Artificial Intelligence (AI) Assistants are redefining the field of marketing and impacting content marketers in an unprecedented manner. As Artificial Intelligence becomes more prevalent in the marketing field, it is vital for marketers to acquire necessary skills needed to implement and manage AI technology. The rise of AI assistants accompanies fundamental changes in the way marketers comprehend customers. Thus, content marketers ought to adopt certain skills required in the workplace to capture value from customers using modern tactics and tools. Undoubtedly, the rapid pace of development in AI Assistants has the potential to revolutionize the nature of content marketing. Therefore, the impact of AI on content marketers requires deep research and analysis so that both marketers and consumers are equipped for the change to come.
As noticed recently, there has been a paradigm shift in the way businesses approach content marketing to connect with their customers. The traditional practice of gathering demographic data in order to establish a constructive marketing strategy is no longer effective in the age of Artificial Intelligence. In fact, the key to success is for brands is to terminate conventional methods that were considered universal. Moreover, they ought to embrace contemporary approaches that seek to constantly analyze customer data to understand the market. Therefore, a pivotal key to future marketers is to integrate and embrace Artificial Intelligence to maintain their market share in a an increasingly competitive market.
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Current studies have indicated that approximately 60% of content marketers face challenges to expedite individual connections with their customers [2]. This is a critical issue especially that consumers today expect tailored and interactive brand experience. For marketers to satisfy this need, they resorted to using AI-powered tools that seek to automate the type of content provided. As a result, marketing strategies are implemented in order to satisfy the constantly changing needs of individual customers. Such strategies constitute of administering meticulous analyses and looking for patterns in the data received from users. As revealed by a Garner study, companies that personalize their products have a better chance in increasing sales by 20% [3].
Furthermore, AI assistants are becoming more popular across homes and offices. Recent data records show that more around 25 million households have Amazon Echo smart speakers [4]. Users communicate with Alexa in order to access information from the internet, inquire about entertainment, and discover products. Such virtual assistants are designed to function on a twenty-four-hour basis. They are ready to respond to user’s requests and inquiries at any time. Users that interact more with their AI assistants enable such algorithms to store more data regarding their purchasing behavior. As a result, the AI assistant becomes more customized to each user. Customers prefer that Alexa knows what they want, how they want it, when they want it. Consequently, this personalization presents a threat to content marketers since the results provided to the user are filtered and curated by AI assistants. The user will only be exposed to what they need based on their personalized profile.
With advancements in technology, sales of AI Assistants are expected to double by 2020 [6]. As firms seek to discover, introduce and establish capable AI platforms, it is inevitable for smart assistants to redefine the way companies interact with their customers. AI Assistants will predominantly become the leading medium exposing consumers to goods and services. Therefore, marketers ought to be able to integrate well and quickly through such channels.
When outlining an effective brand content strategy, marketers could benefit from AI platforms that store intricate information about customers. The algorithm in such platforms monitors the consumer’s purchasing and viewing habits, the characteristics and features of desired brands, and whether there is a pattern in their purchasing behavior. Therefore, it is imperative that companies understand the customized purchasing criteria of individual consumers.
Consequently, this will cause marketers to be more inclined to sign agreements with companies like Amazon for Alexa to promote their products through recommendations and based on regular customer’s inquiries. As a result, data stored in extensive databases aided by product placement and recommendations could be a major profitable strategy to businesses. However, brands will have to invest more in AI Assistants to showcase and expose their brand product. This is the only way brands could be accessible in the age of AI Assistants.
AI platforms can improve customer satisfaction as brands becomes more accessible and tangible. This is mainly due to how AI Assistants function. The AI algorithm is effective in constantly monitoring and identifying the needs of customers. AI platforms allow marketers to access and use data about their current and potential consumers. They learn more about the products customers are more likely to purchase. They also identify their preferences and whether they exhibit strong brand loyalty. Moreover, content marketers use this information to further understand the purchasing objective of customers when selecting brands. For instance, they can identify customers that are more likely to support brands that are more environmentally aware.
According to Ismail, around 74% of consumers expect companies to treat them as individuals rather viewing them as a member of a segment [2]. Customization features embedded in AI Assistants enables brands to deliver products that are more likely to resonate with customers more swiftly. This type of hyper-personalization facilitates intimate relations between brands and consumers that is not attainable through conventional content marketing.
This hyper-personalization is feasible because AI enables brands to visualize their customers more vividly. Hence, customer segmentation becomes more effective through extensive knowledge into consumer behavior. The valuable data provided to companies through AI enables them to comprehensively understand their customer. Subsequently, consumers are targeted more effectively. They are exposed to marketing messages that are more relevant and personalized to their needs and experiences with brands.
Additionally, meticulous data analysis enables marketers to further identify the tradeoffs and exceptions consumers are willing to undertake. Virtual Assistants will also identify the requirements of consumers on special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. As a result, AI platforms can effectively suggest products or services to consumers. This is mainly achieved by predicting and calculating the most appealing combination of features, price and performance at a given moment and presented to customers at a suitable time.
AI Assistants continuously re-evaluate brands across different categories and recommend the most viable option to the consumer. This is mainly done by comparing data stored about customers and their preferences to the choices available in the market. This routine assessment may present a challenge to established brands and threaten their market share. Nevertheless, it could be deemed an opportunity for competitors to increase their market share and gain exposure when their product gets recommended to consumers. Hence, the key to competitive advantage is mainly focused on designing offers that adequately meets customer’s unique demands.
