AI can help automate routine tasks, optimize campaigns, drive personalization and predict customer behavior. But you need a strategy to leverage AI successfully and navigate the risks. Find out how to create an AI digital marketing strategy.

How to Create an AI Digital Marketing Strategy

how-to-create-an-ai-digital-marketing-strategy

[[p]]Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the new electricity of the business world, powering innovation and growth across industries.[[/p]]

[[p]]The marketing department is no exception, as AI can help automate routine tasks, optimize campaigns, drive personalization, help people make [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/webinars/webinar-elevate-your-marketing-team-with-a-data-driven-approach" target="_blank"]]data-driven decisions[[/a]], and predict customer behavior.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]That&rsquo;s why 60% of CMOs have implemented AI-driven initiatives in their marketing strategies according to our &lsquo;2024 Global Digital Skills &amp; Training Report: Insights from Corporate Leaders&rsquo; report. CMOs also believe that AI will have a &lsquo;big impact&rsquo; on productivity (50%), efficiency (45%), and innovation (38%).&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]There&rsquo;s no doubt that [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/ai-in-digital-marketing-the-ultimate-guide" target="_blank"]]AI is having an impact on digital marketing[[/a]]. It&rsquo;s changing the way marketers work, gather information, get insights, and craft campaigns, but more importantly it&rsquo;s having an impact on marketing strategy.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]In this blog we&rsquo;ll explore these questions:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_77346"]]What is an AI digital marketing strategy?[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_77349"]]What AI digital marketing tools should you use?[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_77361"]]How can you create an AI digital marketing strategy?[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_77382"]]How can you use AI to implement a digital marketing strategy?[[/a]][[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]While many companies are embracing AI, it&rsquo;s about a lot more than simply using AI tools to manage repetitive tasks or generate marketing content.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]To get the most from the technology, organizations require a strategy that can help them leverage AI to enhance marketing efforts, optimize campaigns, and improve customer engagement.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]][[em]]&ldquo;AI and machine learning offer brands and marketers an opportunity to improve efficiency and improve effectiveness of their marketing. Those efficiency and effectiveness gains can be either applied to their internal function, things that their staff or team does that customers never see, or to external things that are customer facing,&rdquo; [[/em]]said Jim Lecinski, Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing at Kellogg School of Marketing, Northwestern University in a [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/podcasts/podcast-083-get-started-with-ai-in-marketing-jim-lecinski" target="_blank"]]DMI podcast[[/a]].&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]That means that rather than using AI for narrow tasks such as [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/the-beginners-guide-to-programmatic-advertising" target="_blank"]]programmatic advertising[[/a]] or content generation, marketing teams should think about how to gain [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/8-digital-skills-you-need-to-survive-the-rise-of-ai" target="_blank"]]AI skills[[/a]] and know-how so they can use AI across the entire [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/webinars/webinar-strategies-for-the-new-customer-journey" target="_blank"]]customer journey[[/a]].&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]And that&rsquo;s why an AI strategy is important because it provides marketers with a guide to leverage the technology in a way that helps deliver on KPIs and realize business objectives.[[/p]]

37% of businesses don’t have an AI strategy while 54% of marketers believe the level of AI skills on their team is low

[[p]]One of the best things about AI is that it can be used for a range of marketing tasks.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]According to our recent corporate report, the top five benefits of integrating AI into marketing are:&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[ol]]
	[[li]]Automation of routine tasks (68%)[[/li]]
	[[li]]Improved customer experience (46%)[[/li]]
	[[li]]Improved targeting and segmentation (45%)[[/li]]
	[[li]]Enhanced personalization (44%)&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]]Predictive analysis (39%)[[/li]]
[[/ol]]

[[p]]The good news for marketers is that there are many tools to help streamline and optimize these tasks (along with many others including [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/using-ai-tools-for-copywriting" target="_blank"]]AI for copywriting[[/a]]).[[/p]]

