In the fifth post in our series, “Artificial Intelligence for Technology Marketers,” we looked at the potential of AI in marketing as it continues to evolve and how it is expected to impact the key areas where it is already being heavily applied – data and metrics, personalization and interaction, and predictions. This final post sums up our blog post series and reminds us of the vast potential of AI.

We started the series by defining AI as the ability of computers to perform tasks, which includes using data to help people make decisions and also to make and apply decisions without human intervention.  In doing so, AI has the potential to take on an enormous amount of manual, time-consuming work, such as collecting data, analyzing it, and making recommendations.

Next, we looked at specific use cases, including analytics, personalization, content creation, and lead engagement. Then, we dove into specifically how AI is being used in B2B marketing, such as analyzing total addressable market, selecting target accounts, deriving valuable customer insights, and helping with targeting and personalization. Our fourth post discussed what to consider when integrating AI into your marketing technology stack.

We’ve covered many of the advantages and benefits, use cases, and challenges of using AI in marketing, so where does that leave us? My hope is that you’ve seen the big picture when it comes to the opportunities for leveraging AI and how it can help:

• Automate work no one on the team loves to do, such as data analysis and reporting.
• Take data and derive fresh insights about customers’ needs, expectations, and desires on both the individual and account level.
• Update data continuously in real time.
• Build in-depth, relevant customer personas/ideal customer profiles for pinpoint audience segmentation, targeting, and personalization.
• Evolve your marketing programs with accurate predictive analysis, modeling, and marketing execution.
• Make recommendations for optimization across every marketing program, channel, event, and activity.
• Drive better results by aligning how your company markets itself with how your customers purchase.
• Give you better tools to connect in a meaningful way with multiple audiences.
• Surface the most qualified leads, schedule meetings, and automate the nurture process in a compelling and intelligent way.

Looking at that list, I wonder how we ever got along without the help of artificial intelligence. Having said that, I would like to add one note of caution, best expressed by Gartner: “No amount of AI personalization will fix a site that does not offer what customers want; no chatbot will improve customer perception if your product fails to deliver; and no augmented reality app will enhance relationships with customers who have lost trust in your brand to deliver as promised.”¹ So be sure you’ve built a proper marketing foundation before getting started with AI. I wish you the best of luck in your marketing efforts!

About the author

Kim Ann King is the author of “The Complete Guide to B2B Marketing: New Tools, Tactics, and Techniques to Succeed in the Digital Economy.” She has helped launch and build several pioneering Internet companies and writes frequently about artificial intelligence, marketing technology, e-commerce, and cybersecurity.

1. Augie Ray, “The Top Zero Customer Experience Trends for 2018,” Gartner for Marketers Blog, December 7, 2018. https://blogs.gartner.com/augie-ray/2017/12/06/the-top-zero-customer-experience-trends-for-2018/