need to take steps to mitigate bias in their AI models.
• Interpretability: AI models can be difficult to interpret. This can make it difficult for businesses to understand how the models work and to make changes to the models if necessary.

Despite these challenges, AI technology has the potential to revolutionise the future of sales. Businesses that embrace AI will be well-positioned to succeed in the years to come.

How AI is Impacting Marketing for SMBs

The emergence of AI, particularly gen AI, holds immense potential for driving impact across three key areas of marketing and sales: customer experience (CX), growth, and productivity. Let's take a closer look at CX. With AI, brands can now deliver hyper-personalised content and offerings that are tailored to individual customer behaviour, persona, and purchase history. This level of customisation enhances the overall customer experience and fosters stronger engagement.

When it comes to growth, AI can be a game-changer. By leveraging AI capabilities, you can accelerate top-line performance by empowering sales teams with precise analytics and deep customer insights, enabling them to capture demand effectively. It's about giving your sales force the right tools to drive revenue growth. Moreover, AI has the power to significantly boost sales effectiveness and performance. By automating mundane sales tasks and freeing up valuable time, AI allows sales teams to focus on what matters most—building meaningful relationships with customers and prospects. This not only builds customer satisfaction but also reduces the cost of serving customers.

Throughout all these initiatives, personalisation is key. AI, combined with your organisation's specific data and context, enables you to gain consumer insights at the most granular level. This empowers you to deliver targeted marketing and sales offerings, taking personalisation to new heights. Winning B2B companies understand the value of going beyond traditional account-based marketing and leveraging hyper-personalisation in their outreach efforts.

Here are a few examples of what personalised AI can be used for:

• Target ads based on past purchase behaviour

• Personalize email campaigns based on customer interests

• Create chatbots that can answer customer questions

AI is also being used to automate tasks that were once done manually. This can free up marketing teams and make marketing more efficient so the team can focus on more strategic initiatives.

In it, we touched on how AI can make your efforts more impactful by focusing on a range of tasks from copywriting through to creating original images and videos.

In summary, the rise of AI, particularly gen AI, presents exciting opportunities for marketers and sales professionals. By harnessing the power of AI, you can revolutionise CX, drive growth, and enhance productivity in ways that were once unimaginable.

Conclusion

Small businesses stand to gain a lot by embracing AI technology. Imagine the impact of using chatbots and automating customer service—they can revolutionise your customer support, making it faster and more efficient. With AI-driven personalised marketing campaigns, you can create stronger connections with your customers, boosting brand loyalty in the process. And let's not forget about the power of AI-powered content creation tools—they can streamline your content creation process, saving you valuable time and money. By embracing AI, you're not only enhancing your customer service but also building better relationships with your customers and optimising your content creation efforts. It's a win-win situation for your business. As AI continues to develop, we can expect to see even more innovative ways for businesses to use this technology to their advantage.

There are many AI tools and services available that can help businesses of all sizes. With a bit of research, you can find the right AI solutions for your business and use this powerful technology to your advantage.

About author:

Tahmid is the Digital Content Creator here at EuroDNS. He oversees the blog and content strategy as well as writing content across the website. His educational background is in History, which he did his undergraduate in - which works well for his love of research. He ran his own magazine whilst at university and then cut his teeth in advertising and human behaviour, delivering for brands such as Nike, Facebook, Instagram, Google, Miller Coors and Bleacher Report. He has since carved out a career as a seasoned copywriter and strategist within the B2B space.