Similarly, data on such platforms is collected about individual customers who are more willing to substitute brands. Advanced AI algorithms undergo extensive analysis to identify the extent to which customers have on the profitability of the firm and their loyalty to the brand. If the consumer is vital, then the AI Assistant generates a customized offer or a gift as a form of gratitude for their loyalty to a certain brand. This is one strategy that allows incumbent brands maintain their critical market share, while creating value to the consumer and generating revenue simultaneously.
On the contrary, competitors may adopt promotional strategies to certain consumers based on the data retrieved from AI databases. Consequently, content marketers can target consumers who are more disposed to switching brands. Therefore, challengers pose a threat to incumbents, as intelligence collected overwhelmingly shows that specific consumers are more willing to substitute brands for various personal, financial, or environmental reasons.
For many content marketers, AI Assistants may be regarded as disruptive technology that fundamentally overturns the traditional rules and forms implemented by marketers. In the age of virtual assistants, brands are less visible to consumers compared to conventional touchpoints. When consumers search for a brand on Alexa, the AI assistant will most likely present the customer with a few results and alternatives. This reduces the chance for brands to be more visible and tangible to consumers.
As a result, AI Assistants can only recommend a few results with a limited number of sponsored brands. This will reduce the visibility of certain brands which is concerning to some content marketers. Advertising spots are much more limited on AI platforms. This results in increased competition among advertisers who are willing to pay more to secure advertising spots. Under the circumstances, advertising on AI platforms is much more costly than traditional web-based advertising because of the limited space available.
Nonetheless, AI Assistants have garnered favorable reviews primarily due to the dependability customers have on their Virtual Assistants like Alexa. This is because they seem to be effective in satisfying their diverse needs by accounting for each consumer’s desires and requirements. Such trends are particularly noticeable when Alexa recommends alternative suggestions based on the user’s characteristics and behavior. This makes the customer feel more understood by the AI assistant and tends to appreciate the brand more.
According to the Boston Consulting Group, personalization efforts can increase revenues by up to 10% [4]. Intimate marketing strategies are successful in facilitating more meaningful interactions between brands and customers. These interactions aim to provide customers with content customized to meet their interests and needs.
One serious limitation of AI Assistants is highlighted when databases containing personal information are exploited. Powerful algorithms analyze every aspect of the user , they can gain access to personal and sensitive information. Thus, online scammers and false advertisers gain access to customers’ past purchasing behavior and display personalized phishing schemes. They might seem convincing to the consumer, so they end up purchasing fraudulent products that imitate original brands.
In the same way, brands are more susceptible to getting hacked and having the private data of consumers stolen. When the chances of scammer having illegal access to customers’ data, customers would be less inclined to remain loyal to the company regardless of the satisfaction the receive from the brand.
One of the solutions required is to introduce and implement law that seek to hold companies and brands accountable for the exploitation of customers’ private data. In addition, it is incumbent on researchers to discover and introduce AI assistants with more secure databases. Perhaps such measures can primarily minimize the malicious use of virtual assistants that negatively impacts brand loyalty.
With the increased widespread and adoption of Artificial Intelligence in businesses, the issue of job replacement becomes more critical. Artificial Intelligence will eventually displace marketers with routine tasks. However, studies demonstrate that AI platforms are projected to create more jobs relating to managing, designing and monitoring those systems. Economic advantages from adopting such measures will increase productivity and stimulate business growth and expansion.
According to Cannella, around 83% of firms implementing Artificial Intelligence in their business model have reported the addition of new jobs [4]. Job replacement predominantly affects entry-level employees with little or no background in computer science and data analytics. These employees are more likely to see their mundane roles and tasks become automated.
Complex calculations and massive computations are executed by AI systems. However, the skills related to emotional intelligence, innovation and intelligence embody the marketer’s core value proposition. Marketer with such skills are unlikely to have their job displaced. In fact, they have the potential to thrive in an automated workplace where the scope of Artificial Intelligence can be utilized to avoid repetitive tasks and focus on advanced level, strategic activities that seek to create value to consumers.
From an ethical perspective, the main issues that arise are privacy, transparency, accountability, bias and security. By far privacy is the most prevalent ethical concern regarding virtual assistants, expressed by around 80% of consumers [5]. Customers find AI assistants troubling regarding confidentiality and whether the data entrusted to such platforms remain stored in secure databases. Another concern relating to transparency has customers worried about how their data is gathered, what purpose it is used for, and to what extent does the built-in algorithm traces data. Furthermore, accountability, security and bias focus more on liability, data protection, and unwanted outcomes associated with algorithms.
Since the implementation of AI assistants is only going to increase, it is essential for marketers to acknowledge and address the ethical issues surrounding virtual assistants. One of the solutions is for human resources to organize, encourage and emphasize ethical training and hire new staff who are more technologically responsible. Also, companies ought to modify their code of ethics in a way that reflects the challenges and issues marketers encounter when conducting their job in a workplace that is heavily dependent on Artificial Intelligence.
By adopting such measures, businesses can mitigate ethical concerns of AI and lawsuits by affected customers. Furthermore, implementing robust ethical regulations when dealing with AI assistants increases the level of trust in customers and provides a competitive advantage to content marketers operating in an AI-driven field.
Despite the serious issues that need to be addressed, AI assistants offer immense benefits to marketers, consumers and society. This is further catalyzed by the capability of content marketers to create valuable products, customized to suitable individual consumers, and presented properly at the right time. It is worth noting that marketing the in the age of Alexa has fundamentally changed the mechanism though which content marketers interact with customers. This ranges from the strategies implemented, the ramifications that accompany AI platforms, the necessary skills required in the work environments and the scope of daily responsibilities. With the ongoing advancements brought by Artificial Intelligence Assistants, the approaches with which brands do content marketing will consistently evolve.
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