Most of us were introduced to AI through movies, and back then, we could not have imagined the impact AI would have on our everyday lives. Today, we have millions of internet users dependent on Chat GPT and Google Bard for answers to their queries, and this is just scratching the surface. AI can now detect diseases and provide preventive measures in the healthcare and wellness sector. AI can track users' search history and recommend relevant products for e-commerce. The financial industry primarily benefits from the timely detection of loan overdue, intelligent advisory on investment options, and, most importantly, the detection of payment malpractices. The AI advancement in robotic engineering is performing incredible feats in public services, logistics, and manufacturing industries. With so much unfolding all around us, it was only a matter of time before businesses started implementing AI in their influencer marketing strategies, and the results did not disappoint.
According to the latest reports by the top influencer marketing agency, there is a rise in businesses seeking consultation about AI usage in marketing. After all, the technology shows promising potential in taking influencer marketing to the next stage - From identifying the right Influencers, creating more defined consumer profiles, more precision targeting, and providing real-time Data analytics to automating critical influencer marketing tests, analyzing performance, assisting in decision making, and more. However, what caught businesses' attention the most are virtual Influencers, as the prospects of using these CGI-generated opinion leaders give them more control over their time and resources.
You could be a business that wants to know more about virtual Influencers and their significance in AI-driven influencer marketing campaigns. You would also like to understand how AI transforms the influencer marketing industry. If yes, then you have come to the right place.
How AI is Transforming the Influencer Marketing Industry?
Superior Targeting
Artificial intelligence is an advanced technology made from complex self-learning algorithms that can latch on to different trends, demographic data, purchase history patterns, and behaviors within other groups of audiences, creating more sophisticated personas that you can target with relatable Influencer content and product recommendations—presenting consumers what and when they want can significantly reduce browsing time and boost sales.
Influencer Identification
Do you know a perfect influencer who can bring mass following, engagement, and sales for your brand from a single post? - selecting such Influencers requires the consideration of multiple parameters like engagement rate, demographic alignment, public reputation, individual branding, etc. From a human perspective, it is easier to miss some or all of them, but not with AI's machine learning technology that analyzes heaps of real-time data from multiple sources to pick the suitable candidates with the potential to scale your business.
Faster, more in-depth Campaign Performance Analysis
We, Humans, are limited to the metrics we can analyze within a specific time frame, but AI is not. Its NLP program can analyze historical metrics from past campaigns, competitors' positioning, and changes in audience sentiments from their comments, feedback, and reactions to Influencer's content and activities, giving you foresight into the probable campaign performance. This helps you optimize your strategies for effective resource utilization, long-term collaborations, and profitable ROI.
Concise Workflow Automation
AI can streamline basic to complex influencer marketing tasks like data collection, scheduling messages, performance optimization, email review, project analysis, and reporting, which are essential for minimizing errors, boosting efficiency, scaling business operations, and freeing time and organization resources for creativity and higher productivity. For instance, AI can predict future customer orders based on past data and will automatically send customers personalized notifications when the time for an upgrade or repurchase arrives.
Better Customer Service
AI chatbots can be your virtual customer service representative who answers audience queries 24/7 on multiple channels. Say goodbye to long wait times since chatbots can service numerous people simultaneously, guiding them through the complete sales cycle, solving their problems, and recommending informative material. AI chatbots also extract and store audience data like email addresses, phone numbers, product inquiries, purchase history, and pages viewed, which you can utilize for your retargeting and email marketing campaigns.
Virtual Influencers: AI Advancements in Influencer Marketing
Virtual Influencers are computer-generated creations of machine learning and artificial intelligence who display characteristics and personalities akin to their physical counterparts. Popular virtual Influencers like Lil Miquela, Hatsune Miku, Ion Göttlich, and Kizuna are rising across major social media platforms and have become a strong driving force for influencer marketing.
While virtual Influencers do not operate in the physical space, they are not limited in capabilities. Noo Noouri has released multiple original soundtracks as part of Warner Bros Germany Record label and is the star of digital live events that are attended by millions. Furthermore, Noo Noouri flaunted a new clothing range from Uniqlo in an Instagram-sponsored post, even celebrated Spotify's 15 years of music success, and appeared In a fitness video alongside German Influencer Pamela Reif. The virtual Influencer also has a long-standing partnership with brands like Skims, Amazon Music, Gucci, and Dior.
Why should Businesses Employ Virtual Influencers in AI-driven Influencer Marketing Campaigns?
More control
Brands have complete control over how virtual Influencers act, talk, and present themselves to their target. If you want a virtual influencer to wear a green dress and long boots and pose in front of the Eiffel Tower, attend a music festival in Berlin, or chill on the beaches of Buenos Aires in sunglasses and a hat - sipping pina colada order - you can do it in a heartbeat.
Less time and cost-efficient
Partnership with human Influencers is a long cycle involving identification, outreach, and contract negotiation. Influencers ask hefty fees, and there is a substantial cost associated with managing an influencer's travel and accommodation. Also, slight missteps by human Influencers can become a PR nightmare for damage control. In comparison, virtual Influencers do not travel or need a place to stay. Moreover, mistakes by virtual Influencers are resolved quickly due to the absence of conflicting opinions.
More flexibility
Virtual Influencers are not bound by advertising rules and regulations their human counterparts are currently subjected to. This gives brands new opportunities to mold virtual Influencers in their image while representing them. Virtual Influencers do not need rest and can keep going, allowing businesses to experiment with different strategies that will give them the best results.
Conclusion
In the end, AI plays a huge role in influencer marketing, changing the way brands connect with their target communities. AI-powered tools help marketers make decisions based on data, which increases the effectiveness of influencer partnerships by improving everything from choosing the right influencers to making content plans better. As we move through the constantly changing world of digital marketing, using AI not only speeds up processes but also makes sure that our messages are still relevant and effective in an online world that is changing quickly. AI and influencer marketing working together could change the way brands are promoted in the future by making links that feel more real and getting more people involved in the ever-growing world of social influence.
