Machine Learning and Automation in Marketing: The Future Is Here

Do not mistakenly underestimate the importance of machine learning and automation, by way of artificial intelligence, in marketing. The industry continues to change and mature, and brands that want to succeed need to understand these advancements and how they can incorporate them into their own strategies.

The amount of data and information we have available on the web is exploding. The digital ecosystem is expected to grow from a mere 130 exabytes in 2005 to 40,000 by 2020. The sheer amount of information available will far exceed what the human brain is capable of processing.

For marketers and their brands to be able to accurately and effectively use this information, machine learning will become a cornerstone of modern marketing. Machine learning and artificial intelligence have already infiltrated the online experience in a variety of ways. We have experienced it for years through programs such as Facebook’s recommendations, and last year Google introduced the capabilities into its algorithm with the birth of RankBrain .

Machine learning will offer marketers the ability to see and understand patterns in consumer behavior so they can better understand the needs and expectations of those they want bring through their sales funnel. They can then meet these needs through the creation of content that addresses the concerns of their prospects and build relationships with them, placing themselves in a position of trust and authority. This technology will empower brands to create content that performs more effectively, creating higher efficiency in the marketing process.

The role of machine learning and automation in marketing

To effectively take advantage of machine learning in marketing, however, brands will also need to pay close attention to automation. Seventy-seven percent of marketers say that they plan to increase their content production in the next year. Content and digital marketing are no longer frontiers, but instead they have become mainstays in the marketing world. This means increased competition and tight markets. Speed will be a critical part of getting ahead of others within your market space, and automation will be the foundation of achieving this goal.

Automation will enhance the entire marketing process. Brands will uncover potential topics and ideas that appropriately target their audiences and be able to produce them faster, getting them in front of their audience before the competition. Incorporate automation into the optimization process to ensure that published content performs well on the SERPs and attracts the desired attention from the moment it goes live.

When these processes are then scaled to fit a large organization, they can empower brands to produce large amounts of highly effective content. For example, consider the success of the brand, Kraft . They tracked more than 22,000 different audience characteristics and then used these insights to inform their content creation process. The material they produced now receives the equivalent of 1.1 billion ad impressions a year and the ROI they receive from this content effort is 4 times better than what they get from targeted ads.

As we delve into content development and digital marketing, it is important to also note the role that automation and AI will play within the process. While these new technologies and systems will help marketers better understand what to produce and do their jobs quickly and efficiently, they will not be able to replicate the creative process. They will simply help the marketer themselves perform better. Rather than being viewed as replacements for marketers, they should be viewed as assets that enhance the process.

The BrightEdge platform, machine learning, and the future of marketing

As these new advancements in the world of marketing technology begin to change the landscape of the content development process, BrightEdge continues to remain at the forefront, offering clients industry-leading technology. We have been watching the emerging trends in machine learning and the importance of automation in the industry. Now, through DataMind and BrightEdge Content , we can offer brands what they need to get ahead.

Do not underestimate the importance of machine learning. Brands will need to look at a variety of factors when selecting the right topics to develop. They need to consider the micro-moments that their targeted persona experiences, market trends, competitive gaps, and the types of content most likely to interest the consumer. With the DataMind, brands essentially have a team of AI-powered data scientists working at their disposal, helping them to uncover these valuable data points so they can make informed decisions about the content that they want to develop. They can prioritize the material on their calendar and ensure that their content strategy maximizes its efficiency and visibility.

As brands develop the content, they can then use the BrightEdge Content function to ensure that it is ready for the SERPs as soon as it is published. BrightEdge Content will guide you through the optimization process as you write, enhancing your speed while also ensuring that you do not skip any steps.

These two features also allow brands to work to scale, so that organizations have the capacity to produce large amounts of a variety of content types to meet the needs of their prospects throughout the customer journey.

In the future of marketing, it is easy to imagine people receiving individualized advertising based on their unique needs and preferences. That future, however, has begun to take shape. Through machine learning and automation in marketing, brands can better understand what their audience wants to see, provide it for them, and thus lay the foundation of a strong relationship.

The world of digital marketing continues to change at lightning speed. The role of machine learning and automation in marketing is expanding and quickly gaining a foothold as the industry matures. At BrightEdge, we continually look for ways to provide our clients with the solutions they need so they can compete on this playing field and continue to rank for their industry and desired keywords.