By Jonathan Baker Small-to-midsize businesses (SMBs) throughout the country are forever competing with well-known brands and big-box stores. It’s the commerce equivalent of The Bible’s saga of David competing against the giant Goliath. Recent findings show that SMBs have an equivalent to David’s slingshot in this competition. That equivalent is artificial intelligence (AI). Knowing When and Where to Apply AI As reported in Media Post, SMBs joined the rest of the world in embracing and adapting to using AI. Over time, these independent enterprises SMBs have gradually slowed and conserved the application of this technology. An exception of this is how AI is being used to power personalized email campaigns, which is the top channel investment for 18.9 percent of SMBs. How AI and Email Can Make a Perfect Fit Adam Nathan, CEO of Blaze.AI, pointed out to Media Post that while email marketing effectively delivers on its return on investment (ROI), the creating of personalized email campaigns at scale has always been a challenge. This challenge is particularly difficult for small-to-midsize businesses that need to be more cost-conscious than their larger, more famous competitors. By applying AI to email, however, personalization in email can reach new heights. Through the enhancements provided by AI, the benefits of email are clearer and sharper—with a vengeance. Email is Supercharged By utilizing AI in email personalization, SMBs will not only see a noticeable improvement in ROI but discover a possibly forgotten appreciation for the true value of this marketing method. Through AI, email targeting, as Mr. Nathan states, “supercharged.” The enhanced value provides: Improved targeting and specific audience segmentation: Where categorizing audience members was once very basic (e.g., age, location), AI goes further by analyzing behavior and context to help craft the most personalized email campaigns possible. Creating automated content, complemented by optimization: Through A/B testing and natural language processing AI capabilities, everything from effective subject lines to recommendations for email content are available to SMBs. Best possible times to deploy: Through analysis of audience member behavior, AI has the capacity to predict the time of day (or night) when a marketing email will be opened. This then increases the possibility of higher open rates and improved click-through rates. In short, through AI-powered email campaigns, SMBs can now reach their audiences like never before. While they will still have competition from big box competitors, the smaller, independent store or brand has greater leverage to make an impression on existing and potential customers. A Word of Caution If you own, manage, or work for a small-to-midsize business, keep in mind that the capabilities of AI are to supplement your efforts—not do the work for you. Before final deployment of an email campaign, check to make that customers are absorbing your brand’s unique voice. Despite the enhancements of this technology, many people can now detect the difference between content written by a human being and something solely generated by AI. If you want to improve your small-to-midsize business’ email presence, get in touch with The EGC Group. From engaging copy to attention-getting imagery, we can help elevate the email performance of your business. (And yes, our use of AI will be carefully applied to maintain your individual brand voice!)
