For many companies, social media is the best method for finding new leads and converting them into customers. However, while most brands see the value of social media, few of them know how to utilize it effectively. Fortunately, now that AI programs are much more accessible and prolific, it's never been easier to leverage technology to get more out of your marketing efforts.
So, with that in mind, let's break down the different ways AI can help you with your social media marketing.
How AI Can Supercharge Your Social Media Marketing Efforts
When comparing different AI programs, it's imperative to know what you want to accomplish. While there are a few all-in-one options, it's sometimes better to focus on one or two aspects and build from there. Here are several ways that AI can streamline your marketing operations and help drive more customers to your website.
Chatbots
Chatbots are hugely beneficial, particularly on social media platforms. A chatbot is often the first interaction a user has with your brand, and in some cases, they may not need to speak to anyone else. Chatbots are valuable for a few reasons:
First, they can answer basic questions, such as hours of operation, address, contact info, or website information. Second, they can direct users to the correct department. For example, if someone purchased a product and has a question, they can be directed to a customer service rep. Alternatively, if a user wants to know more about a product or service, the chatbot can send them to a salesperson.
Chatbots are also valuable because they're always active. So, no matter what time of day someone reaches out to your business, they can get a prompt response. This level of engagement helps build a positive brand image.
Data Analysis
The primary value of social media sites is that they collect user information. This data is highly valuable as you can gather far more insights about a prospective customer than you could elsewhere.
That said, when you have hundreds or thousands of followers, it's impossible to sift through that data manually. Instead, you can outsource the process to an AI program.
AI software is excellent at digesting and curating big data sets. In a matter of minutes, you can get mockups of your typical customers and their social media habits. From there, you can leverage that information to promote targeted ads that can increase your conversion rate. Best of all, you can use the same AI program to analyze your website traffic too.
Post Management and Automation
One of the biggest challenges companies face with social media marketing is consistency. Creating and posting content is a full-time job, and not all brands can afford a dedicated social media manager. Fortunately, AI can handle the detail work for you so you can set up a content schedule weeks or months ahead of time.
Better yet, if you use AI to manage posts and analyze user data, you can gain insights into which posts get the most engagement, including the best time to publish new content. Overall, you can refine your social media marketing strategy on the fly with up-to-date information and gain far more traction than you could by doing everything manually.
Content Creation
Another hurdle for most companies is creating new content. Typically, a brand will have dozens or hundreds of content ideas, but not enough time or resources to create, edit, and publish them all. Thankfully, AI can help streamline the entire process so it only takes a matter of hours to post new content, not days or weeks.
While you shouldn't use AI to generate all of your content from scratch, these programs can help by crafting individual pieces or helping you generate ideas that will get noticed via SEO. Think of AI as a content assistant, not a content generator.
Tips for Using AI Effectively in Social Media
While it's exciting to see how far AI can help you maximize your marketing efforts, these programs are still highly limited. Also, you never want to automate every process, as you never know what the algorithm may spit out from time to time.
So, here are some pro tips to ensure you get the most value from AI without running into problems or awkward situations.
Double-Check Every Post
Sometimes, you may want to use AI to create post text because it's faster and can generate more hashtags and keywords in less time. However, AI doesn't understand context, so it may generate posts that could be offensive or confusing. So, make sure a social media manager double-checks every post to spot any potential errors.
Add Human Elements to AI Content
AI text and image generators can speed up content creation, but they shouldn't replace human graphic designers and copywriters. There should always be someone to punch up whatever AI creates, particularly when it comes to imagery. Most AI programs can't incorporate text or "sensitive" elements, so a person has to go in and add things like logos, watermarks, or additional details.
Not only can these human elements make your content better, but it helps alleviate concerns of plagiarism and copyright protections.
Use AI to Set Up Human Interactions
Ultimately, AI works best for data analysis and basic interactions with users. So, instead of relying too heavily on AI, use it as a tool to help your users connect with your sales and customer service departments. Otherwise, if your followers are only interacting with chatbots and seeing AI-generated content, they're far less likely to continue interacting with your brand.
Get Better Social Media Marketing Today
While AI makes social media marketing easier, the best option is to rely on a marketing firm that can handle all the details for you. Now, you don't need to worry about a steep learning curve, and you can still have the best content and engagement possible. Contact us today to see how we can elevate your social media presence.
