Outbound Marketing and Inbound Marketing

The easiest way to divide the marketing areas into two groups: Outbound Marketing and Inbound Marketing. Outbound Marketing one in which the company takes the initiative to the client and wants to take their attention. Tools that can be used here are advertising on radio, press, television, billboards, campaigns in Google Ads, Facebook Ads and other social media, mailing, pop-ups on the site, active sales through merchants, etc. This type of activity has many advantages – allows you to reach a wide audience, is simple and quick to implement, and often you don’t have to wait long for its results. On the other hand, too pushy Outbound Marketing can be irritating to recipients and discourage the brand – that’s why it is sometimes even called disruptive marketing. But has his time passed? Rather not, when used sensitively, it can still bring the company quite a lot of profit.

Inbound Marketing, stands in opposition to it. It means activities that make the customer find the brand and visit it by himself. It is much less obtrusive, you can even compare it to slowly attracting potential customers. This can be done using profiles on social media, sharing blog articles, videos, guides, podcasts or website positioning so that it appears as high as possible in search results. A difficult to implement, but a very effective variety of Inbound Marketing is viral marketing, i.e. publishing content that Internet users will themselves massively disseminate, thus providing the brand with free advertising.

SEM

SEM (Search Engine Marketing), i.e. search engine marketing, are all those activities that we take to make the brand visible in the search results in Google, Bing, Yandex or other search engines. It includes both activities aimed at increasing organic traffic (SEO) and paid advertising (PPC). When we talk about SEO (Search Engine Optimization), we mean the positioning of the website for the most profitable key phrases. Increasing visibility in organic results includes technical optimization of the website, creating texts containing keywords, acquiring valuable external links and many other activities that are individually selected for a given website.

When it comes to PPC (pay per click), there are advertising campaigns launched in the Google Ads system. Thanks to them, we can make the website appear as a sponsored link in the search results or, for example, place our products above the list of results and in the Google Shopping tab. Of course, Google Ads also provides many other advertising formats, thanks to which you can advertise on YouTube or the Google advertising network.

Content Marketing

Content Marketing is currently one of the most frequently chosen areas of marketing. It involves attracting audiences by offering them valuable content for free that will bring them to your site and later possibly benefit from the offer. As part of content marketing, or content marketing, you can create a company blog, YouTube channel, infographics, guides, webinars, podcasts and any other form that potential customers may be interested in. Such content should not be strictly promotional, advertising of individual products or brands may be slightly highlighted in the background, but the main goal is to provide the recipient with valuable advice or inspiration. It is not about the sale itself, but about attracting the customer to the brand, building in him the feeling that he got something without incurring any costs. Thanks to content, it is also possible to arouse sympathy for the brand – show who creates it, what values ​​it believes, and what it emphasizes.

Social Media Marketing

Marketing in social media is a very important element in building relationships with potential customers. It shortens the distance between them and the brand, allows for more free contact, gives recipients a space to express their own opinions and a sense of influence on shaping the future of the brand. It also allows you to show the company from a more human side, because you can place less serious content on social media than on a film page.

When we talk about social media marketing, we mean keeping official brand profiles, but also creating groups or events focused around this brand. An element of Social Media Marketing are also paid ads in various formats – promoting a website, profile, specific post or aimed at gaining new recipients. Of course, not all social media will be appropriate for every brand, but it is worth appearing in at least one or two channels outside your own website. The most popular social media today are YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, but it is not worth underestimating the potential of other platforms, such as LinkedIn, Twitter or Pinterest.

E-mail Marketing

E-mail Marketing is a type of direct marketing in which we send messages directly to recipients from our mailing list. They are designed to build relationships with recipients, and then skillfully maintain them. As part of E-mail Marketing, we can send information about discounts and promotions, new products, test the satisfaction with the services provided, etc. Newsletters in which we send the recipients interesting content are also popular forms of e-mail marketing: a collection of the most interesting content from the last weeks or even material not available from any other channels. However, it is very important to be moderate and not to turn E-mail Marketing into regular spam. If users find brand messages on a daily basis, there is a good chance that they will get annoyed and simply revoke consent to receive the emails.

