In a 2023 survey by PwC, 81 percent of CMOs responded that they expected to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to support new business models in the next 12 to 18 months.
Think about the last time you browsed suggested items based on your previous purchases on Amazon’s website, swiped through personalized offers on the Starbucks app, or waited for your next rideshare. While these everyday interactions may not seem like it, they’re all examples of ways that AI can be used to enhance digital marketing.
Companies like Amazon, Starbucks, and Uber are often on the cutting edge of technology, and their understanding of AI helps to engage and retain customers. The integration of AI technology in digital marketing strategies helps businesses personalize customer experiences and improve engagement rates. But for businesses that are exploring AI tools, it can be overwhelming as you figure out what to look for — and where to look for it.
If you’re exploring AI tools for digital marketing, the UO CPE Digital Marketing Certificate Course, in partnership with Ziplines Education, offers comprehensive training to help you navigate and leverage AI effectively in your marketing strategies.
This guide will walk you through the basics of artificial intelligence in modern business contexts, cover ways to use AI across a variety of marketing subfields, and provide you with a list of tools to help you get started on your digital marketing AI journey.
What Is AI?
AI stands for artificial intelligence and refers to any software that is designed to solve challenges that typically require human intelligence. This includes activities like learning from experience, understanding natural language, recognizing patterns, and making decisions. Unlike non-intelligent machines, which perform the same actions repetitively without change, machines powered by AI can continually adapt to refine processes and become more efficient.
AI: A Brief History
In the mid-20th century, computer science pioneer Alan Turing had an idea to create machines that could simulate human processes, laying the groundwork for AI research. However, it wasn’t until 1956, at the Dartmouth Conference, that researchers began to explore the possibilities of machine intelligence in earnest.
The field of AI slowly progressed, held back only by the limited computing power available in the 1960s and ‘70s. Finally, in the 1980s, computer scientists developed the first machine learning (ML) algorithms and neural networks, which allowed computers to learn from data.
Today, artificial intelligence is accessible to anyone with a computer or smartphone. Thanks to large advancements on computational power and improvements in machine learning technique, AI is now embedded in our daily lives, both at home and at work.
Benefits of AI for Digital Marketing
AI has the potential to enhance business across all functions and departments, including digital marketing. From aiding in strategic development, improving customer experiences, and optimizing team resources, AI can transform your entire digital marketing approach.
Here are just a few of the benefits of using AI for digital marketing:
- Efficiency and Automation: Digital marketers can use AI tools to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, like email marketing, social media posting, and ad placement.
- Data Analysis and Insights: Digital marketers can use AI tools to derive insights from vast amounts of data, enabling them to more accurately target and segment customers and make data-driven decisions.
- Personalization and Customer Experience: Digital marketers can use AI tools to analyze customer data and create highly customized experiences, which can increase customer engagement and loyalty.
- Predictive Analytics: Digital marketers can use AI tools to forecast future trends based on historical data. This allows them to anticipate customer needs, plan inventory, and adjust marketing strategies proactively.
- Content Creation and Optimization: Digital marketers can use AI tools to generate and optimize content, including suggesting blog topics, writing articles, and even creating social media posts.
- Ad Targeting and Optimization: Digital marketers can use AI tools to analyze user behavior and deliver targeted ads to achieve the best possible outcomes within budget restraints.
- Customer Service and Chatbots: Digital marketers can use AI tools to handle customer queries and ultimately enhance customer service. AI makes it possible to offer 24/7 support through immediate, automated smart responses.
- Competitive Advantage: Digital marketers can use AI tools to optimize campaigns, improve customer relationships, and outperform competitors.
- Cost Reduction: Digital marketers can use AI tools to automate processes and increase efficiency, resulting in reduced marketing costs that can be reinvested into other marketing activities.
By leveraging AI marketing tools, marketers can gain deeper insights, automate processes, and improve customer engagement, leading to better outcomes and a stronger competitive position. It also frees up marketers’ time, allowing them to focus more on the activities that require human creativity, interaction, and oversight. The UO CPE Digital Marketing Certificate Course, in partnership with Ziplines Education, covers these benefits in detail, ensuring you leave with practical skills and industry-recognized certifications.
