IoT, AI, Chatbots: Creative Ways Content Marketers Use New Technology

IoT, AI, Chatbots: Creative Ways Content Marketers Use New Technology. “When you invest in an emerging technology, you can be in front of a growing audience in a far less competitive landscape.” That’s why as innovations like virtual assistants, artificial intelligence (AI), 360-degree live video, and others take shape, brand content creators are among the first to experiment. Personalization through Artificial Intelligence “Personalization” is the big buzzword in today’s content marketing circles, and AI technology is helping brands deliver even more customized experiences. For content marketers, it will largely manifest itself into content recommendation,” says Bodnar. “It looks a lot like a regular publishing site, but topics are rendered virtually,” says IBM’s Chief Digital Officer Bob Lord, in a recent interview with NewsCred. On the retail side of things, Starbucks is once again an early adopter of this type of technology. 360-Degree Live Video Video content is already king, so it’s no surprise that 360-degree live video is generating a lot of content marketing buzz. In one version, 360 Live video was used, while the other was a typical video ad. Results indicated that the newer technology encouraged more click-through, interaction, and shares. For instance, if you don’t have access to (or the budget for) video equipment or on-air talent, it will be harder to be successful with 360-degree live video.

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As content marketers, we’re always evolving our strategy to fit the current digital landscape. Major disruptions, from social media to messaging apps, have changed the way we communicate and engage with our target audiences.

We’re now at one of those times when an influx of new, emerging technologies is poised to change the way audiences consume content. Should brands take a risk and enter uncharted territories, or stay the course with what they do best, and see how things play out?

“Marketers’ best leverage exists when there’s a new audience that’s growing but not a lot of competition trying to reach that audience,” says Kipp Bodnar, Chief Marketing Officer, Hubspot. “When you invest in an emerging technology, you can be in front of a growing audience in a far less competitive landscape.”

That’s why as innovations like virtual assistants, artificial intelligence (AI), 360-degree live video, and others take shape, brand content creators are among the first to experiment.

Here’s a look at how forward-thinking brands are harnessing the latest technologies to deliver content.

Virtual Assistants

Amazon Echo and other voice-controlled home assistant devices were hits at CES 2017, and they’re gaining popularity with users. It’s no wonder, then, that content marketers are seizing the opportunity to literally speak directly to consumers.

“I see this as a precursor to the disruption of the search engine industry,” says Bodnar.

That’s because in addition to having fun interactions with these Internet of Things (IoT) tools, users are also turning to them to find content and make decisions and purchases, says Adrienne Weissman, Chief Marketing Officer of G2 Crowd, a business software review company.

“Brands can leverage the technology by making their content or offering accessible through the channel – whether that means you create offers specifically for the channel, sponsor content that is being streamed, or simply optimize to ensure your content is findable,” Weissman says.

Early adopters of this content delivery system include General Electric (GE). One of its latest initiatives, “Labracadabra,” is a collection of DIY science experiment kits complete with how-to videos. GE chose Amazon’s Alexa (which powers the Echo device) to act as a “lab assistant,” walking users through experiments, sharing tips, and even jokes. All users have to do to launch the program is say, “Alexa, open ‘Labracadabra.’”

Beyond such fun applications, Boston Children’s Hospital recently launched “KidsMD,” in which Alexa devices share content. Parents can ask general health questions, like how to get a fever down in the middle of the night.

“We’re trying to extend the know-how of the hospital beyond the walls of the hospital, through digital, and this is one of a few steps we’ve made in that space,” says the hospital’s Chief Innovation Officer John Brownstein, in an interview.

Personalization through Artificial Intelligence

“Personalization” is the big buzzword in today’s content marketing circles, and AI technology is helping brands deliver even more customized experiences.

“AI is processing a large set of data and interpreting that data to basically predict what a person is going to do. For content marketers, it will largely manifest itself into content recommendation,” says Bodnar.

In other words, it takes the guesswork out of trying to determine which articles, e-books, or videos are most relevant not just to various demographic subsets, but to individual users.

Perhaps the most notable example of AI in content marketing right now is Watson, which powers IBM’s new THINK Marketing hub.

“It looks a lot like a regular publishing site, but topics are rendered virtually,” says IBM’s Chief Digital Officer Bob Lord, in a recent interview with NewsCred. “It’s almost limitless how the hub can configure around a particular buyer type.”

By evaluating what people read, and then using those learnings, Watson is able to offer personalized content.

IBM THINK Marketing.png

Another example of AI in action can be found on Autodesk’s “Redshift” site.

Dusty DiMercurio, Head of Content Marketing and Strategy for the software company, tells NewsCred, “What we wanted to do was move in the direction of turning the site into more of a platform that will personalize over time.”

As visitors choose to…

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