Real Time Marketing

It is a very difficult type of marketing that requires immediate reactions to the current situation. It consists in sharing content, most often on social media, in some way referring to a famous, widely commented event. However, the condition for a successful action is to create an interesting and creative reference in a very short time – publication of the material a week after the incident will not amuse anyone, and may even irritate the recipient. After all, something new happens every day and news becomes a thing of the past faster than ever. An example of a successful RTM is an advertisement published when Great Britain left the European Union. The company then published a graphic with a question resembling a system message: “Are you sure you want to delete 1 GB?” A funny, ambiguous reference quickly circulated the Internet, giving the company a lot of sympathy for users.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer Marketing assumes promoting the brand through cooperation with celebrities and generally recognizable people on the Internet – for example, bloggers or a popular YouTube channel. Such people can become the face or partner of the brand, but constant cooperation is not necessary here. A common practice of companies is to send products to influencers in return for publishing their reviews on their channels. In this way, the brand gains access to the group of recipients associated around the celebrity and additional interest – after all, for many people recommending a product by an idol is much more motivating to use the offer than any advertising on the Internet or outside it.

Guerrilla Marketing

This type of marketing uses very unconventional methods to interest the recipient with a product or service. Its main goal is to evoke strong emotions in the recipient – shock, amusement or even terror. As a result, the ad is very memorable and widely commented, which gives it additional publicity. For this purpose, you can use urban space, for example by creating murals or city games, or an element of surprise – for example a flash mob or performance. An example is the promotion of the new season of the series Money Heist carried out by Netflix. A few weeks before the premiere, posters with photos of the main characters and a designated reward for their arrest, similar to the “wanted letters” in Westerns, began to appear on advertising posts in the cities. The posters were devoid of the Netflix logo and there was no mention of the series in them, so they interested passers-by and made them search the Internet for information what they meant.

Word of mouth marketing

Word of mouth marketing is based on the fact that a large part of recipients trust the opinions of their friends and friends more than advertising messages. Therefore, it is worth providing them with the so-called social proof, i.e. social proof of rightness – information from other users that a given product or service has proven successful and is recommended. This effect can be achieved, for example, by introducing a referral program for clients. In return for recommending the brand to their friends, they get a cash bonus, discount or any other remuneration.

A widely used, although debatable in terms of ethics, method is also posting comments or opinions about the company by the company, using false nicknames and giving the recipient the impression that the customers praise the brand. A variation of word-of-mouth marketing is the so-called buzz marketing based on making noise around an upcoming event or product to be released. In such cases, people employed by the company often maintain the interest of the recipients, encourage discussion, fuel curiosity and generally build an atmosphere of expectation, skillfully involving the real recipients of the brand in the dialogue. Thanks to this, the product premiere has a chance to become louder and more widely discussed in the media.

Marketing Automation

Marketing Automation is an area dealing with the acquisition and analysis of information about recipients. These are not so much personal data as information about users’ behavior on the Internet, their professional and private situation, interests or current needs. Such data is used to show the recipient personalized advertisements for products and services that they are likely to be interested in. Of course, they are not analyzed by a human, but with the use of advanced technologies in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The collection of user data is currently very controversial and some companies are at least partially withdrawing from the most ethically questionable activities (eg Google withdraws from third party cookies). However, many different entities collect data and use it for marketing purposes, and some recipients appreciate receiving personalized, not accidental, advertisements.

ATL

ATL (above the line) includes traditional advertising channels such as radio, press or television, as well as outdoor advertising, i.e. placed outside the place of residence of the potential customer. It is about all kinds of billboards, posters, citylights, etc. Many brands still carry out this type of marketing, but it is much more expensive than more modern methods of promotion. Why? First of all, you often have to pay dearly for a good place in the city space, airtime or newspaper advertising. Second, we have little influence on who sees our ads. We cannot define the target group as precisely as in online activities, therefore a very small percentage of recipients will actually be interested in the product. The return on investment may therefore be minimal or not even cover the costs in some cases. This does not mean that this type of advertising is bad. Showing oneself in a respected magazine or on a channel with high audience builds the prestige and recognition of the brand. Due to the price, however, it is reserved for companies with a large advertising budget.

Before we introduce our readers to the world of Machine Learning, Data Science and databases, please tell us briefly about who you are and what the Paraphrase Online Group does?

John Wallace: Hi Susan, thank you for inviting me. I hope readers will find value in this interview.

I have been dealing with data and their professional processing for over 15 years. I worked in American companies, as well as in a British pharmaceutical concern, where I was responsible for the maintenance of the website consisting of over 9500 database systems in the “follow the sun” model. Working in the USA and UK, I watched the digital transformation look like and pursued the company’s goals. I thought then that it would be worthwhile to pursue my own. This is how I decided to join the Paraphrase Online Group. Today, our company is a dynamically developing organization that maintains database systems in the 24/7 model. We currently support over 8,500 bases. At the same time, we have built a BI department that creates data warehouses that constitute the central data set in the organization, the so-called “One source of truth” and reports that allow you to visualize everything that the company’s systems collect. Finally, we have a great DEV department, dealing with the development of applications constituting data interfaces, as well as their integration between systems. The DEV department is also developing our own product. As a team, we ensure the security of systems and their availability, as well as analyze and report data collected by our clients.

