An Organic Marketing Love Story: Using AI to Strengthen Emotional Connections in Economic Uncertainty

The ripple effects of trade uncertainty are disrupting global supply chains and causing companies to reduce purchasing strategies as well as rethink their customer pricing and marketing strategies. While some brands have publicly announced they will absorb the costs instead of passing them along to consumers, others are not in the same position and have already signaled it will increase prices. Customers are not happy and bottom lines are showing it. All of a sudden, it feels like the pandemic again.

During the pandemic, traditional businesses that adapted by coming online did well during the economic uncertainty, and many continue to thrive years later. That revolutionary sea change was already on the horizon, and the pandemic only accelerated its course. Now, on-again off-again tariffs are causing the current economic uncertainty, and artificial intelligence is the revolutionary power that companies need to mitigate the effects and maintain relevancy. 

Check Your Relationship Status With AI

If businesses aren’t already using AI, now is the time to try it. Finding the gaps where AI can help make tasks and operations cheaper and more reliable can not only greatly reduce the reliance on manual inputs but also help companies do a lot more with a lot less. Beyond increasing overall productivity, AI can actually help companies form a stronger emotional connection with customers—and that’s exactly what brands need to do in order to weather this storm.

Every customer is in a relationship with a company and its product or service, and like all relationships there are good days and bad days. But, when both parties put in the work, proper maintenance, and most importantly, good communication, there’s an understanding, an appreciation and an emotional connection that strengthens as the relationship endures. 

Regardless of whether brands decide to raise prices or absorb the costs, now is a critical time to be transparent and produce content that not only demonstrates relevance but also value. Customers need to be reminded of why they’re in the relationship, and brands need to reiterate why they should continue to be—especially when times get tough. 

Don’t Use AI to Interact With Customers, Use It to Understand Them

Criticism can be hard to swallow, but understanding customer attitudes, behaviors and feelings can make or break a brand. Traditional market research will always produce results, but only if companies can invest time and money in the endeavor. However, that’s not always realistic for small- to midsize businesses. Instead, AI can deliver faster results for a fraction of the price in two ways. 

First, SMBs can use AI to data-mine internal conversations with customers such as call center communications and customer emails, and then analyze the general sentiment of customers’ emotional state to see how it’s changed throughout their interaction with the brand. This insight can then be used as part of a strategic marketing plan to help increase connection with the brand. 

AI can also look externally to see how brands are actively discussed online on social media and online discussion platforms. Companies that know what their target market says about them (and their competitors!) can then use those insights to produce a robust organic marketing strategy that includes topics that people are actually talking about and searching for. 

For example, Artios uses its proprietary data science-driven AI to mine for this vital intelligence as well as examine brand sentiment that businesses can leverage in their paid and organic marketing as well as other thought leadership initiatives such as blog articles, social media, newsletters, videos, events and email marketing.

Brand Loyalty Should Be Organic

The point is that when brands are able to discover why customers are in a relationship with them, and then focus on reminding consumers of how it feels to be in that relationship and what’s in it for them, the emotional connection strengthens despite opposing forces. As a result, trade wars and fluctuating prices shouldn’t matter as much in the decision-making process. 

However, if things do go awry and customers need to take a break for whatever reason, it won’t be because they fell out of love. When the time is right, they will return. Companies that recognize this tariff situation as an opportunity to build brand loyalty will certainly maintain—if not gain—market share.

If you’re reading this, it’s because you already know your organic marketing isn’t working like it used to. Have you considered using AI to build brand loyalty? Artios gets your business recommended by AI . Discover how data science can build brand authority and give your company an edge. Contact Artios today.