AI: How to Love It and Leverage It in Marketing

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s not a stretch to say that most marketers haven’t yet fallen in love with AI. But the truth is, there’s nothing “artificial” about the way AI is transforming marketing today. The technology seems to have progressed rapidly in just the past few months. It is being used in new ways to streamline and innovate marketing processes, from creating human-sounding ad content to developing powerful images.

One example of an AI tool now gaining traction in a big way is Chat GPT, the new language processing model from OpenAI. Whether Chat GPT is capable of all the tasks it’s being handed is up for debate, but it is improving and the applications are evolving.

Looking at the state of AI today in marketing, here are my thoughts on four simple ways to love and leverage it for your business:

1. Video Transcription

With the continued rise of video marketing, a straightforward and practical application is to use AI to transcribe videos. Although errors are not uncommon, the overall level of accuracy for many transcription tools is high, offering a cost- and time-effective way to transcribe anything from webinars and events to social media videos.

2. Image Creation

We’re used to seeing images altered with filters and editing tools, but you may be surprised to realize some of those images weren’t even real to begin with. A MarTech article points to asset creation as a strength area for AI. Realistic-looking assets can be created to meet specific needs without a photoshoot, designer, editing timeline, or complex usage rights. The article says there will “still be demand for pictures of real places and events, but other artistic work will be slowly replaced by AI-generated images.”

3. Content

The use of AI in creating written content is changing. It may have started with chatbots for customer service, but new AI tools are expanding the category. Search Engine Journal calls ChatGPT a “revolutionary tool that is changing the game.” The language model offers responses that sound more intelligent than most AI chatbots. It has even passed an MBA final exam given by a Wharton professor. A recent Los Angeles Times article conducted a full interview with the tool. The “chat with a chatbot” was remarkably coherent, although it did fail a logic test and was more repetitive than most humans would be.

There are many exciting applications for this type of AI. Marketers are now using AI to generate “ideas” for advertising as well as script content. Destination CRM notes that conversational AI has advanced to the level that it can now “help sales teams uncover opportunities, move prospects through the sales funnel, and close more deals more quickly and efficiently.”

4. Data Insights

Marketers are also using ChatGPT as more than just a language tool. The Search Engine Journal article notes the ability to process and make sense of programming data sets can be used to analyze and deliver data insights. For example, it can analyze customer feedback and social media to better inform your marketing strategy. When it comes to getting new customers, AI tools can be used to analyze your current customers to identify the characteristics for building a new audience for acquisition campaigns.

 

At OMI, we’ve been tapping into the power of AI for at least a few years to generate outcomes for clients. A few examples include machine learning that fuels email personalization; natural language processing that drives intent monitoring to give prospects deep insights into who their prospects are and which ones have a high probability to buy; and AI-driven platforms that create seamless omnichannel experiences at scale by delivering programmatic ads that reach prospects across channels at exactly the right time.

Future of Marketing: Artificial and Human Intelligence

While AI is advancing at breakneck speed, MarTech notes it still has a long way to go and needs human oversight to ensure accuracy and logic and bring the “real intelligence” needed for a sound strategy. AI content can be clever and appear unique, but if everyone uses the same technology and platforms, the responses will end up being similar. Human creativity is and will still be necessary for long-term success.

According to MarTech, AI frees us from “mundane tasks so we can focus on those things that truly matter.”  I couldn’t agree more. That’s why, as marketers, we need to learn to love AI. It’s here to stay, and it’s up to us as leaders to make sure we know how to leverage it so that we can empower our teams to do more meaningful work.

 

OMI’s high-quality B2B business contact data is used by Fortune 1000 firms and start-ups alike to drive modern digital marketing initiatives—from intent monitoring and ABM to email marketing and omnichannel campaigns utilizing display, social media, and more. Reach out to our team today to learn more.