Attracting new customers with generative AI–powered tools

Generative AI-powered tools are transforming marketing, offering new ways to reach potential customers with more effective messaging and increased productivity. In my current podcast series, I’m excited to be learning from marketing leaders about how AI is changing their organizations. We explored in a previous blog how companies are reimagining customer and marketing data analysis with AI. Now I’d like to share how businesses can expand their customer bases using these unique insights. 

Today’s marketing and sales teams are competing for customers who increasingly expect a personalized experience. Harnessing the power of generative AI presents new opportunities to authentically connect with potential and existing customers.  

Understanding how AI is changing consumer behavior 

AI-powered search engines are already shaping online shopping experiences. Understanding how AI is changing consumer behavior can help businesses create content that stands out and rises to the top of search results. During a recent conversation I had with Alisha Lyndon, founder and CEO of consulting firm Momentum ITSMA, we discussed how AI is speeding up the decision-making process.  

“We’re seeing a race to identify suppliers early in the buying process,” says Lyndon. “Our data shows that 71% of organizations that win a project are identified at the outset of the buying process.”  

With this faster pace, businesses need to produce ad content that connects with potential decision-makers and turns them into customers. Fortunately, this customization is easier when consumers themselves spend more time with generative AI–powered search capabilities. “With Bing Chat, now Microsoft Copilot, we started to see a change in consumer behavior,” says Jennifer Kattula, General Manager of Marketing at Microsoft Advertising. “Search queries got longer and more conversational, giving us more information to provide the right answer for that consumer.” 

Supporting sales by elevating customer engagement

All this input from generative AI–powered tools helps marketers elevate a customer-focused viewpoint and inspires a more accurate understanding of customer needs. These same tools can then help marketing teams prioritize the most relevant and effective messaging for various groups. “Using AI to be curious and develop a genuine understanding of how a business is winning and growing accounts will help marketers be more customer centric,” says Lyndon. 

Generative AI–powered tools are also helping sellers better prepare for customer engagements and optimize their strategies. Among early users of Copilot for Sales, 64% of sales staff reported that Copilot helped them personalize their approach to individual customers. The everyday AI assistant can assemble insights into purchasing patterns and suggest effective messaging for potential customers based on past sales successes. 

“On the sales side, we can use our customer engagement information, apply generative AI–powered tools to it, and send our sellers a rich set of information about specific customers,” says Bill Hamilton, Vice President and Head of Marketing Technology and Worldwide Marketing Operations at Microsoft. “It’s been transformational in how we connect marketing and sales to make our sales staff more effective.” 

Streamlining content creation to increase sales efficiency

As the demand for personalized messaging increases, so can the workload for marketing and sales teams. In fact, 89% of marketers report that they struggle to find time to do their work and are looking for opportunities to increase efficiency in crafting customized messaging at scale.  

Among early users of Copilot for Microsoft 365, 68% reported that Copilot helped them jump-start the creative process. Imagine a marketing team working on an ad campaign. Using Microsoft Word, the team can enter keywords, phrases, statistics, and customer insights. Within moments, Copilot pulls together an initial draft based on the marketers’ input, potentially saving hours of time.  

“We’re experimenting with generative AI for web page content, blog content, email content, and social content, and we’ve found that it will generate a draft that’s about 70% to 80% ready,” says Hamilton. “The marketer can refine it much more rapidly than they would have been able to in the past.” 

Exploring AI-powered marketing to drive customer acquisition

As more consumers seek authentic and personalized customer experiences, organizations that embrace generative AI–powered solutions give their marketing and sales teams a competitive advantage. Experimentation is a central part of every business’s AI journey, so empower your teams to jump-start the creative process and work more effectively with generative AI–powered tools. 

At Microsoft, we are committed to reimagining work for the era of AI with secure, responsible AI tools. Learn more about how your business can accelerate its AI journey with practical advice and tips in my podcast.