The unique value of our company is the guarantee of access to data and its adequate analysis.

SP: Why is the Paraphrase Online Group concerned with data?

JW: The purpose of the activity is due to several reasons. One of them is my passion for database systems, which I translated into the company when it was created. Another very pragmatic reason is that there is an increase in data in the world. Every two years or so, their number is multiplied. Which means that as a society that develops on the basis of knowledge, we need data and we will certainly need it in the future.

SP: How important is a well-structured database to a company?

JW: The structure of the database, or better, its structure, is the foundation of the system, including the method of data recording. Correct design of the system is a prerequisite for the data to be saved in such a way that despite their large increase, the system will be able to quickly respond to our inquiries.

SP: Why do you think data analysis is one of the most important trends recently?

JW: Data is said to be oil of the 21st century. In fact, those who know more and faster are able to achieve better results, i.e. a competitive advantage. Today, in a knowledge-based economy, in my opinion, data analysis is the greatest value.

SP: Based on the experience of the Paraphrase Online Group, do more and more companies decide to implement such solutions (data analysis, automation)? If so, in which areas especially?

JW: We see the demand for our services, i.e. the maintenance of database systems, as well as analysis and reporting in each of the business areas, regardless of the industry. Our clients come from the financial, commercial, manufacturing as well as governmental sectors.

SP: What does Machine Learning give us?

JW: Machine Learning, or machine learning, is the use of models based on artificial intelligence (in our Paraphrase Online Group, which brings together many departments from various fields, we also have a text paraphrase tool, which is based on artificial intelligence), which are trained to automate the process and, consequently, transferring responsibility for the decision-making center from man to machine. The implementation of machine learning in processes allows for their automation and exclusion of the human factor where it seemed impossible to us so far.

SP: How does artificial intelligence help with data processing?

JW: Artificial intelligence algorithms are implemented in machine learning. Years ago, when I was dealing with AI (artificial intelligence), we focused on neural networks, the proper preparation of which, the so-called “Training” meant that the network made automatic decisions, for example as to the classification of data sets. Today, these algorithms have been implemented in machine learning, so we do not have to explore the scientific issues related to neural networks, but only deal with the “training” of the system. This kind of simplification allows us to achieve our business goals faster.

SP: How can companies use Machine Learning to build competitiveness?

JW: The obvious benefit of ML is the aforementioned automation of processes and the exclusion of the human factor, which allows to perform data processing on a larger scale and with a shorter response time.

Let me give you an example from our area. Today, Paraphrase Online supports over 8,500 database systems. In order to provide our clients with an adequate quality of services, we must monitor and configure these systems to meet the expected standards. As you may have guessed, the more systems, the more people needed to support them.

But if you look at our product through which we automate the process, you will notice that thanks to new technologies, we can transfer some of the issues related to monitoring or the change recommendation system to the system and relieve people. As a result, our clients receive a significantly better quality of service than the competition.

SP: What are the benefits of Machine Learning, not only for the companies themselves, but also for their customers?

JW: It depends on how you define the customer concept. For example, if we assume that our client is Paraphrase Online, which, using advanced data analysis and machine learning algorithms, provides its clients with a new quality of services. Paraphrase Online automates the process of managing an SEO campaign in such a way that it is the machine that selects the appropriate parameters and makes the campaign even more tailored to the needs of the end customer.

Perhaps, from the customer’s perspective, it does not matter whether we use ML or other technologies. However, the results are important, i.e. the speed of decision-making and the quality of the service, and thanks to the technologies discussed, it is simply better.

SP: And last, what knowledge is worth expanding and what to learn in the future in order to be ready for such solutions?

JW: Fascinated by this area, he is carrying out his doctoral dissertation in the field of building autonomous database systems. I try to use technological innovations and add something to this field of knowledge from myself.

He can listen to natural language, respond to inquiries, independently, make decisions, stay awake around the clock. Replace a salesman, director, accountant and even a policeman. Artificial intelligence can be used on many levels. How to use it in practice?

How to explain to people who do not follow news from the world of technology on a regular basis the scale of progress made in the field of artificial intelligence?

Ignazio Zubek: Let’s start with the fact that the history of artificial intelligence is much longer than the last 5-6 years, during which we actually hear much more about its use. In the past, artificial intelligence has faced serious barriers. Only ten years ago, such a big barrier was the technological one, related to the limitation of the amount of data that can be processed. Machine learning models are as smart as the data we provide them, which affects the effectiveness of AI. What has happened in the last ten years is, above all, the dynamic growth of the available computing power. For example, GPU systems are used, which are commonly used in processing computer graphics, or, recently, for “mining” cryptocurrencies.