[[p]]Obviously the type of AI tool you use will depend on the task at hand. Luckily a lot of commonly used platforms already use AI integration.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]MailChimp[[/strong]] automates email marketing campaigns and enables segmentation, and A/B testing.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Google Ads[[/strong]] uses AI for automated ad bidding, targeting, and budget optimization to improve ad performance.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]HubSpot[[/strong]] is a CRM tool that can automate email marketing and lead management to help streamline customer outreach and engagement.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Drift[[/strong]] is an AI-powered chatbot for customer support and lead nurturing that automates real-time communication with website visitors.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Canva[[/strong]] offers AI-powered design features for creating visual content such as social media posts, ads, and presentations.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Zapier[[/strong]] connects apps and automates workflows across platforms to handle routine tasks like data entry and lead generation.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Customer experience has never been so important because consumers have high expectations of their online experience.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]AI tools can help to streamline that experience and ensure prospects and customers keep coming back. Here are some of the best examples.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Zendesk[[/strong]] is a customer service platform that provides chatbots, ticketing systems, and automated responses to improve support efficiency.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Intercom[[/strong]] is an AI-powered customer messaging tool that automates support, onboarding, and customer engagement using chatbots and targeted messaging.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Kissmetrics[[/strong]] uses&nbsp;AI to analyze customer data to gain insights on behavior and brand interactions.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Zoho Desk[[/strong]] is an AI customer support solution that integrates communication from channels including phone, email, live chat, and social media into one interface.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Along with wanting a great experience, customers value companies that understand who they are and what they want.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Personalization has become more important to marketing teams and offers a way to connect with customers to drive conversations and improve retention. Here are some great AI tools to help with targeting and segmentation.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Salesforce Marketing Cloud[[/strong]] uses AI to analyze customer data, segment audiences, and deliver personalized marketing messages.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Blueshift[[/strong]] combines AI with real-time data to segment audiences, predict customer behavior, and enable targeted multichannel campaigns.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Optimove[[/strong]] uses AI to build dynamic customer segments and automate personalized marketing campaigns based on predictive analytics.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]With the volume of data available to organizations across channels, getting insights can be daunting and time consuming.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]AI tools are able to process large volumes of data much faster than humans to gain greater and more accurate insights and incover upcoming trends.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Here are some great AI tools you can use:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Rapid Miner[[/strong]] is an AI-powered platform that allows businesses to build predictive models, focusing on customer insights and business forecasting.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]H2O.ai[[/strong]] is an open-source platform that uses AI and machine learning algorithms for predictive modeling to churn prediction and financial forecasting.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Talkwalker[[/strong]] uses AI-powered tools to help alert you to upcoming trends[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]TrendKite[[/strong]] is an AI tool used by marketers for forecasting and analyzing likely trends.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]IBM Watson[[/strong]] provides advanced predictive analytics, using machine learning to forecast trends, customer behavior, and business outcomes.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]These are only a selection of AI tools for specific functions that marketers see as the most effective.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]However, there are many more tasks that [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/what-are-the-best-ai-and-marketing-automation-tools#heading_73518" target="_blank"]]AI tools[[/a]] can help with such as content creation, audience research, customer journey mapping, influencer research, and sales automation.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]Top tip:[[/strong]] Bear in mind that AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity rely on prompts to provide you with the right information. Download our[[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/toolkits/chatgpt-prompt-guide-for-your-digital-marketing-plan" target="_blank"]] ChatGPT prompt guide[[/a]] to find out how to craft effective prompts.&nbsp;[[/p]]

I’m always asked which AI tool should I use? I don't know what your dips and flows are during the day. That's the sort of thing that people should think about. Where are the bits I can add an extra 10% or 20%?

[[p]]You should approach creating an AI strategy like you would any other strategy.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]It needs to be informed by the needs of your business and be leveraged to make your company and workforce more efficient and productive.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]The ultimate goal of an AI strategy is to map out how the technology should inform and enhance your marketing activities across channels.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]So how can you create an AI digital marketing strategy?[[/p]]

[[p]]Whether you&rsquo;re considering using AI, have already started using it, or have been using the technology for a while, it&rsquo;s important to look at your digital marketing strategy.&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]When was the last time your team reviewed your digital marketing strategy? Does it include AI? And have you integrated any use of AI tools into your strategy?&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]For example, if you&rsquo;re using tools like Claude or Jasper for content ideation and generation, is that included in the content marketing element of your strategy?[[/p]]

[[p]]It&rsquo;s essential to know what you want to achieve by using AI in your business.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Think about:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]What your current challenges are[[/li]]
	[[li]]What objectives you want to achieve&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]For example, do you want to reduce the workload for marketing staff by automating repetitive tasks such as data entry? Or do you want to reduce the time spent on answering customer queries?[[/p]]

[[p]]Alternatively, you may want to boost conversions because, although web traffic is high on some pages, the conversions do not match the interest.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Be clear on what your goals are from the start so you can bring in AI capabilities that help achieve them.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]AI loves data so it&rsquo;s your job to gather the right data for it to analyze. What we mean by the &lsquo;right&rsquo; data is information that&rsquo;s accurate and relevant.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]So review your existing data sources such as website analytics with [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/ebooks/the-dmi-guide-to-ga4" target="_blank"]]GA4[[/a]], customer purchase history, email metrics, and social media metrics.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]You may already have garnered insights from your data. However, you can use AI tools to dig deeper to get insights on trends, patterns, and opportunities for improvement.[[/p]]

