For many people, artificial intelligence (AI) seems like the ultimate technology. The term conjures up images of golden robots shuffling through the sand, malevolent villains intent on destruction, and depersonalized personal assistants who can build flying armor.
Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective) the real-life application of AI is much more mundane, so far. And yet, it can be a fantastic addition to a business operator’s toolkit, especially when it comes to marketing. Not only does it simplify many tasks, it can take data capture and analysis to the next level.
Digital marketing is becoming increasingly important in the self storage industry, and AI can be applied to augment your efforts. Let’s look at its core capabilities and why you should consider incorporating it into your promotional strategies. We will also discuss three types of tools that are the most beneficial for this industry.
Why use it?
According to Microsoft, AI is “the ability of a computer system to mimic human cognitive functions such as learning and problem solving.” The key word here is “mimic”. AI tools are trained through a process called machine learning. If you provide enough data, fine-tune the algorithm, and provide enough computing power, the AI output can be alarmingly human-like.
In other words, AI tools recognize, analyze and reproduce patterns. Over the past few years, software refinements have allowed these tools to “understand” language. These advances have captured the imagination of the general public and resulted in some of the most interesting tools available today. For example, read the following:
By using AI as a marketing tool, marketers can gain valuable insights into their target audiences, optimize campaigns for maximum impact, and improve overall ROI. [return on investment]. With the ability to quickly and accurately analyze large amounts of data, AI can help marketers identify patterns and trends. Additionally, AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can provide personalized customer service 24/7, freeing salespeople to focus on other tasks. Overall, incorporating artificial intelligence into marketing strategies is essential to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced digital landscape.
While the above paragraph describes the basic reasons why marketers should want to use AI, it was also written by a machine, Jasper AI to be exact, from the simple prompt: “Write a paragraph about why what marketers should use AI as a marketing tool.” While AI isn’t powerful enough to write all of your content, this answer is a good illustration of how advanced (and useful) it can be. to be.
The most beneficial tools
While AI is exciting to talk about in general, its best use cases are specific. Before implementing any new technology as part of your self-storage marketing strategy, it’s important to know what you want and how AI can help. For example:
Want to save time on certain tasks? Want better data to help you make more informed decisions? Is there a specific occupancy rate or other number you’d like to reach? Do you want to improve the quality of product deliveries?
AI tools are surprisingly diverse and can be used in all sorts of ways. However, the following will be most helpful to marketers:
Content generators create written material from prompts or inputs. Some are free, while others require a paid subscription. If you’re a self-storage vendor, they can help you produce copy for a facility’s website, find ideas for the company blog, and shorten the time it takes to fill out emails and ads. In short, they can boost your writing process.
Some content generators have gotten a lot of press attention recently, mostly because they’re good at what they’re designed for. Here are some you may have heard of:
ChatGPT has gained the widest media following. Jasper AI is easy to use and easy to customize. Writesonic produces entire blogs and other types of content.
AI chatbots they work as smooth online assistants, helping you automate customer service and provide answers to common questions from website visitors. Equipping your self-storage website with a well-tuned chatbot can quickly provide relevant information to users outside of standard operating hours and limit the number of inquiries your staff has to handle. There are a wide variety of options to explore, but conversational technology is a core part of Chatfuel, Drift and Zendesk’s offerings.
Voice recognition, while not yet as common in self-storage, can help automate tedious or even impossible tasks. It can also be effective in training your customer service team to provide more accurate information, which helps convert leads into sales. Here are some notable examples:
Chorus AI is a powerful sales and customer service tool that can listen to call recordings, identify keyword usage, and even track how many times a question was asked. Murf is a versatile text-to-speech tool that can create realistic sound recordings directly from text. Podcastle is a podcasting and recording tool that can provide AI-generated transcripts and easily fix recording quality with just a few clicks.
A nifty tool, not a cure-all
With all the rapid advances in technology today, it’s easy to get distracted by flashy demos and amazing promises. Just remember that AI is a marketing tool, not a shortcut. It does some things very well and others not so well. Implementing every new program under the sun won’t eliminate the need for fundamentally sound, human-driven marketing strategies tailored to your specific self-storage operation. No matter how much you lean on AI, it’s only as effective as the people using it.
Matt LaMar is the content production manager for Go local interactive, a digital marketing agency based in Overland Park, Kansas, offering solutions for search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, local listing management, content and web development, and more. To contact him, call 913.689.3170; e-mail [email protected].
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