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Embracing Emerging Technologies: AI and Machine Learning in B2B Marketing

AI is no longer science fiction — it’s a part of daily life for many marketers. AI (artificial intelligence) and its underpinning technology, machine learning, are becoming an increasingly essential part of B2B marketing. Automation and personalization are simpler with the right digital tools — freeing up marketers to focus on that all-important human connection side of marketing.

With 80% of marketers utilizing AI at some level, it’s time you took a fresh look at the possibilities of AI and machine learning for your growth strategy.

AI-Powered PPC

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a critical aspect of lead generation for many B2B marketers. Most new business purchases start with an online search, so positioning your firm highly on the search engine results pages (SERPs) is a great way to meet potential new leads.

So, where does AI come in? AI can help with:

  • Better, faster keyword research

  • More effective bid management

  • More targeted audience segmentation

  • Real-time adjustments to improve ad effectiveness

AI can sift through huge volumes of data on buying behavior, browsing habits, and demographic information that can help ensure ads end up in places where they’ll be noticed by a receptive audience.

Make it Personal — AI Drives Hyper-Personalization Possibilities

That highly targeted approach allows AI-powered ads and marketing materials to get so much more personal. AI doesn’t replace the human element of campaign creation. It enhances it by providing accurate and timely information on increasingly granular segments of your target audience.

Understanding your audience is important for all marketers, but for B2B marketers, insights into a buyer’s habits could be the difference between a years-long contract and zero interest. AI helps you achieve microtargeting — the art of fine-tuning your audience until you’re targeting very small, niche groups of buyers. As targets become leads, AI can add more personalization data to communications and marketing materials to ensure that even automated responses carry your firm’s branding and values.

Predict the Future with Increasingly Accurate Analytics

Of course, marketing campaigns require performance assessment and analysis. Machine learning is ideal for this as it’s all about recognizing patterns and delivering insights. For B2B marketers, these can come in the shape of a dashboard that shows integrated data from multiple campaigns and channels. Data visualization is a common delivery tool for AI and machine learning insights, helping non-data scientists quickly understand what’s been successful and what needs tweaking.

However, machine learning can go beyond telling you what’s happening now. It can use patterns to predict what might happen next and how to plan for it. If a campaign was successful due to a particular market environment and shifting trends, your AI-powered business intelligence (BI) tools may use this data to suggest your next steps in the context of the current market. It can show you where to channel budgets and expected ROI — and it continues to learn from every campaign’s success or failure.

Final Word

Adapting your B2B marketing strategy to include AI and machine learning may seem like a leap, but you’re probably already using more AI-powered tools than you realize. Many customer relationship management (CRM) systems use AI to organize and present data, and if you use chatbots or automated email, there will be some level of AI in those.

Talk to the team at Arch Collective about your overall marketing efforts and let’s see if we can spot where AI could help you drive growth. Book a free 15-minute discovery call and connect with a member of our team.

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