[[p]]The AI tools that you select will be determined by your goals and should help you achieve your marketing objectives.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]You can see from the section above that there are many tools to choose from, so it&rsquo;s about being very focused and taking the time to research the right AI applications.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]A [[a href="https://hbr.org/2021/07/how-to-design-an-ai-marketing-strategy" target="_blank"]]Harvard Business Review article[[/a]] believes you should categorize potential AI applications according to intelligence level and structure. This will help to select the right tools and plan the rollout of AI for marketing tasks.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]The key is to combine stand-alone apps like chatbots (e.g. HubSpot) with more advanced AI tools and those that can be integrated into systems (e.g. CRM) to get the most value.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]By 2026, the customer experience personalization and optimization software and services industry is projected to reach $11.6 billion, according to Statista.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]That just shows the value of segmentation and targeting to businesses that want to reach their target audience.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]AI tools can analyze customer behavior, demographics, and engagement patterns to create targeted customer groups. This enables marketers to develop detailed [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/the-beginners-guide-to-defining-buyer-personas" target="_blank"]]buyer personas[[/a]] and create personalized messaging that resonate with each segment.[[/p]]

[[p]]Now that you know your goals, the right AI tools for your marketing activities, and your audience, it&rsquo;s time to start automating.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Look at the simple tasks you can automate such as data entry, reporting, scheduling, and lead nurturing to allow marketers to focus on core strategic tasks.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]For example, for marketing campaigns, AI can automate email sequences, ad placements, and social media posts by analyzing customer data to determine the best time and channel for engagement.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]It can also dynamically segment audiences, delivering personalized content based on user behavior and preferences.[[/p]]

[[p]]All marketers know that even when you&rsquo;ve done everything possible to ensure your campaigns are relevant and personalized, there&rsquo;s still room for improvement.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]That&#39;s where testing and optimization come in. AI can continuously analyze and optimize campaigns based on real-time data.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Use AI-driven [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/toolkits/a-b-testing-tool" target="_blank"]]A/B testing[[/a]] to refine email subject lines, ad creatives, and other marketing assets. Continuously monitor AI-generated insights to improve performance.[[/p]]

[[p]]Every marketing activity and campaign needs to be measured to understand its performance. The same goes for any AI-powered initiatives.&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]You should set and track [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-to-improve-your-marketing-campaigns-based-on-these-critical-kpis" target="_blank"]]key performance indicators[[/a]] (KPIs) such as conversions, customer lifetime value, and return on investment (ROI).&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]AI tools such as Salesforce or Google Analytics can help monitor campaign effectiveness in real time and provide recommendations for further optimization.[[/p]]