In the next section, we’ll dive deeper into AI use cases within various digital marketing subfields.
AI Tools for Digital Marketing
It’s cleat that AI is revolutionizing digital marketing through a variety of tools that enhance efficiency, personalization, and data analysis. Savvy digital marketers can use AI to streamline workflows, gain insights into campaign performance, and enhance customer interactions. However, AI tools are not one-size-fits-all — many are designed for specialized functions within certain aspects of digital marketing.
From content marketing and SEO optimization to social media management and email marketing, AI plays a multifaceted role across digital marketing. Learners in the UO CPE Digital Marketing Certificate Course can gain practice using AI tools for content creation, SEO, CRM, PPC, social media management, and more.
Below, we’ll highlight some specific use cases and tools that demonstrate how AI can enhance your marketing strategy. As you explore your options, keep in mind that some tools are free to use, while others may require a purchase or subscription.
AI Tools for Content Creation
AI content creation tools are designed to help marketers produce high-quality content at scale, and can generate a wide range of AI-generated content ideas, outlines, and copy. Here are some broader applications of AI tools within content creation:
- Content Ideation and Planning: AI tools like CoSchedule can suggest relevant and trending topics, help create structured outlines, and optimize content schedules for maximum engagement.
- Writing and Drafting: AI tools like Jasper and Copy.ai, use AI algorithms to generate entire articles, craft engaging social media content, and Phrasee will write personalized newsletter copy to drive higher click-through rates.
- Editing and Proofreading: AI tools like Grammarly and ProWritingAid, and can check copy for grammatical errors and improve readability, while tools like Copyscape ensure that content remains consistent and original.
- Visual Content Creation: AI tools, such as Canva’s Magic Resize, can generate helpful visuals to accompany written content. Use Lumen5 to turn entire articles into engaging videos.
- Content Localization: AI tools such as DeepL and Google Translate can provide high-quality translations, and platforms like Smartling can adapt content for global audiences, ensuring relevance and accuracy.
AI Tools for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Digital marketers can leverage AI techniques to gain deep insights into SEO performance, optimize content, and stay ahead of the competition. Here are some of the ways that AI can be used to enhance SEO:
- Keyword Research and Analysis: AI tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs can conduct keyword research and identify high-value keywords that can drive traffic and improve search rankings.
- Content Optimization: AI platforms, such as SurferSEO and MarketMuse, can analyze top-ranking pages and provide recommendations for improvements to ensure that content aligns with search engine algorithms.
- Technical SEO: AI-powered tools like DeepCrawl and Botify can crawl websites to improve technical performance by identifying and fixing issues like broken links, duplicate content, and site speed.
- SEO Performance Tracking: AI tools like Moz Pro and Google Analytics can leverage machine learning to monitor and analyze SEO performance to help SEO marketers refine their strategies.
- Automation of Routine Tasks: AI tools, such as Jasper, can save time and reduce manual effort by performing tag generation, backlink analysis, and content updates to drive stronger SEO.
AI Tools for Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Integrating AI into CRM systems allows digital marketers to enhance their customer relationship strategies, drive efficiency, and improve satisfaction. AI-powered CRM tools can support optimization efforts in the following areas:
- Enhanced Customer Insights: AI tools like Salesforce Einstein analyze customer interactions to deliver predictive insights and recommendations, which can be used to tailor marketing strategies and personalize the customer experience.
- Automation of Routine Tasks: AI tools like Zoho CRM allow teams to concentrate on building relationships by automating repetitive tasks such as data entry, scheduling, and follow-up emails.
- Predictive Analytics: AI-powered CRM tools, such as Nutshell, analyze historical data to predict the leads that are most likely to convert, which helps marketers prioritize their efforts and resources effectively.
- Improved Customer Engagement: AI chatbots integrated into CRM systems, such as those in Zendesk and Intercom, enhance customer engagement, offer instant support, and improve customer satisfaction.
- Sales and Marketing Alignment: AI tools in CRM, like SugarCRM and Freshsales, facilitate alignment by providing a unified view of customer data, enabling seamless communication and strategy execution.
