Artificial Intelligence Makes Marketing More Precise
Artificial intelligence is one of the big buzzwords that have been making the rounds in the 21st century. The phrase has been applied to many different aspects of life, from a future promising cars and trucks that can drive themselves to programs that are now capable of analyzing an artist’s style, imitating it to perfection, and then putting out new works in that style just using word prompts from a user, making the original artist redundant.
There is still a lot of research and ethical debate about the safety and moral obligations surrounding the use of artificial intelligence, but these discussions vary a lot depending on the field that “AI” is being applied to. However, there are many misconceptions about AI and its applications in various industries, some of which are at least partially fueled by more dramatic speculations presented in science fiction novels, films, and television.
In practical terms, however, artificial intelligence is a versatile, powerful tool that can greatly improve productivity, but only if it is properly understood and there are realistic expectations in place for the limitations of this technology.
So what is artificial intelligence, and how can it help in marketing? To answer this question, the first thing to do is understand that the term AI is only partially accurate.
Organized But Not Intelligent
The traditional definition of artificial intelligence is a synthetic system capable of the same self-awareness and reasoning as a human being. In other words, traditional AI postulates that something not human and not even organic can think and have a sense of self and sentience the way humans do.
However, in the modern-day commercial sense, the technology we refer to as artificial intelligence is not actually doing any of these things. However, on a surface level, it may appear to do so. There is no self-awareness; current AI cannot come up with new ideas on its own, be genuinely curious and ask questions, wonder about itself, or want to make friends.
Today’s AI is actually a series of ever-increasingly complex algorithms, which are themselves just a set of rules or conditions that instructs software and hardware on how to behave. For example, once a dryer has been built with a moisture detector, an algorithm may instruct the dryer to detect the moisture level in the clothing constantly. Once the level drops below a certain point, the dryer stops. That doesn’t mean the dryer knows the clothes are dry, only that it is following a set of rules programmed into it.
So the reality of artificial intelligence is that people have taken advantage of the computer’s ability to make decisions at the speed of light and have come up with complex functions that allow the computer to make these decisions based on instructions many times faster than a human. So while a computer may appear to be interacting with someone as a “chatbot” for customer service, it doesn’t actually know what it is saying or even what advice it is giving to a person. It is simply selecting responses based on the instructions and grammar system it has been programmed with; it does not comprehend the actual context or value of what it is saying.
However, despite not being aware of situational context, the ability of AI to instantly look at and arrive at a decision based on the rules it has been given has other more promising applications.
What Can AI Really Do?
One of the areas where AI excels and is, in fact, indispensable is a field of study known as “big data.” Big data refers to volumes of information that are so large that it would not be realistic or feasible to process that information using traditional methods. For example, human DNA is enormously complex, with a truly huge range of possible permutations. The number, practically speaking, may as well be infinite. So if there was a particular combination of DNA that was useful in creating a medication to fight a disease, finding that single combination could take centuries, or even millennia, if you had a person or even team of people checking each DNA combination and testing it for the result, they are looking for.
However, because computers work at the speed of light, going over huge volumes of data to find a specific result takes little time. Depending on the amount of data being processed, what would have taken a human team thousands of years to do might be accomplished by a computer in a few years, or even a few weeks or hours.
Big Data is the ability to derive useful information from massive sets of raw data that are too big to process with limited, manual means. AI is what makes it possible to retrieve some pattern or meaning from what would otherwise be a huge wall of information that initially looks to have too much randomness within it.
How Marketing Benefits
When put to the task of big data analytics, AI is a natural and extremely useful fit for market research. Market research has come a long way from people speculating about what customers might like and trying to predict the market response based on their own biases. Market research was one of the first fields to do widescale surveys, questionnaires, and other forms of data gathering to glean what people wanted. Actual statistical data was much more useful than theories based on speculation and personal biases.
With AI, the ability to analyze market data is no longer limited by the pool of analysts available to process data within a given timeframe. AI can take huge amounts of data and do an in-depth analysis based on analytical needs. With the appropriate algorithms, huge volumes of raw data can be processed, and final results can give researchers a much more accurate idea of what they are looking at. This has dramatically increased the speed at which market research occurs, making it much faster to organize that data according to people’s rulesets. Even a simple task, such as categorizing a database according to gender, can go by much more quickly with AI than having a person or team laboriously read the gender of each data entry and then manually enter it. This mechanical precision also eliminates the human error of inattentiveness that may result in repeated or missed entries.
More Data From Online
Added to this, and bringing even more value to AI and big data analytics is an overwhelming volume of information that can now quickly and easily be gathered online. Previously, the only way to conduct market research on consumer needs and behaviors was with surveys, questionnaires, and other forms of information gathering that could only be undertaken for the duration of the research period.
The Internet has changed all of this. The digital nature of the Internet means that every action online must be detectable by digital means, which has blown wide the doors on how much information about an individual’s activities can be tracked. Now, everything from the popularity of a specific website to the level of interest in a particular product trend can be accurately tracked right down to the last individual, and this data can be continually tracked for as long as desired, not just during a limited research period.
Moreover, people on the Internet don’t need to actively volunteer information for research purposes. They can opt into data collection that tracks their online actions. So, for example, a person surveyed may not have indicated an active interest in any health-related products or services; however, opting into a data tracker shows that their online behavior is repeatedly targeting research and websites on pain management for arthritis, indicating a strong interest in products or services that would help to deal with arthritic discomfort. Taken across even just one state, this is a lot of information to collate, organize and analyze. Taken to a national or even global level, pulling out this kind of data relevance from hundreds of thousands or even millions of individuals is only possible in a short amount of time with artificial intelligence and data analytics to process the information and provide context and meaning to certain aspects of it.