[[p]]AI is built to learn, so over time the tools will learn more as they gather more data. This will help you to refine your strategy by adjusting messaging, audience segments, or marketing channels based on insights.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]These AI-powered insights should help you to tweak and refine so you can scale your AI efforts as the business grows and apply what you&#39;ve learned to new campaigns and platforms.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]When devising your digital marketing strategy, you can also use AI tools to help.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]The elements it can help with are:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]Strategic planning[[/li]]
	[[li]]Driving efficiency and productivity[[/li]]
	[[li]]Calculating and delivering on ROI[[/li]]
	[[li]]Omnichannel marketing[[/li]]
	[[li]]Strategic innovation&nbsp;[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Let&rsquo;s look at each one in detail with some suggested AI tools you can use.&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Create strategic plans:[[/strong]] Use generative AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT to draft comprehensive strategy documents that use data inputs to create an actionable strategic report.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Simulate different strategic outcomes: [[/strong]]An AI tool like Risk Miner can facilitate scenario planning by simulating different strategic outcomes helping a business assess the impacts of any decisions and minimize risk.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Enhance decision-making:[[/strong]] AI tools such as RiskLens can analyze vast amounts of data to uncover hidden risks and emerging opportunities. &nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Identify strategic risks and opportunities:[[/strong]] AI tools can analyze vast amounts of data to find hidden risks and emerging opportunities that may not be found otherwise.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Automate content creation: [[/strong]]AI tools like Jasper and Claude can generate high-quality content drafts for blogs, social media, and marketing materials. This frees up people for more strategic tasks.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Personalize content at scale:[[/strong]] Use AI to tailor marketing messages across channels to customer segments, improving engagement and conversion rates.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Automate routine tasks:[[/strong]] AI can enhance productivity by automating routine tasks. For example, use chatbots to respond to customer queries and direct customers through the funnel.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Enhance creativity:[[/strong]] Generative AI tools like Designify can assist in creative processes, such as product design and development.&nbsp;[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Track and analyze metrics:[[/strong]] Use AI tools like Google Ads to track ad performance and calculate the ROI of digital marketing campaigns.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Forecast ROI:[[/strong]] An AI tool like IBM Watson can analyze campaign performance to forecast the potential ROI of a new product launch so marketers can plan more effectively.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Identify cost-effective channels:[[/strong]] You can use AI platforms (e.g. HubSpot) to compare the ROI of social media advertising versus email marketing.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Optimize budget:[[/strong]] AI tools can suggest optimal budget distribution across different marketing activities to achieve the best returns.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Integrate and analyze data: [[/strong]]Use AI tools like ChatGPT to gather and process data from various sources to get a holistic view of customer behavior across different platforms.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Optimize cross-channel activity:[[/strong]] Use Google Analytics 360 to track and attribute conversions to different marketing channels to get insight into the channels that drive sales.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Enhance the customer journey:[[/strong]] You can leverage AI to map out the customer journey from initial contact to purchase to identify opportunities to enhance the experience.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Provide real-time insights:[[/strong]] Use a tool like Adobe Analytics to track the effectiveness of omnichannel strategies and provide insights for improvement.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Identify new trends and technologies: [[/strong]]Analyze vast amounts of data to pinpoint upcoming trends and potential disruptions in the market.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Support innovation:[[/strong]] Use an AI tool such as Crayon to track competitor activities and customer reviews to identify gaps in the market.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Generate solutions:[[/strong]] Brainstorm and generate creative solutions for campaigns by using an AI tool such as Claude to suggest marketing angles or campaign themes.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]AI poses risks (including ethical risks) to companies. As a rapidly advancing and generative technology, companies need to take a comprehensive approach to any risks, including a defined strategy, good governance and a commitment to responsible AI.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Let&rsquo;s look at five of the most common risks posed by AI.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Promote bias[[/strong]] - AI is using company data to give insights and make decisions so it&rsquo;s important to ensure that there&rsquo;s no inherent bias in that data. For example, a study found that AI was prompting medical professionals to pay more attention to white people than to black people meaning that many high-risk patients who needed care were not seen.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Lack of transparency[[/strong]] - People need to understand what data AI is looking at and how it is arriving at conclusions or insights to be transparent. Otherwise there could be a lack of trust in the technology.&nbsp; &nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Job displacement[[/strong]] - Automation driven by AI has the potential to lead to job losses. A workforce needs to adapt and upskill to harness the power of AI so they can transition into new roles. &nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Privacy violations[[/strong]] - AI technologies collect and analyze a lot of data from a variety of channels. Companies need to protect customer information by adhering to data regulations like [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/gdpr-and-marketing" target="_blank"]]GDPR[[/a]] and developing privacy guidelines.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Misinformation and disinformation[[/strong]] - AI can generate content that spreads false information or manipulates public opinion. For example, deefakes have been used by cybercriminals to orchestrate phishing scams or identity theft. A [[a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/04/asia/deepfake-cfo-scam-hong-kong-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank"]]recent incident[[/a]] saw a finance worker at a multinational firm tricked into paying out $25 million to fraudsters using deepfake technology to pose as the company&rsquo;s CFO in a video conference call.&nbsp;[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]It&rsquo;s up to companies to understand the risks of AI and create a plan or strategy to minimize these risks, particularly to customers or clients.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Whether you are starting to use AI tools or already using them in your marketing activities, it&rsquo;s important to develop a strategy.[[/p]]

[[p]]This will help guide how you use AI tools and platforms to develop, refine, and optimize marketing efforts. It will also help you navigate the fast-paced world of AI as the technology continues to constantly advance and evolve.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]AI is no longer a nice add-on! It has become a key technology that companies want to use to become more efficient and effective.&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/p]]

ChatGPT Prompt Guide for your Digital Marketing Plan

[[p]]Artificial intelligence is a game changer for marketers as it helps personalize, optimize, and automate many key marketing activities. Our new [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/students/short-courses/ai-in-digital-marketing" target="_blank"]]short interactive AI course[[/a]] (with practical AI tool walkthroughs) will help you understand the fundamentals of AI and use key tools for research, content development, data-driven decision-making, and creative design. Get started today![[/p]]

How to Create an AI Digital Marketing Strategy

Related Free Video Lessons