Fine-tuning marketing strategies to meet customers’ emerging demands is essential as we move towards a post-COVID mindset.

 

The COVID epidemic is still growing strong in many places. Even so, businesses are moving away from a “cope with the crisis” mindset. The question has now become “How will we thrive in whatever the post-COVID market brings?”.

Of course, marketing strategies will have to adapt; marketers usually need to fine-tune their plans over time, so this isn’t new. What is new is the uncertainty around exactly what and how we will be adjusting. In this environment, AI can be a real lifesaver. It can predict and find trends, enhance personalization and lead generation, hone strategies and campaigns, and even act as an automated assistant.

In this article, we’ll explore some ways AI can help marketers sail through the chaos surrounding the New Normal.

 

6 Ways AI Can Help Marketers Chart a Course Through the New Normal

1. Customized chatbots

Chatbots – usually programmed with AI to interact with people in a human-like way – can take over many time-consuming tasks, easing the load for marketers. On the front lines, they can be used to answer common questions, engage sales prospects, and assist in lead generation. They can be personalized, customized, and configured for specific channels (Facebook, text messaging, in-app, etc.). When deployed properly, they can both increase customer happiness and engagement and serve as a valuable virtual sidekick.

2. Finding and using keywords

Every marketer knows how important search engine optimization and keywords are. AI can analyze online data about who is reading (and searching for) what type of content and deliver these insights back to the marketing team, who can then draft timely, targeted content. They can even do this to reach specific segments of their audience. For example, recently we’ve seen a lot of searches around sanitizing methods, masks, and other health safeguards; medical supply brands and others dealing in similar products can take this opportunity to send different messages to consumers, healthcare organizations, businesses, etc.

3. AI-sales assistance

Working at home has been another side effect of the COVID crisis. This is an area where AI-enhanced marketing tools can be enormously helpful, as the physical presence of the sales and marketing team may not be needed as frequently. Instead, team members can use the tools to run simulations, get action guidance, launch and monitor campaigns, optimize ads, etc. All they need to do is enter KPIs, target audience, location, and other metrics into the system; the AI engine does the rest.

4. Pattern recognition

Making sense of behavior patterns can be challenging, but fortunately AI can process huge amounts of data and identify them for us. Once we understand customer behavior, we can create targeted messages and direct them through the right channel. In turn, this optimizes the return on ad spends. Pattern recognition can also be used in predictive analytics, e.g. using real-time discussions in forecasting. This gives businesses an edge in preparing upcoming campaigns and models.

5. Contextual targeting

In a related topic, AI can also help us get ads into the best channel for each segment. By way of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Deep Learning, we can analyze the context behind the data and ensure that ad placement is brand-safe and relevant.

6. Targeting high-value customers

Finding and nurturing high-value customers goes a long way for any brand, especially as they tend to stay loyal for a long time. But how can we quickly and easily identify which customers deserve the highest consideration? Once again, we can utilize AI’s ability to find patterns and predict behaviors – in this case, the conversion rates of each segment. Armed with this knowledge, we can make sure we build strong relationships with these groups.

 

How Will You Leverage AI?

AI-driven technologies work in two ways: they enhance customer experience and build stronger brand value, but they also help businesses prepare for the future – even when there’s some uncertainty on the horizon.

Now more than ever, marketers need to show care and empathy in their messaging. Open communication is a must. Using AI to build or enhance your marketing strategies can help your brand come through this crisis and prepare for the New Normal.

Authored by: Richa Kapoor, Marketing Manager at  Absolutdata and Promita Majumdar, Marketing at Absolutdata

 

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