{"id":18800,"date":"2022-11-30T09:44:09","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T09:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umni.bg\/?p=18800"},"modified":"2023-01-26T14:41:36","modified_gmt":"2023-01-26T14:41:36","slug":"attention-marketers-prepare-for-the-upcoming-changes-and-trends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/umni.bg\/en\/blog\/attention-marketers-prepare-for-the-upcoming-changes-and-trends\/","title":{"rendered":"Attention, Marketers: Prepare for the Upcoming Changes and Trends"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"As a marketer, you are always looking for ways to stay ahead of the curve and stay one step ahead of your competition. The ever-changing landscape of marketing can be a challenge to keep up with, but it is important to stay on top of the latest trends and changes in the industry.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest changes that are happening in the world of marketing is the way that consumers are interacting with brands. As the world changes, so do the challenges that businesses face. To stay ahead of the crowd, businesses must be constantly evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of their customers.<\/p>\n

This week we decided to go through the Salesforce’s newest report \u201cState of Marketing 8th<\/sup> edition\u201d, check it and extract for you some of the most important trends we have noticed, and how they lead to the need for the implementation of an AI chatbot.<\/p>\n

Here is what our team noticed:<\/p>\n

87% of marketers say their work provides greater value now than it did a year ago<\/strong> – a 10 percent jump from last year. Why do you think is that? There could be many reasons, but what we think is that the growing power of technologies that ease our work and lives has contributed to our performance and motivation. These are mostly not new technologies. The growing adoption rate in the last few years, especially during and after the pandemic, has changed the way we work, and it is valid not only for marketers but in general for every profession. It includes usage of various technologies and tools for digitalization and for automation of work. One great example of such technology is the AI chatbot that helps businesses automate their customer service and support<\/a>, improve marketing<\/a> and sales<\/a> processes, improve employee performance, and overall business further development.<\/p>\n

88% of customers believe that trust becomes more important in times of change<\/strong>. What are the times of change? Well, every day something is changing (new business comes up, new technologies, new trends, new restrictions, etc.) and we as people and our businesses must adapt quickly to stay in the trends and be competitive. Brand trust and brand loyalty are more important than ever now when competition is so aggressive. Your business needs to think of ways to stand out from the crowd to earn customers’ loyalty and retain them for life. Answering customers’ questions 24\/7, assisting them instantly \u2013 day or night, weekend, or holiday, and saving their time is one way to go. AI chatbots are performing very well in such tasks. Another way of doing this, especially when the biggest change in how customer data will be collected with Google\u2019s restrictions over third-party cookies, is to use first and zero-party data collection tools (chatbots with conversational AI, email platforms, CRM systems, and others) to continue understanding your customers’ preferences and needs to gain their trust in you.<\/p>\n

With the end of third-party cookies on the horizon, 68% of marketers have already a fully defined strategy to shift toward first-party data, and 54% already creating a first-party data strategy to prepare for the cookieless world. <\/strong>It is recommended to use not one but a few methods\/tools for first and zero-party data collection working together for the best customer experience. For example, an AI chatbot can be a first and zero-party data<\/a> collection tool on your website to engage and communicate with customers 24\/7\/365, collect their emails in exchange for something to download or get a special offer. Then your team can send more targeted email campaigns and start nurturing your customers in a personalized manner using CRM software. Start preparing for the third-party cookies’ disappearance now to be one step ahead of those who are waiting till the last moment. Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) are specifically focused on building and retaining trust with customers<\/strong> (including keeping their data safe) which are in their top 3 priorities this year along with continuous innovation in technologies and tools and experimenting with new marketing strategies and tactics for overall business development. Other priorities they also have are balancing on personalization with customer comfort levels, improving the use and acceptance of tools and technologies, and improving collaboration between the business, its customers, partners, and employees.<\/p>\n

Along with the top priorities, come the challenges, which are mostly the same that marketers and other businesses face and there is always a solution. According to the Salesforce report, marketers\u2019 top challenges this year<\/strong> are:<\/p>\n

– Ineffective use of tools and technologies<\/p>\n

– Measuring marketing ROI and attribution<\/p>\n

– Balancing personalization with customer comfort levels<\/p>\n

– Building and retaining trust with customers<\/p>\n

– Resistance to new marketing strategies and tactics<\/p>\n

How to overcome these challenges by preparing for the changes and new trends? 91% of CMOs say they must continually innovate to remain competitive<\/strong> \u2013 fast acceptance of new technologies and marketing strategies to stand out from the crowd. For example, chatbots with conversational AI can help with a more innovative way of launching marketing campaigns<\/a>, and selling products and services by creating marketing and sales funnels, also building strong relationships, and improving them with not only customers but with partners and employees by providing easy access to important information with self-service options for better collaborations 24\/7.<\/p>\n

