As 2023 draws to a close, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into social media heralds a pivotal shift in digital marketing. This transformation offers businesses, regardless of their size or industry, opportunities to update their social media strategies. As we approach 2024, it’s important for businesses to understand and effectively utilise AI to remain competitive and relevant.
Meta’s AI Innovations: A Game-Changer for Businesses
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is at the forefront of using AI to revolutionize both user and business experiences. The platform employs advanced AI algorithms for efficient content moderation, ensuring a safer and more engaging user environment. More improvements need to be made in this area and hopefully we’ll see this in 2024. Following the introduction of the Online Safety Act, Ofcom is now the regulator for online safety with a responsibility to help make online services safer for the people who use them.
Another area where Meta needs to improve is account management. I’ve struggled to jump through hoops to create legitimate Instagram accounts for clients and yet bots proliferate on Instagram and Threads.
More successfully, AI algorithms also play a significant role in delivering targeted advertising, significantly enhancing the reach and impact of ad campaigns. AI is also used well to help manage budgets and to for optimum placement for images and videos. Look for the ‘Meta Advantage’ label to make the most of these benefits.
Another notable innovation from Meta’s is the use of AI-powered chatbots in Messenger. Not everyone is a fan, but AI chatbots have improved customer service, offering businesses an efficient and cost-effective means of engaging with their clients.
LinkedIn: Leading AI Integration in Professional Networking
LinkedIn’s journey with AI marks a notable milestone in social networking. It stands out as the first network to offer AI-suggested posts. Ideas to prompt creativity can be found on Company Pages. While still in their infancy, these suggestions are a promising start to more AI-integrated experiences that we’re likely to see on other social networks.
LinkedIn’s recent venture, Accelerate, is another step forward. This AI-driven advertising tool allows advertisers to set up optimised ad campaigns in under five minutes. It leverages AI to analyse an advertiser’s website, LinkedIn Page, and past advertisements to recommend the most effective campaign strategies. The platform also successfully uses AI to adjust bids and budgets, targeting B2B customers that offer the highest value.
If you’re a subscriber to one of LinkedIn’s Premium plans such as Sales Navigator you can benefit from other AI powered features, the most notable of which is profile optimisation.
TikTok: AI-Powered Content Discovery and Engagement
TikTok’s unprecedented growth can mainly be attributed to its AI-powered content recommendation algorithm. This tool has an uncanny ability to curate and present content that resonates with individual user preferences, making it a potent tool for creators and businesses to engage with their audience in innovative ways. On TikTok it’s possible for a creator to go viral even if they have just a handful of followers. At present, this simply isn’t possible on any of the Meta platforms or LinkedIn. Beyond content curation, TikTok offers AI-enhanced advertisements. There are also much improved video editing tools.
The Broader Impact of AI on Social Media
The integration of AI across various social media platforms is leading to more personalised and effective user experiences. For businesses, this evolution translates into streamlined ad management and more targeted marketing strategies. As AI continues to advance, we can expect to see even more innovative applications that will redefine how businesses interact with their audiences on social media. Within the next 3 months I expect Meta to introduce content suggestions on its platforms powered by AI.
Embracing AI in 2024
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, embracing AI in social media marketing strategies has become increasingly important. As we step into 2024, businesses must recognize the critical role AI plays in crafting effective and engaging digital marketing strategies. It’s not just the impact on social networks themselves as Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT can help produce ideas and create content plans as well as content itself. Tools like DALL·E 3 can help create and optimise images and photos whilst image editor Canva has embedded AI into most of its functions.
To stay ahead in this AI-driven era, it’s crucial to continuously update and educate oneself on the latest AI trends and applications in social media marketing. If you’re looking to leverage AI take a look at Power your marketing with ChatGPT and AI which I present on behalf of NILC.
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