AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is a concept that is affecting almost everything in our lives. When you perform a Google search for AT&T customer service, Google’s AI shows you the relevant result. Everything from search engines to smart homes is embracing artificial intelligence. But what is it? Simply put, AI bases on the premise that a machine can exhibit the same degree of intelligence as a human. The results have shaken the business world, with new opportunities appearing almost overnight. The social media marketing aspect of a business particularly stands to benefit from AI.
How can AI help with social media campaigns?
An AI is essentially a computer that can do things traditionally only humans can. It does this by “learning” from its environment and applying this learning to tasks assigned to it. Machine learning lets a computer mimic human intelligence in certain situations. When you look at social media, with over 2 billion active users, it is the place to market your business. But the huge number of social media users can be overwhelming for a human trying to construct an effective campaign. Analyzing a diverse selection of customers, preferences, and interests can be difficult for a human being. But what if you could use the power of AI to help you.
Here are four ways AI can support your social media campaigns:
- Data Analysis
- Content Generation
- Personalization
- Targeted Ads
Here’s a more detailed look at how AI can perform in each area.
Data Analysis
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal. Facebook allegedly sold confidential data on its users to Cambridge Analytica. This data was apparently used to influence undecided voters. The moral implications of this issue are not the purpose of this blog. But the fact that huge amounts of data accumulate on social media is. With over 2 billion users using it for a variety of activities, there is a ton of data available. But having data is not enough unless you have the means to can analyze it and draw accurate conclusions. If you read the data right, you can even make predictions. This is particularly useful to businesses of all sizes.
But sifting through such large volumes of data can be daunting for a human being. This is where AI can be of help. Using AI to analyze your social media data can be just the boost your business needs. The AI can gather and analyze data, find patterns and take into account your competition’s activities. It can then use this information to give you real-time solutions to your social media needs. There’s also the fact that an AI is free from human failings like errors or bias. You can flexibly scale the AI’s analysis up or down, based on your needs. In short, AI can read your data, analyze it and predict outcomes that you can act on in real-time. This gives you an edge over the competition as far as intelligent decision making goes.
Content Generation
Content has long been a human domain. Creativity is an organic ability. Machines cannot “create” original content. This is probably something that is deeply ingrained in your mind. Well, you’re wrong. Experts think that by the end of 2018, more than 20% of the content on the internet will be machine-generated. AIs make use of Natural Language Generation to turn data into text. This is already in use in financial reports and analysis by many financial firms. This philosophy has applications in social media as well. One of the biggest challenge faced by social media marketers is content. Or rather, consistently coming up with content that engages the audience. This is where AI can help out a lot.
AI can generate narratives, social media posts, and even scripts. The end result is indistinguishable from a human-generated content piece. There are hundreds of businesses vying for visibility on social media. So consistently generating high-value content is key. AI saves time and resources that would get consumed by this. In a world where speed-to-market is a huge concern for customers, AI can deliver content faster than a human.
Targeted Ads
Social media has changed the way campaigns operate. In the past, businesses would run two or three targeted campaigns in a year. Today, most businesses run more campaigns than that in a single month! This is a challenge for social media marketers. They need to work harder, more frequently, to come up with a campaign that has a wider reach. All while engaging their audience. They need to get the right message to the right people. AI can play a huge role in this segment of social media marketing. It can analyze behavior patterns based on data and position the right ad to the right people.
The human factor becomes limited to defining the variables of a campaign. Just identify segments in your market, your target audience, marketing budget, and other key factors. Then sit back and let the AI take over. It can even focus on high-value customers. The best thing is, AI can use a person’s search history to show them relevant products or services. People who have already shown an interest in your business are more likely to become customers. AI can target them effectively.
Personalization
Automated mass-messaging and email-bombs were once easy and simple ways to reach out to your customers. Unfortunately, that’s not the case anymore. In this age, customers have become pampered and used to personalized communication. Sending personalized, one-on-one messages to customers on social media can work. For small businesses that are. But what if you’re a business that receives thousands of messages every day!
AI integration can really help here. The AI reads the messages or data it receives from customers in seconds. It analyzes it to identify patterns, tones, motivations, and insights. The AI then uses this analytics to develop messages personalized to each customer. The AI can even identify which phase the customer is in the marketing funnel. It can then send appropriate messages to take that customer to the next step and closer to a sale. Chatbots work on a similar principle. They use the tone and content of a customer’s message to come up with an appropriate response instantly. So an angry customer trying to contact Spectrum customer service after hours can still get an appropriate response.
