Better, Faster, Cheaper - How AI Can Accelerate Demand Generation

It is safe to say that anyone with internet access has not been able to escape the countless posts foreboding that AI will change our jobs, our lives, and eventually take over humanity. While I’m quite certain that that is not the case (yet), that doesn’t mean that AI can’t make our lives a tiny bit easier, especially at work. Since the end of 2022, which was marked by the launch of ChatGPT, the marketing world has eagerly been watching AI. Recently, the industry has slowly emerged from a state of wonder to being able to get a solid grip on how precisely we can use AI to our advantage. After spending a few months in the world of marketing, I’ve had to use lots of different tools, or ‘MarTech’ as I’ve now come to know it as, many of which have introduced AI functions. I’ve been able to observe and experience for myself how practical they are, especially for quick content generation and targeting. This is why Demand Generation in particular, can be facilitated by AI.

Here are five ways I’ve found AI to be useful for Demand Generation:

1. Many AI tools can create personalised content efficiently and effortlessly. They rapidly analyse individual user data from (previous) interactions and social media, before segmenting users based on behaviours and preferences. Tailored content is then generated for each group resulting in personalised marketing messages, or even personalised campaigns. This personalised user experience nurtures the connection between audiences and brands. In turn, this increases not only demand but also engagement and conversion rates. If you feed the tool enough information, the generated content can also seamlessly match your brand’s tone of voice. Some tools, such as https://storylab.ai, can even create different variations of content to A/B test.

2. By using past data, including demographics, digital behaviour and intent data, combined with machine learning as well as the application of statistics, AI can build predictive analytic models. As the name indicates, these models can predict how (potential) customers will behave along their buying journey. This knowledge can be used to improve Demand Generation by adjusting the targeting strategy to the forecasted behaviour of your audience. Additionally, these models allow you to examine and adjust your campaign performance after only a short time from its launch date, rather than after a few weeks. By analysing data from the first few days, the predicted trajectory of the campaign can indicate whether improvements are needed.

3. The optimisation of ad spend goes hand in hand with the predictive analysis. The analysis can anticipate which channels and campaigns generate the best ROI. This means AI can leverage algorithms to automatically adjust and manage ad bids in real-time, based on data such as competitor activity, user behaviour, and historical performance. It also ensures that spend goes to the right audience, maximising targeting success.

4. AI has the ability to greatly facilitate SEO. Some tools offer up-to-date keyword suggestions in respect to search trends and search engine algorithms. They also take competitors’ keywords into consideration, ensuring that your business has high-ranking content, increasing online visibility, and driving organic traffic.

5. A website visitor’s experience can greatly improve through AI chatbots and virtual assistants. The possibility of receiving instant customer support and product recommendations will elevate the user’s interaction with the website, often increasing the likelihood of gaining a potential customer. As Satish Sadasivan points out in his article for B2B Marketing (https://www.b2bmarketing.net/b2b-insights/5-ways-ai-impacts-demand-generation-b2b-marketing/), “84% of customers say that the experience you provide is just as important as the product or service itself. And AI is the best bet we have”. Additionally, virtual assistants can handle multiple queries at once and have rapid access to vast and up-to-date knowledge.

Although it can be tempting to blindly trust AI to achieve quicker results, it is nonetheless important to keep two things in mind. Firstly, AI generated content, especially AI generated data, should always be double-checked before it becomes the basis of important decisions. Or to put it into ChatGPT’s words: “ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info”. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say AI would rather throw you under the bus than tell you it doesn’t know the answer. Secondly, while AI is swiftly becoming better at sounding less robotic, it doesn’t always sound authentic. Combining AI generated content with a human touch is the key to saving time whilst maintaining originality.