How to Balance AI and Your Digital Marketing Strategy

Conversations surrounding the possibilities and the practicality of artificial intelligence are at an all time high, especially in the realm of digital marketing. As new software and technology emerges, businesses and specialists explore what machine learning will mean for online marketing efforts from paid ads and social media marketing to search engine optimization and content marketing. And while the thought of AI can be frightening or intimidating at first, it’s important to note that digital space is prone to disruption. What first emerged in the 90s, digital marketing strategies have since adapted to the birth of paid ad space, social networking, automation, and now artificial intelligence. As the technology continues to evolve and the possibilities available online change accordingly, it’s advantageous to brands looking to compete online to understand where artificial intelligence can support them and alternatively where it can hinder them. 

With the guidance of a leading digital marketing agency, like Xi Digital, you can learn how to leverage the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence to grow your business and online presence. 

What Has Happened with AI in 2023?

Early on in the year, ChatGPT-3 gained popularity across various industries for its seemingly exceptional abilities to respond to conversational prompts and provide new more tailored information in the form of a chat. In addition to ChatGPT-3, other AI-dependent platforms have become available quickly online like Jasper.AI, Smartly.IO, Flick and countless others. Beyond these platforms, leading search engines have integrated AI into their user experience. Where Bing incorporates ChatGPT from Open.AI, Google is rolling out its integrated AI platform Bard which is currently available in 180 countries globally including the United States, although it is yet to be released in Canada. 

How AI is Used for Content Marketing

The possibilities of artificial intelligence are seemingly endless. Easy content generation has led more and more people to leverage these tools for website content, blog creation, ad copy, sales copy, email marketing, and other marketing-related texts. In most cases, a general brief or prompt will produce content in under a minute that fits the parameters you define. The incredible speed of content creation has been one of the leading factors as to why AI has become so popular, but it is not without its limitations. When content is written solely by chatbots and AI, it often fails to be unique and engaging. When producing content for search engine optimization, the goal is to satisfy the criteria of the search engine while also meeting the needs of the user. Despite learning from your instructions, AI can fail to understand the true context of a request and how to best optimize it for rankings. As you and other organizations continue to produce content with help from AI tools, content will become similar at an exponential rate and even get flagged by search engines for plagiarism. 

To get the most out of artificial intelligence for your content marketing, it is more valuable to use AI as a way to spark creativity and generate ideas that are then passed through human creation teams. If you’re looking for new blog ideas, email marketing headlines, paid ad copy, or anything in-between these tools are perfect for overcoming writer’s block. When passed through a leading digital marketing agency or content writer, you’ll be able to produce thoughtful, impactful, and resonating content that is complete with a human touch. 

Artificial Intelligence & SEO Marketing Strategies

Beyond content creation, many people have looked to ChatGPT and other AI conversation tools to build an SEO strategy. AI can quickly generate keyword focuses and ideas based on a product/service offering, and location. Keyword research is a guideline that digital marketing agencies and businesses use to determine how to create marketing content, but it’s dependent on more than simply choosing the term with the most searches. AI provides a list of related phrases upon request, but it’s up to marketers to analyze those keywords and evaluate their potential to bring in qualified leads. So while you can use AI as a jumping off point for your search engine optimization strategy, a strategic and dedicated team is required to take it to the next level. 

How to Leverage AI for Social Media Marketing?

Like with content writing and search engine optimization, artificial intelligence is exceptionally valuable to spark ideas and inspiration. When you’ve scoured the platform and competitors but are yet to produce an idea for your next social post that you absolutely love, AI can provide a multitude of options and direction based on what you have at your disposal. By simply describing the media you have available or the points you want to target, AI provides actionable insights, including captions and hashtags. But successful social media requires diligence. Similar to blogs, your captions must make sense to your target audience and your hashtag strategy should be well-thought out. If you’re using AI to support your social media marketing efforts, you’ll need to review every aspect to ensure it does not become repetitive or lose its human brand. 

Generative AI which is being pushed by large tech companies including Google offer advancements in image creation. The new capabilities give users the ability to transform existing images beyond colour and exposure. With generative AI, photos, videos, and images can be completely transformed. 

The Future of AI in Digital Marketing

Artificial intelligence is undoubtedly an important tool and one that brands should embrace. But in the few months of widespread use, there are increasing reports that consumers can recognize AI-generated content without the help of the many AI-detectors in circulation. So, when leveraging the technology for search engine optimization, paid ads, and content creation it’s critical that it is used strategically, protecting your brand. With the right touch and support from the experts at Xi Digital, you can elevate your online presence and grow your business with AI and digital marketing. To learn more, reach out to our team directly. 

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