Reading Time: 12 minutesIt should come as no surprise that the world of digital marketing (like so many other industries) is hyper-focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced machine learning algorithms as we move into another new year. By now, we all understand that 2024 is likely to see more huge, economy-rattling advancements in AI, but understanding how to effectively parlay this shifting tech landscape into a successful digital marketing strategy is another matter entirely.
As you work on finalizing your own brand’s digital marketing strategy for 2024, let’s reflect on how some industry experts have found AI-assisted success in 2023 and what their plans for expansion and improvement are in the new year.
Rise of the ChatBots: Integrating AI “Employees” Into Your Marketing and Customer Service
As we head into 2024, it seems like everybody is talking about (and talking to) AI chatbots. Equipped with impressive natural language AI capabilities, chatbots can now reliably serve as frontline customer service for many commercial and professional websites.
Although the first online chatbots were deployed years ago, these were usually little more than glorified FAQs — which only left customers more frustrated with their inability to reach a human customer service representative to answer their unique, specific questions.
Chatbots in 2024 are a different entity entirely. Today’s chatbots can answer even moderately complex questions in natural “human” language, suggest products and services, schedule appointments, connect to the appropriate human personnel, and even help your customers place orders.
As the buzz increases and the market for this technology becomes saturated, you will need to be careful about which vendors and technologies you choose to embrace. Here’s what the experts are saying about chatbots.
James McNally
Managing Director, Self-Drive Vehicle Hire“We plan to incorporate AI-driven chatbots into our marketing strategy, contributing to a more personalized and efficient customer experience. By harnessing the power of AI chatbots, we can elevate our customer service, improve satisfaction, and stay at the forefront of technological advancements in our competitive industry.”
Roman Zrazhevskiy
Founder & CEO, Mira Safety“AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are revolutionizing customer interactions. These bots are equipped with natural language processing capabilities, allowing them to understand and respond to customer inquiries in real-time. This not only improves customer service but also streamlines the buying process by providing instant assistance, enhancing user experience, and potentially boosting conversion rates. A proactive approach to AI integration helps us stay ahead in the rapidly evolving digital landscape, ensuring our marketing efforts remain adaptive and relevant to our audience’s changing preferences.”
Shawn Plummer
CEO, The Annuity Expert“AI will help us tailor insurance plans to individual needs, boosting user satisfaction and policy sales. It will also revolutionize the insurance industry by simplifying policy selection, providing instant quotes, and making insurance decisions more efficient. Effectiveness will be measured through user engagement with insurance options and chatbot interactions.”
Robert Calderon
Marketing Manager, Dalvey.com“In 2024, artificial intelligence technologies, such as chatbots for instantaneous consumer interaction, predictive analytics to foresee customer wants, and natural language processing for hyper-personalized communications will give our marketing plan a magical finishing touch, much like our secret sauce. Our latest implementation of an AI-powered chatbot increased consumer engagement and expedited customer care. We will also roll out some incredible AI-driven content recommendations in the near future. Providing our audience with what they want when they want it is our main goal!”
Jaime Ghisays
All Print Heads“One specific AI technology we will utilize is AI-powered chatbots, allowing us to provide instant responses to customer inquiries, offer personalized product recommendations, and even facilitate transactions, even when our team is offline. Incorporating AI technologies into our marketing strategy in 2024 lets us automate processes, enhance customer interactions, and drive better outcomes by providing a seamless and engaging experience for our customers while maximizing the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns.”
Alexa Stimpfel
Owner and Founder, The Shoe Fairy“Chatbots can automate customer interactions and provide instant support, but they can also gather data, which can be used to optimize marketing campaigns, personalize content, and improve targeting strategies. AI technologies can then assist in generating content, such as personalized emails, product descriptions, and social media posts. Natural language generation algorithms can create engaging and relevant content at scale, saving time and resources. By improving the efficiency of SEO content creation, organizations can enhance their online presence.”
Chatbots are not the only tool our experts have leveraged when it comes to AI technologies in marketing. Consider what potential lies in Quantum AI, AI analytics, and marketing strategies powered by it.
Nathan Clark
Co-Founder, Gate2AI“One technology that has caught our attention is Quantum AI. It has the potential to revolutionize the way we process data and provide personalized responses to our customers in real time. Initial simulations have shown that it could reduce the time it takes to answer customer queries by up to 30%. This is huge, but it’s not just about speed. We want to redefine customer service and provide the best possible experience for the digital age. We also recently analyzed an AI-powered virtual shopping assistant, and it worked like magic! We saw a whopping 50% increase in conversion rates. In the next few years, we have some ambitious plans for our AI technology that go beyond traditional marketing.”
