AI to shape content creation and strategies in 2018

March 12, 2018 by Aimee
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Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a hot topic in content marketing this week. A new study published by BrightEdge found that most brands will use the technology to improve creation and strategy this year.

Canadian PR agency RNMKR revealed that it had used AI to drive lead generation to the top of the sales funnel for its clients.

The BrightEdge study featured an in-depth look at the adoption of AI technologies, which include robotic process automation and machine learning, with a view to informing brands about key trends and to see whether it will have an impact on content campaigns in 2018.

The results suggest that the AI revolution is finally here. While last year’s Future of Marketing survey revealed a reluctance among marketers to fully embrace AI despite recognising its future value, this year’s study found that a few brands are already on board. Many more are either “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to use it to develop their strategies during the next 12 months.

Data and analytics are becoming more important for brands as they attempt to use the growing amount of information they collect on social and other platforms to inform content decisions. Therefore, it is no surprise that many are planning to use AI to streamline and improve these activities. Personalising content for target audiences has also been a widely discussed trend recently, and AI feeds into this objective.

“Despite some of the hype surrounding artificial intelligence, this survey shows that AI is very real, and marketers are adopting AI-first technology in search and content marketing sectors faster than most,” said BrightEdge CEO Jim Yu. “The insights that AI brings allows marketers to make smarter and faster decisions to deliver compelling customer experiences that perform.”

Gaining a better understanding of customers is more important than ever, as content must speak personally to different user groups. Approximately 31% of respondents said that AI had enabled them to deliver targeted customer experiences and get a better handle on audience desires. An additional 14.5% said it had also led to better performing content, while 8.5% claimed it had caused an increase in return on investment.

AI is quickly becoming essential for content creation according to RNMKR’s Founder and Chairman, Ari S. Goldberg, who revealed that the technology is having a profound impact on how they optimise content to convert leads into paying customers. AI can also be used to capture customer interest and help build strategies from the ground up.

“What we’ve come to realize is whether we apply those steps to luxury grooming and essentials, or to travel, or to luxury real estate, it doesn’t matter — it’s the same steps,” Goldberg said. “You’re creating content. You’re doing that based on SEO. You’re still using the same social platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, whatever it might be, so that the foundation, the tactics, are the same but the vertical and the brand might change.”

Aimee