AI Tools for Advertising and Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
By leveraging AI-powered tools, digital marketing advertisers and PPC specialists can automate processes, improve targeting, and optimize ad performance. Here’s how they are making a significant impact:
- Automated Bidding: Google Ads and similar AI performance tools use machine learning algorithms to automate and optimize bidding strategies, allowing for dynamic adjustments based on market conditions and competition.
- Ad Copy Generation and Optimization: Generative AI, such as Jasper and Copy.ai generate compelling ad copy tailored to specific audiences, suggest improvements, and iterate variations of marketing campaign copy that resonate with potential customers.
- Precise Audience Targeting: Facebook Ads and Google Ads leverage AI to analyze user data that enables advertisers to create highly targeted campaigns that lead to higher conversion rates.
- Performance Analysis and Insights: PPC marketers can use AI tools to track and analyze campaign performance, allowing them to understand which strategies are effective and where improvements are needed.
- Real-Time Adaptation: Many AI tools for PPC include real-time adaptation features that help advertisers respond promptly to changes in user behavior and continuously optimize ad performance.
AI Tools for Social Media Management
Social media marketers can incorporate AI tools and processes into their workflow to enhance content creation, drive creativity, and generate valuable insights around audience behavior. They can accomplish this through:
- Automated Content Creation and Scheduling: AI tools can optimize the entire social media content process. Social media managers can leverage Buffer and Hootsuite’s AI capabilities to optimize post times and maximize reach.
- Sentiment Analysis and Audience Insights: AI-powered tools like Sprout Social and Brandwatch help social media marketers understand how their brand is perceived by gauging audience sentiment and analyzing audience preferences.
- Social Listening and Monitoring: Track mentions of a brand, competitors, and industry trends in real time with AI tools offered by HubSpot and Mention. These help brands stay on top of conversations and proactively engage with their audience.
- Ad Optimization: Platforms like AdEspresso and Smartly.io leverage AI to optimize social media ad targeting and placement, analyzing user data to deliver ads to the right audience at the right time.
- Enhanced Content Creation: Generate text, images, and videos based on input prompts and desired outcomes, all through AI. Tools like Jasper, Copy.ai, and Canva leverage AI to create engaging and relevant social media content.
AI Tools for Email Marketing
AI has revolutionized modern email marketing, from content enhancement to campaign optimization and better targeting. Here’s how you can benefit from artificial intelligence in your email marketing efforts:
- Automated Personalization and Segmentation: Email marketing platforms such as Mailchimp use AI to analyze customer data and create personalized email content tailored to individual preferences, which can improve open and conversion rates.
- Optimized Send Times and Frequency: AI email marketing tools like SendGrid analyze historical data to determine best send times to maximize engagement without overwhelming recipients.
- Performance Analysis and Insights: Tools like HubSpot offer email marketers AI-powered analytics that track key metrics and generate insights that can be used to refine future campaigns.
- Spam Filter Avoidance: Email marketers can ensure that emails reach customer inboxes using AI tools like ClickUp, which analyzes email content and structure to improve deliverability, avoid spam filters, and reach the target audience.
- Automated A/B Testing: AI tools like SEMRush can help simplify A/B testing by automatically generating and testing different versions of email content to identify the most effective variations.
AI Tools for Marketing Analytics
Training AI models on diverse datasets ensures more accurate predictions and recommendations, enhancing data analysis, improving decision-making, and optimizing marketing strategies within marketing analytics. Here are some of the key ways marketing analysts can benefit from applying AI tools in their work:
- Automated Data Collection and Integration: Gather and integrate data with AI tools like Google Cloud Marketing Analytics, which provide a unified view of marketing performance by pulling in data from multiple platforms.
- Advanced Data Analytics and Insights: AI-powered analytics tools, such as Quantilope and Marketscience, utilize machine learning algorithms to analyze large datasets, identify patterns, and uncover trends that might be missed by manual analysis.
- Real-Time Analytics: AI enables the real-time analysis offered by tools like Mailmodo, which offers insights into campaigns as they happen, allowing marketers to make immediate adjustments and optimize performance.
- Customer Segmentation and Personalization: AI tools like CMSWire allow for highly personalized marketing efforts based on customer behavior, demographics, and preferences, which can increase engagement and conversion rates.
