Amidst all the buzz around artificial intelligence (AI), we’re learning more about what a future with AI could mean while AI is learning more about us and our world. As other technological revolutions have led to changes in the workplace, AI is steadily changing work as we know it—and this definitely includes marketing.
As part of Microsoft’s Copilot Usage in the Workplace survey,the tech giant recently asked 1,300 early users of Copilot how much time they were saving each day. This data was segmented by job function. 66% of users in marketing / public relations noted they were saving between 11 minutes to more than an hour in time each day by using Copilot.
This survey and other recent research on AI demonstrate that Copilot, ChatGPT, and other AI-powered tools are transforming marketing, particularly demand generation marketing. Check out this article to discover the six ways AI is revolutionizing demand generation, and how you as a demand gen marketer can collaborate with AI to create better outcomes.
1. Accelerated Predictive Analytics & Deeper Data Insights
AI algorithms can analyze vast amounts of historical data in a matter of seconds compared to humans. By analyzing historical data at lightning speed, AI can predict future trends in an efficient manner. Predictive analytics via AI can help marketing teams better anticipate market changes as part of forming their demand generation strategies. This proactive approach helps marketers stay ahead of the competition and meet customer demands more effectively. Additionally, this AI capability allows marketers to gain deeper insights into trends around customer behavior and preferences. By understanding these patterns, marketers can make data-driven decisions and create more targeted demand generation campaigns.
2. Intelligent Lead Scoring
Generating high-qualityleads is easier said than done in demand generation marketing as research indicates that 60% of B2B marketers think it’s the top challenge. The good news is AI can help address this challenge. AI algorithms can assess lead quality based on their likelihood of becoming customers. These algorithms quickly rank leads according to personas, engagement levels, and interactions, and then assign lead scores. Rather than using a traditional rules-based approach, AI is quicker and more accurate, providing further information on which fields are most influential for lead scoring and where to prioritize efforts.
3. Enhanced Content Optimization
Consistently researching and generating relevant and insightful content can be time-consuming. While researching the top trends is beneficial, it can sometimes take the same amount of time as writing. Fortunately, AI can help demand generation marketers create promotional and strategic content that is relevant to the target audience at each stage of the marketing funnel. AI has the capability to help demand generation marketers with content optimization tasks, such as:
- Content Research: AI can quickly analyze data and trends on a given topic.
- Content Suggestions: Upon analyzing large amounts of data and trends in seconds, AI can offer suggestions that align with the compiled information. This can allow demand generation marketers to produce content that is relevant and trending, based on the numbers.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Furthermore, AI can recommend SEO strategies to help demand generation marketers develop more valuable content.
By enhancing the content optimization process, AI can help free up a marketer’s time to focus on even more strategic efforts in demand generation—working smarter, not harder.
4. Improved Customer Segmentation & Experience
On top of relevant content, it’s important that the right messaging reaches the right audience. AI can help segment customers into more precise groups based on various criteria such as demographics, behavior, and preferences. This improved segmentation allows for more targeted demand generation efforts. The better demand generation marketers can tailor messaging, the better the customer experience can be with engaging and relevant information. This can ultimately drive higher customer demand and foster brand loyalty against competitors.
5. Streamlined Content Distribution
With so many channels for demand generation marketers to choose from, it’s not always clear how and when to reach different target audiences exactly where they’re at. AI can help determine better channels and times to distribute content for maximum impact. By analyzing data on customer engagement, AI can streamline content distribution strategies, better ensuring that specific content reaches the intended audience in the right channel when they are most likely to engage. Imagine sending highly relevant blog posts, white papers, or webinar content to the proper leads, increasing engagement and nurturing them through the sales pipeline. AI is making this demand generation objective even more possible.
6. Real-Time Performance Monitoring & Exposed Trend
Another key area of demand generation marketing is tracking and assessing campaign performance. Various AI tools can help demand generation marketers monitor the performance of demand generation campaigns in real time. This way, demand generation marketers can make informed adjustments and allocate resources more efficiently. Just as AI can analyze trends around customer behavior and preferences, it can also expose trends in campaign performance. By evaluating copy, images, videos, and other creative methods alongside performance data, AI can help highlight the top-performing creative approaches. This enables demand generation marketers to make more informed campaign decisions.
So…where does that all leave us? As AI technology continues to advance, its impact on demand generation marketing will only grow, offering new opportunities to organize successful campaigns, reach target audiences, and generate high-quality leads more effectively.
However, it’s critical to remember that AI is NOT a replacement for demand generation expertise straight from the minds of humans. The human touch remains essential in decision-making and building genuine relationships with leads. AI can empower demand generation marketers in various ways, and this can offer more time for strategic work and meaningful connections with leads.
Feel free to share your thoughts and comments on this article. I’d love to hear how AI is impacting your world as a marketer and if there are other aspects of AI that you think are worth calling out!
