AI and automation are making an indelible mark on marketing in the public and private sectors. The tech is pretty sophisticated, but AI in marketing is becoming more and more advanced almost by the day. Blink and you’ve fallen farther behind. So, best jump on the bandwagon now, so you can enjoy the many benefits ASAP.
We’re going to look at why AI and automation are so important in public sector procurement and how they’re transforming tendering processes. We’re also going to look at how AI and automation are impacting B2G marketing and why suppliers need to get a chivvy on and adopt the tech sooner rather than later.
What is AI Marketing?
Definition of AI Marketing
AI marketing refers to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to automate and optimise marketing processes, improve customer experiences, and drive business growth. It involves the application of machine learning algorithms, natural language processing, and data analysis to gain insights into customer behaviour, preferences, and needs. By leveraging these advanced technologies, businesses can personalise their marketing efforts, predict customer behaviour, and measure the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns. In essence, AI marketing tools enable marketers to make data-driven decisions, enhancing the overall efficiency and impact of their digital marketing strategies.
Key Benefits of AI and Automation in B2G Marketing
There are many reasons to join the AI and automation revolution. Here are some of the key benefits that make the transformation worthwhile.
1) Supersized Data Analysis
There are several types of analytics that boost marketing campaigns, but the one with the most value is predictive analytics.
As it says on the tin, predictive analytics forecasts future marketing trends. It uses data on past behaviour (historical data) to find patterns that predict changing customer needs. Data can identify which aspects of marketing campaigns should be optimised and which should fall by the wayside.
The breadth of data available provides marketers with everything they need to make informed decisions in real time. This ability to adapt immediately to changing circumstances can be just what you need to gain an edge over your competitors.
2) Personalisation
These days, marketers don’t always target groups. It’s very much about the individual, identifying their unique needs, and then making personalised recommendations that not only meet their needs, but also enhance the entire customer experience.
The aim is to make customers feel valued, like your existence depends on their approval.
3) Segmentation
Segmentation involves dividing customers into groups that share similar characteristics. It includes the old stand-bys: demographics, psychographics, and behaviour, but it goes deeper. It can, for instance, be used to predict what customers want as well as when and how they want it.
AI tech in marketing is always busy, always analysing, never resting, which is brilliant because segmented data is updated in real time, so marketers can adapt their strategies and campaigns immediately should anything in public procurement change.
Sentiment analysis
Sentiment analysis plays a role in segmentation. It’s about feelings, specifically how customers feel about products or services. It’s currently the ultimate in personalisation because nothing speaks louder than emotions. Marketers who can tap into the right emotions are on a winning wicket.
4) Content Creation
This can be tricky. There’s no doubt that AI, specifically natural language processing (NLP) and generative AI (gen-AI) produce content extremely quickly. Marketers already use it to generate product descriptions, blogs, and social media posts. It saves an enormous amount of time and frees staff to focus on strategic operations.
But, it’s not without its cons. AI marketing solutions are not always accurate – it’s been called AI hallucinations – and can actually be entirely fabricated. Plagiarism is a serious risk, and a lot of people feel that it lacks – humanness.
How you use it (if you choose to use it) is entirely up to you, but perhaps err on the side of caution in the beginning. Give it small tasks and give it a jolly good going over before you publish anything. Some marketers like to use AI content as a base or skeleton that they can adapt to suit their needs. It’s a good compromise while you make up your mind.
5) Email marketing
This is where AI and automation come into their own. AI algorithms analyse customer data, behaviour, and engagement to generate personalised email content. AI and automation can generate compelling – personalised – subject lines, making it easier for marketing teams to engage with their audience.
Automation can schedule send times based on data that shows the best times to send emails to specific people; for example, early Monday mornings or just after lunch on Wednesday afternoons. It includes things like roles within the government body; for instance, managers may take their work home with them, so the best time to send emails is 20:30 on weekdays.
Data also provides essential performance metrics, like click-through rates and unsubscriptions. AI can suggest how to improve metrics to increase win rates.
6) Boost Efficiency
Automation that takes on tedious and repetitive tasks frees staff for other activities. It’s quick, accurate, and streamlines many marketing processes. It boosts efficiency on two levels: It processes a lot of information very quickly; staff focus on core tasks which is a more efficient use of their time and talent.