Another challenge is that 71% of marketers say it\u2019s harder to retain employees<\/strong> than it was a year ago. Why is that happening? As customers stick to businesses that offer more digital services, so the employees also prefer businesses that are more digital and technology-oriented, because they are customers too (to the company they are working for or other brands). They also want to be part of a company that takes care of their mental and physical health, keep them motivated, and provides opportunities for professional growth. AI chatbots and other digital services come to help.\u00a0 Someone will ask how AI chatbots help with the mental and physical health of employees and their motivation and we are ready with the answers here.<\/a> A company that takes care not only of its customers but of its employees is more likely to be chosen by professionals which eventually will lead to further growth.<\/p>\n

\"\"The top new strategies that marketers consider making a shift to<\/strong>, according to the Salesforce report, are:<\/p>\n

– how they will target new customers segments,<\/p>\n

– investment in digital-first experience,<\/p>\n

– expanding in geographical targets,<\/p>\n

– investment in workflow automation<\/p>\n

Well, an AI chatbot could help with all of them. It can be shared online and offline from anywhere via a direct link or a QR code to assist customers whenever they search for assistance and wherever they are (online or at an offline store, or elsewhere) instantly. It can also be trained to assist in many languages many customers at once which will help employees focus on more complex tasks one customer at a time improving the quality of the assistance. Moreover, the chatbot automatically collects live statistics about customer behavior and needs that would help the business to predict trends and know its customers better, discover new target groups and address their interests and needs, to be able to offer more personalized and targeted campaigns. It is not a surprise that many businesses \u2013 of any size and industry, are sticking successfully to a business strategy that includes the usage of an AI chatbot on their site.<\/p>\n

70% of marketers who made investments in their process\/ workflow automation view this as a long-term strategy shift<\/strong>, underscoring the importance of boosting productivity and efficiency. We cannot help but share how AI chatbots can help with that. There are simple tasks that can be automated with an AI chatbot that can save the time of the employees for more complex duties. Customers could be directed to it for answers to frequently asked questions, forms, and information sections in the chatbot from social media accounts or other places. It is a known fact that up to 80%<\/strong> of the communication of the business is routine questions and inquiries. Automating the routine by using a chatbot can ease the workflow processes of customer service and support.<\/p>\n

\"\"In the face of demand for data-driven, personalized, and scalable customer experiences, 62% of marketers say they\u2019ve invested in the power of artificial intelligence (AI). Wow!<\/strong> Well, AI does not include only chatbots but the fact that more and more people (especially in businesses) trust artificial intelligence is a breakthrough. The chatbot market and conversational AI market are growing every year, so we know that they are part of the worldwide trend. Here are some great numbers to prove that: the chatbot market will reach USD 3.99 billion<\/a> by 2030. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 25.7% from 2022 to 2030. \u00a0The global AI-enabled chatbots market would reach USD $8 Billion by 2026<\/strong> (<\/strong>triple from<\/strong> 2022)<\/strong>. 43%<\/strong> of the companies prefer chatbots integrated directly on their websites (not through messengers) as they facilitate enterprises in providing instant customer interaction and do not depend on messengers\u2019 rules and policies. Chatbots find various applications in the e-commerce, healthcare, and BFSI sectors. Large enterprises emerged as the largest end-user segment in 2021 with over 50.0% share. The bots for the marketing application segment are expected to register the fastest growth rate during the forecast period as these chatbots can connect the customers directly to service providers being part of the company’s digital marketing funnels according to Research and Markets. Chatbot use cases vary from company to company and from industry to industry, and there are plenty of case studies proving their success (you can check a few case studies here)<\/a>, so we are wondering if you are already considering one for your business.<\/p>\n

\"\"68% of marketers say they have a fully defined AI strategy<\/strong>, up from 60% in 2021 and 57% in 2020 which is a more than 10% growth for just 2 years in embracing the need of improving customer experience and automating customer interactions for faster and effective results with the help of some sort of AI applications, in which AI chatbots are part of. AI chatbots help with instant support in real-time to resolve customer issues and needs or to engage for marketing and sales purposes for the \u201cnext best offer in real time\u201d. Which are the top identified ways marketers use AI in the business strategy? Artificial Intelligence is used for:<\/p>\n