This is where the combination of vast amounts of data from the Internet and analyzing that data through AI provides immense value in market research. These data points can provide new, proactive ways for businesses to find the people with the highest interest in their services and products then reach out to them.
Where Sprint Data Solutions Worldwide Marketing Can Help
Sprint Data Solutions Worldwide Marketing has a substantial collection of contact details for both the individual retail consumer and businesses for B2B ventures. However, what really makes the difference is not just the availability of this data for marketing purposes but its usefulness and higher engagement and response rates. It’s one thing to send out marketing material randomly to a valid mailing address, hoping the recipient may find it useful. It’s another level entirely when there is high confidence that the recipient will be actively interested in the market material provided because statistics indicate a current interest in the subject matter.
This is where AI can make a huge difference. Sprint Data Solutions Worldwide Marketing can take the contact details that marketing needs to send out materials but then provide a context and consumer behavior behind it, so it’s no longer a complete guess as to how the recipient will react but a calculated submission aligned with their interests.
Who Is Sprint Data Solutions Worldwide Marketing
Sprint Data Solutions Worldwide Marketing is a completely American-based, American-owned, and American-operated business founded by a disabled veteran. When all military service had ended, it was confirmed that the return to civilian life should take a different direction. After all the previous experience in defense, the next step was to do something in a completely different direction, with a focus that was still aimed at helping the nation but through economic growth instead of military action. This growth would come in the form of assisting America’s pillar of economics, the businesses, to increase their revenues by finding them more of the customers so critical growth. From the hometown of Las Vegas, a company was founded, starting work small and locally. However, the military discipline resulted in a strong work ethic and consistent, quality results that got noticed and brought steady growth to the company. Today, Sprint Data Solutions Worldwide Marketing proudly boasts a loyal staff with over fifty years of industry experience within the marketing and promotions sector.
Sprint Data Solutions Worldwide Marketing entered the marketing industry before digital marketing techniques were available. Its point of entry was direct mail marketing. This choice would have unforeseen positive ramifications in the future due to the emphasis of this marketing activity on data acquisition, organization, and, eventually, analytics. Data characteristics such as mailing address and even demographic organization allowed Sprint Data Solutions Worldwide Marketing to provide more effective, precise targeting for clients. This brought better results, a growing reputation for quality, and more success that required expansion.
The company remained based in Las Vegas but increased its service range beyond the state to the rest of the continent. Eventually, the entire USA was covered when Hawaii and Alaska were finally added to the service range. The complete continental coverage was achieved with services for the markets in Mexico and Canada. Eventually, even global services were added, making it possible for clients to cross the Atlantic and enter markets in the European Union, like France.
Our AI Augmentation
Sprint Data Solutions Worldwide Marketing uses a new 2023 AI data algorithm system that is on the cutting edge for multilayered databases. This provides a fast and powerful system that can take specific client requests and quickly produce groupings consistent with those marketing needs. For example, people who have recently been researching and even acquiring services and products for arthritis-related pain management who live in the Eastern United States can be quickly scanned, tagged, and gathered for use if there is a business that is now selling CBD oil to help seniors and athletes to deal with discomfort from muscle inflammation.
Sprint Data Solutions Worldwide Marketing gathers the data for use in data analytics through various means. It’s a mix of both traditional and newer digital harvesting techniques. People who subscribe to newsletters, for example, consent to have their addresses collected, and a similar collection goes on for those who choose to participate in surveys, interviews, and questionnaires.
Another source is trade shows, where businesses or the public attending an event provide contact information through business cards or consent to sharing their information after attending. Opt-in methods for visiting certain websites, as well as data shared from social media other ways that data is compiled and added to the company’s growing databases. Licensed information from other companies and countries is a definitive data source for harvesting.
One of the most important things we do with the data we acquire is constantly reevaluating it for currency. Many things can change, even just over the period of a year. Senior citizens for senior mailing lists, for example, can pass away. College students on a mailing list can graduate and enter the workforce, claiming new residential addresses. These changes can only be accounted for with diligent rechecking of information to ensure that clients are getting the latest data and not wasting marketing materials sending them to people who no longer live at an address, are deceased, or a company that has filed for bankruptcy and no longer operates.
The Formats You Need
Sprint Data Solutions Worldwide Marketing provides the contact details that clients need in a variety of different formats, including:
Physical Mailing Addresses
The oldest and still most important form of data collection. Even in a digital world, clothing and consumer electronics must go to a physical location for a person to use them. Physical mailing addresses are available at private individual/consumer levels and for entire companies in the case of B2B ventures.
Email Addresses
Email is sometimes the fastest and most efficient way to deliver a message for pure information dissemination. Email is no longer confined to being read on a desktop computer; it is more important and, in conjunction with smart digital design, can make for effective marketing.
Telephone Numbers
Sometimes a direct interaction with the ability to ask questions or provide answers is the best approach, and telemarketing is still a viable channel to do this. Phone numbers are available for the residences of consumers. Still, the corporate numbers of relevant decision makers are also available for B2B ventures for more efficient telemarketing that no longer requires searching for the right personnel to authorize decisions.
Cellular
Cellular phone numbers are versatile since they can be used for telemarketing purposes and more modern marketing techniques, such as taking advantage of the texting/SMS systems that are so popular with modern cell phones. This creates even more marketing options.
If you’re ready to market your products or services with the help of AI data analytics, Sprint Data Solutions Worldwide Marketing is here to help. Contact us, and let us help you achieve your marketing goals.