If you like numbers, here are some for you. It’s been found that using AI tech in marketing can save up to 2.5 hours per day!
Automating Routine Marketing Tasks
We had a look at how automation can improve email marketing, but there are many other tasks that marketers can happily hand over to tech. Here are just a few.
Social Media Scheduling
You can prepare a bunch of social media posts that tie in with an event and schedule them to be posted on different days leading up to the event.
You can also set a schedule for posts related to a campaign.
However, these shouldn’t be the only posts. Automation is fab, but you still need to interact with people on social media – respond to comments, post related news just released, etc.
Content Queue
A content queue is a system that enables you to assign specific content tasks to staff. Tasks can be lined up before moved to “Being Written,” “For Approval”, “To be Published,” etc. Trello is one of the best content queue tools, with several automation options to ensure tasks are completed on time and projects are being managed smoothly.
SEO Site Audit with AI Marketing Tools
SEO is essential to all online/digital marketing, but when you don’t have a full-time SEO specialist on board it’s not always easy to develop, implement, and monitor SEO practices. There are SEO tools that streamline and automate many optimisation processes, including site audits.
In a site audit AI tech investigates every inch of your website to find problems, which it then categorises by type and priority.
Contract Management
One of the best ways to stay on top of contract management is to use a cloud-based contract management system. Systems have various automation options that can manage contracts across all channels.
AI Feedback Analysis
Feedback provides important about your product or service. AI feedback analysis looks deeper into customer experience, identifying patterns and offering insights that can be used to improve the experience.
AI algorithms scan masses of data to find trends in customer perception, identify common concerns or problems, and pinpoint specific areas where your service/product is outstanding.
Data is collected from surveys, reviews, support ticks, social media – just about anywhere your brand is mentioned. Machine learning picks up common themes, keywords, and sentiments. Natural Language Processing is used to pick up on tone and emotion (sentiment) behind the feedback.
The AI tools provide actionable recommendations or suggestions to resolve issues or concerns. In the end, the results are shared with all stakeholders and plans to address the problem areas are developed and implemented.
Automation, Compliance, and Transparency
Compliance is essential in public sector procurement. Non-compliance is very serious and can result in crippling fines and legal action – prison sentences are not unheard of.
Staying on top of compliance manually is time consuming and there’s still the chance that you missed something. Compliance automation removes the burden from your shoulders to ensure that marketing and procurement processes are all above board.
Compliance automation software covers:
- Documentation and evidence-gathering
- Risk assessment calculations
- Compliance reporting
- Supplier/customer due diligence
- Controls testing
- Large-scale complaint or non-compliance analysis
Software ropes in AI, machine learning, and data analytics and can be set to conduct automated tests to determine the status of your systems; for example, the status of your information security controls compared to ISO 27001, the international standard for information security management.
A Compliance Management System keeps tabs on the International Standard and alerts you if you’re at risk of non-compliance, so you can take action and get back on course.
Aside from keeping you from expensive penalties, compliance automation software has several benefits for B2G marketers, including:
- Extensive data collection
- Cost-effective monitoring with no human interference.
- Improved risk management
- Quick and efficient external and internal compliance audits
- Analysis based on evidence collected.
Transparency in marketing
Transparency is important in B2G marketing because it builds trust and establishes your credibility, authenticity, and integrity in the public eye.
Marketers must be transparent about:
- Their values
- The accuracy of information
- Social proof (testimonials, reviews, case studies)
- Pricing and policies
- Data privacy
- Mistakes. They happen, own them, apologise to stakeholders (maybe the wider public, depending on the size of the contract).
- Ethical practices
AI, Automation, Government Marketing, and Cadence
Cadence Marketing specialises in the B2G sector. With our partner, BiP Solutions, we’ve been in the industry for decades. There isn’t much we haven’t seen. We’ve been through many technological revolutions. AI and automation are just the latest.
We’ve mastered the art of adaptation, which is exactly what you want when you need to market your business to government contracting authorities.
Our collaborative approach is one of the features that sets us apart from many other B2G marketing agencies. Contact us now for a free consultation and ask us everything you want to know about AI’s increasing role in public sector procurement.