- Enhanced Reporting and Visualization: Marketing analysts can use AI-powered analytics platforms like Simtech Development and Mailmodo to understand complex data and grasp key performance metrics and trends.
AI: Use With Caution
AI has seemingly limitless potential within the world of digital marketing. While it can be tempting to start testing out all the platforms you can find just to see what they can do, incorporating AI into your digital marketing strategy can pose ethical challenges and potential risks. Here’s how digital marketers can use AI tools responsibly, along with best practices to help guide your team to success.
Ethical Considerations in AI Use
| Consideration | Best Practice | Marketing Benefit |
| Transparency and Accountability Marketers must make their use of AI tools clear to their teams and their customers. This includes ensuring that there is accountability for AI-driven decision-making. | Clearly disclose when AI is used in customer interactions, such as chatbots or personalized content recommendations. | Builds trust and allows for greater transparency. Customer are more likely to engage with a brand they perceive as honest and transparent. |
| Avoiding Bias Marketers using data to train AI models must be careful not to perpetuate or amplify existing biases, which can lead to unfair or discriminatory outcomes. | Use diverse datasets and implement regular checks to identify and mitigate biases in AI algorithms. | Helps in reaching a broader, more diverse audience effectively and supports inclusive marketing strategies, which can enhance brand reputation and customer satisfaction. |
| Privacy and Data Protection Marketers must comply with data protection regulations and ensure that AI tools respect user privacy and do not misuse personal user data. | Adhere to regulations like General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), use anonymization techniques where possible, and apply transparent and ethical data collection practices. | Builds trust and prevents legal issues, which encourages customer engagement and enables marketers to improve their efforts. |
Responsible AI Adoption and Use
| AI Adoption Phase | Best Practice | Marketing Benefit |
| Implementation Marketing teams should implement ethical AI frameworks that include guidelines for data usage, model training, and regular audits. | Establish a cross-functional team to oversee AI ethics and ensure that all AI implementations align with the organization’s ethical guidelines. | Ensures consistent and fair use of AI and enhances brand integrity by maintaining customer trust — a crucial component of long-term success. |
| Monitoring and Evaluation Marketers should have processes in place to ensure that AI systems operate as intended and do not produce unintended harmful outcomes. | Update AI models with new data regularly and implement monitoring tools to track AI performance and flag anomalies. | Quickly identifies and corrects issues to produce more consistent and reliable marketing outcomes. |
| Education and Training Marketing teams must stay educated about the ethical use of AI, including its potential risks, ethical considerations, and best practices. | Conduct regular training sessions and workshops to keep teams informed about the latest AI developments and best practices. | Enforces responsible use of AI, which reduces the risk of ethical breaches and enhances the quality of AI-driven marketing efforts. |
Red Flags to Watch Out For in Digital Marketing AI Tools
| Red Flag | Best Practice | Marketing Benefit |
| Lack of Transparency AI tools that do not clearly explain how it makes decisions and processes data may not be trustworthy or ethical. | Avoid AI tools that operate as “black boxes” with no clear explanations of their decision-making process. | Helps marketers maintain trust with stakeholders and customers. |
| Inadequate Data Privacy Protections AI tools that do not prioritize data privacy or fail to comply with data protection regulations can cause significant ethical and legal issues. | Be wary of AI tools that collect excessive personal data or lack robust protection measures. | Compliance with legal standards prevents data breaches and maintains customer trust. |
| Evidence of Bias AI tools that consistently produce biased outcomes can lead to unethical practices. | Regularly audit AI systems and watch for signs of biased outcomes. | Enhances brand reputation and expands appeal to a wider audience. |
Continue Your AI Learning Journey
AI plays a critical role in digital transformation, and digital marketers can benefit from learning how to leverage AI-powered tools for their own work. From content creation and SEO to CRM, PPC, social media management, email marketing, and analytics, AI has the capability to automate tasks, gain deeper insights, and improve customer engagement.
If you’re looking for a comprehensive education on utilizing AI in digital marketing, consider enrolling in the UO CPE Digital Marketing Certificate Course, in partnership with Ziplines Education. The 10-week program provides hands-on training to ensure you have the skills and knowledge to excel in this rapidly evolving field.