Stoyan Mitov
CEO & Co-Founder, Dreamix“Every business that has an online presence will greatly benefit from AI tools to help them stay competitive in 2024. We plan to measure the effectiveness of our AI-powered marketing campaigns by monitoring our rankings, traffic, backlinks, bounce rates, and other traditional SEO metrics to ensure these tools are working in our favor. One of the biggest challenges in implementing AI in our marketing strategy is training time. While some tools are quite intuitive, others require significant training. As early adopters and champions of AI tools, we believe this investment is worthwhile.”
Wayne Mills
Head of Operations for UK & Ireland, Seven Seas Worldwide“Utilizing an AI-infused conversion probability matrix (CPM) offers a special technique for assessing the ROI and efficacy of marketing initiatives driven by AI. Using a variety of consumer groups and behavioral cues, this matrix combines machine learning algorithms to determine the chance of conversions in real time. The CPM provides a real-time prediction of each segment’s conversion probability by continuously adjusting to changing patterns. This allows marketers to intelligently allocate resources, giving greater conversion potential segments priority.”
Advanced Data Analytics: AI’s Behind-the-Scenes Strength
With all the hype around chatbots and AI-heavy customer service protocols, it can be easy to forget about some of the amazing things AI and advanced algorithms are capable of behind the scenes, such as data analysis. Advances in AI are already allowing smart, data-driven companies to unlock an entirely new level of predictive market analytics, and these tools will only become more accurate and more powerful in 2024.
Don’t take our word for it. Our experts also have their eyes on AI analytics this year.
Phil Strazzulla
Founder, SelectSoftware Reviews“In 2024, we plan to integrate AI-powered predictive analytics into our marketing strategy. This technology will help us forecast user needs and preferences. We’ll be able to deliver highly relevant recommendations to our audience, resulting in higher conversion rates. We’ll rely on user interactions with our platform to gather data, and ROI will be assessed by tracking revenue generated from AI-driven recommendations. The challenge lies in algorithm accuracy. We plan to address this by continuously refining our AI models and incorporating user feedback into the recommendation process.”
Julia Lozanov
Chief Editor, Verpex“Data-driven decisions are our first goal while implementing AI in marketing. To make a campaign successful, knowing what tools and strategies are working is very important. With AI, the data is very accurate, and even though human minds are great at making decisions, taking help from AI will be a great way to succeed.”
Skylar Christensen
Sr. Seed Specialist, Nature’s Seed“We plan to leverage AI technologies to help us optimize customer segmentation, personalize product recommendations, and refine our content strategies for more effective engagement. Crucial data sources for our AI-driven marketing initiatives will include customer behavior on our website, purchase history, and engagement with our content. One anticipated challenge is data quality. To address this, we’re investing in data quality assurance. We’re committed to staying at the forefront of AI developments to provide the best possible experience for our customers.”
Samantha Odo
Sales Representative & Division Manager, PreCondo“We’re gearing up to integrate cutting-edge AI technologies into our marketing strategy to stay ahead… One key tool we’re eyeing is advanced predictive analytics. By leveraging machine learning algorithms, we aim to forecast market trends, enabling us to anticipate buyer preferences and tailor our campaigns accordingly.”
Nicholas Martin
Director of Marketing, Happy Hiller“We plan to delve deeper into AI-based predictive analytics to better understand consumer behavior, predict market trends, and make data-driven decisions. By integrating these metrics into audience definitions, we can target users with a high purchase probability. With the right application of AI, can we attain the ultimate objective that every business strives for: profit.”
Laurie Hyllberg
Vice President, The Kinsa Group“The plan is to utilize AI-powered content creation tools to generate dynamic and personalized content for various digital platforms. One of the key AI-driven initiatives we plan to implement is a personalized customer journey campaign. By leveraging AI to analyze customer data and behavior, we aim to create highly personalized marketing messages and offers. This will increase the effectiveness of our marketing efforts by delivering the right message to the right customer at the right time.”
Analytics is one exciting aspect of where AI technology is going, but there are many more approaches that may be transforming marketing as we know it. Consider how our experts use AI today and their expectations for it in the future.
Dhimant Vyas
Head of Marketing, Textdrip“We’ve been orchestrating AI-driven marvels behind the scenes, from personalized content recommendations to predictive analytics. The lifeblood of AI is data, and we’re tapping into diverse sources, so ensuring privacy and security is paramount. Our approach involves robust anonymization protocols, stringent access controls, and compliance with the highest data protection standards. We do anticipate some integration hurdles and data silos, but our agile approach involves fostering a culture of adaptability, investing in employee training, and collaborating with tech experts to swiftly address issues as they arise, turning challenges into stepping stones.”
