Digital marketing and artificial intelligence (AI) are constantly evolving in the modern world. The technology sector, in particular, is currently seeing an explosion in the utility of AI across platforms that were once considered too complex for such a solution.
Most people interact with several types of AI on a regular basis, but the instances are so subtle that they hardly notice. The technology is nowhere near complex enough to create any apocalyptic machine uprising as nearly every science fiction novel would have you believe, but it is growing in potential and utility – especially for businesses.
The Rise of Enterprise AI
The earliest versions of AI were unrecognizable as such software. Playing against a computer in a video game would be one example, and listening to music through an automatically curated list based on your preferences is another. There are obviously more complex AI systems out there, but the technology is still finding its roots.
Some technology companies are starting to take fuller advantage of artificial intelligence. For instance, Google is hard at work producing their own sophisticated AI, and many other major businesses are following suit. One of the most trusted names in digital marketing recently announced their newest addition to their already impressive software: Einstein.
Salesforce’s Einstein is a piece of technology for the Marketing Cloud, meaning it uses cloud computing technology to provide insights regarding company data.
Einstein and the Marketing Cloud
The concept behind the Einstein AI is based around the idea of replicating the capabilities of the human brain, at least in terms of thought processes. This AI brings together multiple simpler technologies to reach this goal, but the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Einstein has been described as a marketing solution that works right out of the box, meaning it requires very little setup or configuration. The software analyzes company and customer data to find patterns or insights that might otherwise be missed by human sales representatives.
What this means is that the software offers the ability to optimize the sales process by ensuring that no opportunities are ever missed. It is quite possible for a human sales associate to miss engagement opportunities or patterns in customer purchasing habits, but Einstein combines the consistency of computational power with the ability to find these hidden insights.
Not only does the software use cloud computing technology to consolidate customer data in the search for potential opportunities for growth, but it can also automate a vast number of the most tedious tasks that a sales associate might be forced to complete. This allows the human sales team to focus on building strong customer relations.
How AI Affects Marketing
The four most vital areas of marketing are the audience, the channel, the timing and the content. Software like Einstein is designed to optimize each of these areas, which in turn optimizes potential revenue. A marketing campaign will not be maximally effective if it’s presented to the wrong audience, if it’s presented at the wrong time, or through a channel that is rarely used by the audience.
Content is vital as well since it can promote or discourage a potential customer from converting. AI is a requirement for larger brands with tons of customer data, because intelligent solutions for overwhelming marketing requirements will reduce the loss of revenue due to insufficient processes.
In short, the goal of AI is to help businesses achieve their greatest potential.
The Future of AI and Marketing
As businesses continue to find advantages associated with the use of AI software, they will integrate those solutions into their practices in a much more industry-wide manner. Major online entities like Amazon and YouTube are already using AI systems to help steer their users to other items or videos they might enjoy.
IBM recently announced that it will be combining efforts with Salesforce to merge the capabilities of Einstein with Watson – the super-AI that recently defeated the world champion of a board game that was thought impossible for computers to learn to play.
It will take at least a year for Einstein and Watson to be fully merged, but the results will undoubtedly be significant for the Marketing Cloud. Einstein is currently being integrated into every part of the Salesforce platform, which will only help the software become more comprehensive and effective. Contact a marketing consultant if you have questions about how AI can help your business.