Throughout 2017, one of the biggest buzzwords around influencer marketing was AI. No longer the stuff of sci-fi films and novels, AI (or artificial intelligence) is all around, making life and business easier for a great many people. When it comes to influencer marketing, AI has several roles to play, from the ho-hum to the potentially game-changing. Take a look at how influencer marketing AI is changing the industry.
What Is Influencer Marketing AI?
One way of describing artificial intelligence is giving machines or computers the ability to do things that would usually require natural (or human) intelligence. AI can take several forms, such as machine learning (which involves teaching a computer to do one thing, then make predictions based on that thing).
AI can also involve reasoning, as with computers that can draw inferences and conclusions based on the information given to them. Another example is problem solving, which you can see in the form of computers that can play (and often win at) games such as chess and Go.
Types of Influencer Marketing AI
Influencer marketing AI has allowed marketers to streamline their campaigns, and in some cases made it easier for marketers to find the “perfect” influencer. Influencer marketing software and platforms often use several different types of AI, including:
Image identification
One of the simplest forms of image identification involves having the machine learn to recognize certain objects in a photo, then sort images based on whether or not they contain that specific object. Image identification helps marketers save a considerable amount of time, as the machine is able to more quickly sort through and identify images than any human.
Personality classification
Another use of AI in influencer marketing involves having the machine classify influencers based on particular sets of soft data, such as how followers perceive the influencer, and what their preferences are.
Influencer analysis
Influencer analysis is a more in-depth, data-heavy form of personality classification. It allows an AI program to look at the influencer’s past campaigns. That way it can determine how successful those campaigns were, what type of products or subjects an influencer typically posts about, and how followers respond (with likes and comments, for instance). Influencer analysis lets a marketer determine whether or not a particular influencer is a good fit for a campaign. And, if so, what the potential return on investment or results from that campaign might look like.
Disclosure flagging
The FTC has specific rules and requirements when it comes to disclosure. AI that detects whether or not a post has a disclosure, and flagging the posts that don’t, can save marketers a lot of time and headache.
The Benefits of Influencer Marketing AI
Influencer marketing AI offers plenty of benefits. Perhaps the biggest advantage of Influencer Marketing AI is that it saves marketers a considerable amount of time.
Picture this: You have a 350 images to sort through, some of which contain a photo of your brand’s products. You can hire a person to look at each image, tagging the ones that contain your product.
Alternatively, you can use a program that detects a specific product image. Influencer Marketing AI processes images faster than any human ever could. Plus, it can sort out the few that contain a photo of the specific product.
Using AI doesn’t only save you time. It can also save money. It’s often a lot less expensive compared to hiring someone. And it’s cheaper than using existing employees to sort through images.
AI also helps marketers find the right influencer for a campaign — the first time. Sure, a human can review all of an influencer’s past posts. That person can then input and analyze that data to understand how well a particular influencer fits with a brand. But, AI does it much more quickly and accurately.
Artificial intelligence might seem like a difficult concept to grasp. Or it might seem challenging to incorporate into existing influencer marketing programs and campaigns. But in reality, it can be the tool you need. Influencer Marketing AI can transform a lackluster influencer marketing campaign into one that produces dramatic results.