Dylan Young
Marketing Specialist, CareMax“We’re committed to handling customer data ethically and responsibly while using AI to predict customer behavior and identify new opportunities for engagement and conversion. We only use data that customers have consented to sharing, and we have robust security measures in place to protect that data. To measure the effectiveness of our AI-powered campaigns, we’ll be tracking key metrics like website traffic, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction. We’ll also use A/B testing to compare the performance of AI-driven campaigns to traditional campaigns. We anticipate challenges with data integration, talent acquisition, and ethical considerations. We’re addressing these by investing in data infrastructure, developing internal AI expertise, and prioritizing transparency and user control in our AI implementations.”
Jesús Zabala
Founder & Designer, Jewelry Lab“In 2024, we plan to allocate a significant percentage of our marketing strategy to leveraging AI. This technology will analyze customer preferences, purchase history, and trends, enabling us to tailor product recommendations with a high degree of precision, ultimately boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty. This strategic allocation aligns with our existing commitment to innovation and providing a seamless, individualized experience.”
Social Media and Content Creation: Defining and Reaching Your Audience in 2024
Social media presence will also continue to be a key focus for successful online operators going into 2024. According to Forbes, the number of social media users worldwide crept to nearly 5 billion in 2023, and that number is expected to grow to nearly 6 billion by 2027. Long-term powerhouses like Facebook and YouTube remain the featured players in this space, with over 2.5 million monthly active users each. However, newer platforms like TikTok are also emerging as valuable and reliable tools for those digital marketers who have the skills to leverage them effectively.
In 2024, many digital marketing professionals have their eyes on the vast untapped potential that exists at the intersection of social media and AI-powered marketing strategies, as well as some of the exciting new ways AI can bolster content creation efforts.
Ben Stewart
Owner, Rusty Rooster Fabrication & Design“In 2024, we are leveraging AI-powered tools to generate content that is more human-like and scalable, allowing us to efficiently execute our content marketing strategies This enables us to create engaging and personalized content for our target audience. Additionally, we are utilizing AI to streamline the review process by providing AI summaries of comments, integrating edits, adhering to style guide standards, and optimizing for SEO. This ensures our content is high quality and aligns with our marketing goals.”
Andrei Vasilescu
Co-Founder & CEO, DontPayFull“AI generative technologies for content should be seen as an assistant, not a replacement. They offer efficiency in creating the initial draft, but the final content must be human edited to ensure accuracy of facts and ensure the messaging adheres to brand voice and values. Generative AI for images and video are going to open up new possibilities for small businesses and allow them to punch above their weight. For search marketers, we’re keeping a close eye on how AI is being used in search results and other online platforms. We need to adapt to how we will be able to measure online visibility and show value, as the metrics like rankings and share of voice are going to be redefined.”
Reuben Yau
VP SEO, Vizion Interactive“AI-powered tools and techniques are being used to streamline email marketing campaigns, analyze vast amounts of data, and automate repetitive tasks, among other things. Some of the most prominent AI use cases in marketing for 2024 include analyzing social media data, personalizing marketing campaigns, and automating content creation. Measuring the effectiveness and ROI of AI-powered marketing campaigns can be challenging, but businesses can use established SEO metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and customer engagement to evaluate their success.”
Peter Michaels
CEO, Yeespy Technology Co.“We used an AI-powered hologram as the face of our latest campaign, and it was pretty cool. Not only was it interactive and futuristic, but it also helped increase social media shares by 45%, which was amazing! Our plan is to incorporate more AI into our influencer outreach strategy going forward. This will allow us to create hyper-personalized collaborations that resonate better with our diverse audience. Our marketing strategy in 2024 is not just to follow the latest trends, but to create them. We are taking a deep dive into a process called neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) to analyze the sentiment behind user interactions. By understanding the emotional tone of user interactions, we aim to create tailored content that can dynamically adapt to users’ preferences, setting the stage for more meaningful connections with our audience.”
Megan Firth
COO, Skyhook Adventure“This year, we started using AI to write travel articles to publish on our website. We did a big SEO research exercise to identify keywords in our niche, then asked professional writers to use ChatGPT4 to write articles using the keywords we’d identified, heavily edit the AI-generated content, and add their own expert insights and personal touch to humanize it. Our website now ranks for over 2,200 more keywords since we started publishing AI-assisted content at scale. Our DR (Domain Rating metric) has also moved up six points in the last three months. This means better visibility online as our content is deemed to be of higher authority.”