Therefore, artificial intelligence can do much more than just a few years ago?

Yes. Artificial intelligence can do more today, it is more accessible, more advanced. There are very large computational possibilities. Barriers related to the possibility of building deep neural networks or processing large amounts of data have largely disappeared. The largest neural networks learn data in terabytes. This is amazing progress.

Does artificial intelligence already resemble human?

We are at the moment when it can be described as getting “smarter”. He can imitate people better and better, he understands us more and more. But that doesn’t mean, of course, that we’re out there in science fiction scenarios. Artificial intelligence cannot answer every question. Only that does not mean that there has not been gigantic progress in this area. It’s worth checking out www.Paraphrase-Online.com, it’s a text paraphrase tool that works on the basis of artificial intelligence and it does it very well!

How to use artificial intelligence in practice?

The use of artificial intelligence is very wide. One of the essential aspects where it helps is communication. Research shows that consumers who use internet services often have a problem to find information on the website, product or answer to a question. Many customers choose services that allow you to quickly ask a question and get an answer just as quickly. Artificial intelligence is irreplaceable here.

Any examples?

For example, mobile applications in electronic banking or shopping applications. More and more banks and shops are choosing to use natural language recognition technology. This has its reasons. The number of functions and products that we can put “on top” in such a mobile application to make it friendly, in line with trends, is simply limited. Artificial intelligence in this case actually bypasses the barrier related to the graphical user interface.

And customers like talking to robots?

I think sometimes we don’t even realize now that somewhere when we connect with the support department, we are actually talking to an artificial mind. But even if the use of robots is not profound, but only serves to gather information quickly, that’s fine too. It helps entrepreneurs, employees and clients. And, importantly, it is available 24 hours a day. Whoever uses the services of banks, telecommunications and energy companies has repeatedly found out about the convenience of this round-the-clock readiness.

And what does the Grossberg Group offer its customers in this respect?

We provide solutions that allow you to build a “tailor-made” robot, tailored to your needs as much as possible. Our software allows you to build – whether on your own or with our help – a bot that, firstly, implements a client-defined scenario of activities and secondly, they understand the consumer’s intentions, thanks to the natural language we use when we write or speak.

Tell me more about this technology.

Our tools are based on natural language. So I can write a sentence like “I would like to send a transfer”. And using the Natural Language Processing procedures as one of the artificial intelligence techniques, the bot will recognize individual parts of speech, sentences to catch what may be the object of interest, i.e. making a transfer.

Artificial intelligence can not only listen and understand, but most of all analyze. So it can become the guardian of our interests. How?

Tools created by Grossberg Group that use artificial intelligence are actually great at detecting threats. They can detect unknown patterns in behavior. This is the case for detecting card, payment and invoice fraud. It is about situations in which we receive different invoices that really relate to one product, service, aspect. Without our solutions, there is a risk of paying such an invoice twice. Ordinary systems don’t recognize this.

And here lies the greatest strength of artificial intelligence. It replaces the human.

Of course. After all, there are companies where one employee processes several hundred payments a day. It would be difficult for him to “manually” verify such cases.

What else can your tools detect?

In a very large foreign enterprise, we detected wages paid to employees who had not been employed there for a long time. Artificial intelligence can also work great inside the company. In our experience, similar problems have been exacerbated by the pandemic. The issue of holidays, benefits, subsidies. There are many irregularities here that our artificial intelligence can detect.

Is artificial intelligence a good worker?

Dreamed! Artificial intelligence ensures high availability. He doesn’t have to take time off, take coffee breaks, or go into quarantine. It allows you to personalize your communication. And depending on what we know about the client, the more effectively we can communicate with him, because the needs will differ. Artificial intelligence can learn all this: what my client is interested in, what he watched. Our tools can not only suggest what decisions to make, but also make them on their own. Send a dedicated offer, propose a product, a discount. The greatest value of artificial intelligence comes from the fact that it can act alone, work for us.

Are there any areas where artificial intelligence should be used with caution?

Ethical issues are very important. AI tools used in medicine are not yet perfect enough to be used without human supervision. Artificial intelligence makes decisions based on data, and a data error can be dangerous in this case. The same goes for the judiciary, insurance, all social matters. Artificial intelligence, even with good intentions, can be misused. For example, due to incorrect or incomplete data.

The Grossberg Group acts ethically in this respect. How?

The responsibility of companies like ours is that customers have the opportunity to see how this AI works, what exactly it does with the data, and how it uses it. A comprehensive system built on artificial intelligence must provide the ability to verify that everything is functioning properly.