The growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been meteoric, transforming various sectors and industries, including digital marketing. Yet, a common misconception persists that AI might substitute human intervention. Far from it, particularly in the financial services sector, AI serves as a catalyst for human creativity and intuition. It augments human potential, freeing up marketers to apply their expertise to more strategic tasks and make data-driven decisions.

 

In the world of financial services, marketing budgets are often divided between two key areas: brand marketing and distribution. While brand marketing focuses on raising awareness and building the brand image, distribution is concerned with generating qualified leads and converting them into customers. It is within this realm of distribution where AI proves to be an invaluable ally.

 

The-changing potential of AI becomes evident when we consider distribution channels like performance media, specifically search advertising. These channels require constant monitoring and adjustment to achieve peak performance and generate high-quality leads. AI excels in automating repetitive and predictable tasks associated with this process, such as crafting compelling headlines, optimizing bid strategies, and suggesting new exclude terms and keywords. This enhances effectiveness for multidimensional audience segmentation, making AI an invaluable asset in the realm of performance media.

 

By deploying AI in such tasks, financial service providers can ensure their distribution efforts are more effective, measurable, and precise. This, in turn, allows the human talent within these organisations to focus on strategy and complex decision-making, ensuring that their marketing budget is used to its fullest potential.

 

Moreover, in the realm of data-driven decision-making, AI plays an instrumental role. It can analyse vast amounts of data swiftly and accurately, offering insights for creative and design development. Leveraging AI can help financial service marketers understand customer behaviour, uncover new segments, and design personalised marketing strategies, thereby increasing engagement rates.

 

This leads us beyond the realm of vanity metrics such as clicks and impressions, and into a space where genuine engagement and conversion can be quantified. By utilising AI, financial service marketers can track actual conversions, such as call centre interactions, or, more importantly, customers who consistently pay their monthly premiums.

 

But AI doesn’t replace the human factor in this equation. Instead, it complements it. When AI takes over data processing and analysis, marketers can concentrate on implementing these insights and strategising. They can craft compelling narratives and creative solutions that resonate with their audience.

 

The most innovative financial services providers are those that understand the interplay between human ingenuity and artificial intelligence. They deploy AI to automate the predictable and invest their human capital where it truly matters –we call this “Humanising the exceptional.” 

 

The future of digital marketing for financial services is a partnership of humans and AI, with each playing to their strengths. It’s about enhancing the human potential to think strategically, be creative, and solve problems. In such a future, the key to success lies in our ability to harness AI’s power while leveraging the irreplaceable value of human talent.

 

About JG Bezuidenhout

JG Bezuidenhout is a founding partner of the South African subsidiary of Offernet.net, the data technology company housed in London, United Kingdom. Although based in Cape Town, JG is the global head of Offernet's advisory and innovation hub and, as such, is responsible for the monitoring and implementation of cutting-edge solutions, particularly within the digital marketing environment. Using advanced technologies such as big data and machine learning, as well as their bespoke Touchpoint Analytics™ system, Offernet can accurately and dramatically improve their clients' returns on advertising spend (ROAS). Their comprehensive approach to marketing, which includes advisory services, data analytics, and media buying, makes Offernet a valuable partner. If you want to take your marketing to the next level to achieve far more measurable results and align yourself with the growth strategies of the entire C-suite (and the company as a whole), Offernet is a logical choice.