Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising has become an indispensable tool in the modern marketing arsenal. It delivers quicker results than SEO—which is a marathon, not a sprint—even if it does cost more.
So, when businesses want to enhance their online visibility and connect with target audiences, they use paid ads. Because everyone is using this path, the dynamic landscape of PPC continually evolves. And, in this digital age, staying ahead requires a strategic blend of technology and human expertise.
How Does AI Make Paid Marketing Better?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has ushered in a new era for all technologies. Whilst AI has affected all forms of marketing, including SEO, it has been especially helpful for paid ads. This technology has transformed the way marketers approach campaigns.
Recent reports highlight that over 60% of consumers click on PPC ads weekly. That shows the significance of these campaigns in contemporary marketing. AI’s role in PPC is nothing short of revolutionary, introducing efficiency and precision. It can handle massive volumes of data in a fraction of the time it would take a person. And, whilst it might not be able to give you creative ideas, it can certainly analyse the results to give you hard numbers.
PPC marketers have automated processes with AI-driven tools such as Performance Max campaigns and Advantage+ Audiences. These have made it easier for marketers to quickly complete tasks that would have taken a lot of time in the past.
AI has given us the ability to process vast amounts of data and predict future trends. That has empowered marketers to make informed, data-driven decisions in real time. This shift has not only improved the overall ROI of organisations but has also made PPC more accessible. It’s allowed marketers to focus on strategic aspects of their campaigns.
The Importance of Human Involvement in AI Advertising Automation
While AI has undeniably made PPC campaigns more efficient, the human touch continues to remain irreplaceable. Automated bidding, data analysis, and ad optimisation are areas where AI excels. However, the nuanced understanding of human behaviour and market dynamics requires human insight.
AI, for all its capabilities, may overlook certain subtleties that only a human marketer can catch. Elements like brand messaging, creative ideation, and understanding the emotional nuances of consumer behaviour are areas where the human mind excels. Additionally, collaboration between humans and AI is necessary to address potential risks in AI advertising. These risks include ad waste, brand safety, and data privacy concerns.
The Human-AI Collaboration
The most successful PPC campaigns embrace a harmonious collaboration between humans and AI. People bring creativity, independent thought, and strategic thinking to the table. AI provides unmatched efficiency. By combining the two, your business can unlock new levels of success in its advertising endeavours.
Strategic Decision-Making
Human marketers are great at strategic thinking. It’s their job! They help steer campaigns in the right direction. That way, they ensure the marketing efforts help achieve overarching business goals.
Collaborative decision-making between humans and AI ensures a comprehensive approach. Marketers can use AI-led analytics and data to make informed strategic decisions. And, by working in collaboration with machines, they can align AI-driven processes with broader marketing strategies.
Creative Excellence
AI excels in data analysis and optimisation, but human creativity is unmatched. AI can tell which ads got the most engagement, but it can’t tell what makes a campaign “sticky”. People, on the other hand, know the importance of “je ne sais quoi”. They understand the right emotional chord to strike to make an impression on viewers. They understand that “technically perfect” doesn’t always work. And, sometimes, you have to break rules to sound good (or look good).
That’s where humans can join forces with AI. Collaborative efforts can result in compelling ad copies, creative variations, and impactful messaging that resonate with target audiences.
Risk Mitigation
Humans play a crucial role in identifying and addressing potential risks in AI advertising. For all its advantages, AI can’t identify pitfalls like ad waste, brand safety, and data privacy. You need a knowledgeable person who would keep an eye out for those.
Taking a collaborative approach ensures a balanced strategy that prioritises both efficiency and brand integrity.
Adaptability to Trends
Marketing is an area where trends are constantly changing. Experts will tell you that you need to keep pace with what’s working and what’s not. Human marketers have to stay informed of market trends and obtain consumer insights. They can guide AI in adapting to shifts in user behaviour and market conditions.
The synergy between human intuition and AI’s analytical capabilities ensures campaigns remain relevant and effective.
The marriage of human expertise with AI capabilities is the key to unlocking the full potential of PPC advertising. While AI streamlines operations and enhances efficiency, human involvement brings creativity, strategic thinking, and a nuanced understanding of the market.
However, using AI-powered SEO tools doesn’t automatically make a marketing company better than those that don’t. As I’ve said in this article, the AI-human collaboration isn’t just a case of putting the two together and hoping for the best.
You need a PPC agency like Geeky Tech, that understands the ins and outs of what technology can accomplish and what it can’t. Such agencies would be able to harness the power of AI effectively, to give you great results. To get the most out of the partnership between experts and machines for your PPC campaigns, you need someone who understands both well.
Parul Mathur has been writing since 2009. That’s when she discovered her love for SEO and how it works. She developed an interest in learning HTML and CSS a couple of years later, and React in 2020. When she’s not writing, she’s either reading, walking her dog, messing up her garden, or doodling.