Velizara Tellalyan
Head of Digital Acquisition, MARCO VASCO“In 2024, we aim to incorporate AI-driven tools in 4 key areas: content writing, search engine optimization (SEO), lead generation, and social media management. Last year, our organization was successful in significantly reducing the time spent on content creation by integrating ChatGPT and Writesonic, an AI-driven content writing tool, into our marketing strategy, reducing content creation costs by 70% compared to 2022. We can use AI tools to assist with topic research, generate article suggestions and content ideas, produce tailored social media posts, and more. Ultimately, we want to capitalize on AI’s ability to generate more personalized content for our target audiences, which can improve user engagement and conversion rates across different channels.”
Customer Service and Engagement: Still an Inherently Human Field
Of course, all the new technology in the world doesn’t mean much if it isn’t integrated into a positive online experience for end users. The “smartest,” most lifelike AI chatbots remain unable to handle unique customer interactions that require a personalized touch. Additionally, even the most slickly produced social media videos are sometimes going to be less effective than a one-on-one message letting a customer know you’re invested in their issue.
According to statistics published by Calabrio Research toward the end of last year, belief in the power of the customer experience is nearly universal, with 97% of consumers and 98% of contact center managers agreeing that customer service interactions have a direct impact on brand loyalty. Furthermore, over half the consumers surveyed had switched brands due to a negative interaction with customer support.
Our panel of digital marketing experts is also keenly aware of the balance that needs to be struck between AI and the human touch in 2024.
James Owen
Co-Founder and Director, Click Intelligence“AI-powered chatbots will not be replacing customer service anytime soon, but they can handle every day, frequent queries, freeing up our team to deal with more complex issues. The writing and art communities are also influenced by AI. The SAG-AFTRA strike this year was able to secure some protection for scriptwriters, but AI still has a massive effect on writers in other fields. The biggest challenge with AI integration is consumer trust. Many consumers are uncomfortable to find that they are conversing with AI.”
Cort Adair
CEO and Founder, The Adair Group“In 2024, we plan to leverage AI for data-driven customer segmentation, dynamic pricing optimization, and predictive analytics to refine our marketing campaigns. We’ve recently implemented AI-driven personalization in our email marketing campaigns, increasing click-through rates. We’re eyeing AI-driven chatbots next to level up our customer support. Of course, there are hurdles like data quality, and we want AI to complement human creativity, not replace it. So, we’re investing in cleaning up our data and ensuring our data scientists and creative minds work hand in hand.”
Stefan Chekanov
CEO & Co-founder, Brosix“The human element is a considerable barrier when it comes to implementing AI in our marketing strategy. While some of our marketing specialists embrace AI tools, others are more reluctant to try them out. Balancing both perspectives and both groups can be a challenge.”
Tony Mariotti
CEO, RubyHome“In 2024, we plan to implement AI-driven chatbots and virtual property tours to enhance the home-buying experience. These technologies will provide real-time property information and personalized recommendations to our users, allowing our team to focus on creative aspects, such as property marketing and customer support.”
Shiela Pulido
SEO Manager, Tomedes Translation Company“While we haven’t settled on a specific AI tool yet, we’re rigorously testing various options. Our focus is on finding tools that seamlessly integrate with our existing marketing stack to enhance our strategy effectively. In 2024, our primary goal is to harness AI to improve workflow efficiency, enhance customer engagement, personalize our marketing efforts, and increase our overall output. Anticipated challenges include integrating AI with existing systems and ensuring data accuracy. We plan to address these through rigorous testing and training. Our strategy is to use AI as a tool to enhance human creativity and intuition, not replace it. AI will provide insights and automation, while creative decisions remain human-led.”
Ryan Zomorodi
COO & Co-Founder, Real Estate Skills“Our primary goals are to improve user engagement and increase ROI by personalizing our educational offerings. AI will help us tailor learning paths to individual needs, boosting user satisfaction and course enrollment, and ultimately making real estate knowledge more accessible. AI will assist with educational recommendations, allowing our team to focus on creating engaging courses and providing personalized support.”
Key Digital Marketing Takeaways for 2024
New technology is exciting, with natural language AI and shifting social media landscapes promising to change the digital marketing game rapidly over the next several years. But with so much at stake, you simply can’t leave your 2024 marketing strategy in the hands of chatbots and AI-generated posts. As you explore and embrace new tech, don’t let AI and social media trends distract you from your digital marketing fundamentals. With or without AI, you still need to have a highly functional website that users enjoy spending time on. You also still need to know when to take direct ownership of a situation and make human connection a priority.
This doesn’t mean we’re recommending that you shy away from new tech and risk getting left behind the pack — far from it. Instead, be on the lookout for smart, cost-effective ways to bolster your workflows with new technology, and be ready to integrate new technology into your marketing wisely and responsibly.
