AI Marketing 101: Your Guide to Smarter Campaigns

Amber Porter • May 20, 2025

The AI Marketing Revolution: What You Need to Know

ai marketing - ai marketing

AI marketing refers to the use of artificial intelligence technologies to automate, improve, and optimise marketing activities across channels. It leverages machine learning, natural language processing, and data analysis to deliver more personalised customer experiences and drive better marketing results.

Here's what you need to know about AI marketing:

AI Marketing Essentials Description
Definition Using AI technologies to automate and improve marketing strategies
Key Technologies Machine learning, natural language processing, predictive analytics
Common Applications Content creation, audience segmentation, chatbots, predictive analytics, ad optimisation
Main Benefits Faster decision-making, improved ROI, personalisation at scale, better data insights
Adoption Rate 72% of global businesses as of 2024
Economic Impact Potential to add $4.4 trillion to the global economy annually

AI is changing marketing by automating repetitive tasks, enhancing personalisation, and providing deeper customer insights. It's not about replacing human marketers but empowering them with tools that can analyse vast amounts of data and execute campaigns more efficiently.

The technology has evolved from simple rule-based automation to sophisticated systems that can generate content, predict customer behaviour, and optimise campaigns in real-time. Today's AI marketing tools can create blog posts, design websites, personalise email campaigns, and even determine the best time to reach individual customers.

For businesses looking to stay competitive, AI marketing isn't just a nice-to-have—it's becoming essential. Over 70% of high-performing executives believe competitive advantage depends on having the most advanced AI capabilities.

I'm Amber Porter, CEO of RankingCo, and I've helped dozens of businesses implement AI marketing strategies that drive measurable growth and ROI. My approach combines cutting-edge AI tools with proven marketing principles to create campaigns that not only reach your audience but truly connect with them.

AI Marketing Landscape showing applications across the marketing funnel including content creation, customer segmentation, predictive analytics, chatbots, personalization, and campaign optimization - ai marketing infographic

What is AI Marketing?

Ever wondered how Netflix seems to know exactly what you'll want to watch next? Or how Amazon suggests products you didn't even realise you needed? That's AI marketing in action – and it's changing the game for businesses everywhere.

AI marketing uses intelligent technologies to transform how we connect with customers. At its heart, it combines machine learning algorithms, natural language processing, and smart data analysis to understand customer behaviour in ways humans simply couldn't manage alone.

Think of it as having a super-powered marketing assistant that never sleeps, constantly learning about your customers and improving your campaigns. These technologies help you analyse patterns across thousands of customer interactions, predict what your audience might want next, and create personalised experiences that feel genuinely human.

As one marketing leader told McKinsey researchers: " AI marketing isn't just another flashy tool – it's fundamentally changing how we understand what our customers actually want."

AI marketing vs traditional marketing

The shift from traditional marketing to AI marketing is like upgrading from a paper map to GPS navigation. Both can get you where you're going, but one is dramatically more efficient and responsive.

Traditional marketing often relies on gut feelings and broad audience segments. You might create a campaign, launch it, wait weeks for results, then manually adjust based on what worked. It's slow, reactive, and often misses opportunities.

AI marketing , by contrast, continuously analyses customer data in real-time, making instant adjustments to improve performance. Instead of sending the same message to everyone in a segment, it personalises content for individual customers based on their unique preferences and behaviours.

The beauty of modern AI marketing is that it doesn't replace human creativity – it improves it. The most successful approaches keep humans in the loop, with AI handling the data-heavy lifting while marketers provide the strategic direction and creative spark that machines simply can't replicate.

As we often tell our Brisbane clients at RankingCo: "AI helps us cut through the noise by delivering the right message to the right person at precisely the right moment."

Key building blocks of an AI-ready tech stack

Before jumping into AI marketing , you need to build the right foundation. Here are the essential building blocks of an AI-ready marketing infrastructure:

Clean, structured data forms the bedrock of any AI system. Just like you can't build a house on shifting sand, you can't build effective AI on messy, incomplete data. Your customer information needs to be accurate, well-organised, and accessible.

Cloud infrastructure provides the computational power needed to run sophisticated AI tools without massive hardware investments. Cloud solutions scale with your needs, letting you start small and expand as you see results.

Connected systems make all the difference. Your marketing tools need to talk to each other through APIs and integrations – linking your CRM with your email platform, website analytics, ad accounts, and more to create a seamless flow of information.

Centralised data management brings everything together in one place, creating unified customer profiles that power truly personalised experiences. This single view of the customer is what enables AI to work its magic.

Machine learning capabilities , whether built in-house or accessed through specialised tools, form the analytical engine that turns raw data into actionable insights.

At RankingCo, we help Brisbane businesses lay these foundations before implementing advanced AI marketing solutions. We've seen that businesses who get these basics right are the ones who see the most impressive results from their AI investments.

Why AI Marketing Matters: 7 Key Benefits

The buzz around AI marketing isn't just hype – it's backed by real results. With 72% of global businesses now embracing AI in their operations, this technology is changing how companies connect with customers and drive growth.

Benefit 1: Faster, smarter decision-making

Gone are the days of waiting weeks to understand campaign performance. AI marketing tools provide real-time dashboards that transform mountains of data into actionable insights in moments.

AI can shrink marketing tasks that once took hours down to just minutes. With this speed, you’re able to spot trends, find new opportunities, and address issues almost in real time.

For local Brisbane businesses, this is game-changing. You don't need a massive analytics team to compete with bigger players – AI levels the playing field, giving you the agility to adapt to changing consumer behaviours as they happen.

Benefit 2: Improved ROI & budget efficiency

Let's talk about what matters most – return on investment. AI marketing shines when it comes to making every dollar work harder:

The numbers speak for themselves: 26% of businesses report a 6-10% revenue increase after implementing AI marketing, while another 43% see improvements of up to 5%.

The recent breakthroughs in generative AI have only amplified these gains. McKinsey estimates these technologies could add a staggering USD 4.4 trillion to the global economy annually.

At RankingCo, we've seen how AI-optimised Google Ads Management transforms campaign performance for our Brisbane clients, identifying the perfect bidding strategies and audience targeting that human analysis might miss.

Benefit 3: Hyper-personalised customer journeys

Remember when "personalisation" meant adding a customer's first name to an email? AI marketing takes this to an entirely new level.

Today's AI can analyse countless data points to create truly individualised experiences – recommending products that feel hand-picked, customising website content based on visitor behaviour, and crafting email messages that resonate with each recipient's specific interests.

The impact is clear: 94% of marketers report that personalisation boosts sales, and 77% say generative AI helps them achieve better personalisation than ever before.

One of our e-commerce clients in Brisbane experienced this change firsthand, seeing a 30% jump in online sales within just three months of implementing AI-driven personalised recommendations.

Benefit 4: Accurate measurement of KPIs

If you've ever struggled to understand which marketing efforts actually drive results, AI marketing offers a solution. These sophisticated tools provide attribution models that track complex customer journeys across multiple touchpoints.

Rather than guessing which channels deserve credit for conversions, you'll know precisely how each element of your strategy contributes to success. This clarity helps you invest more in what works and adjust or abandon what doesn't – a game-changer for optimising your marketing budget.

The best part? AI doesn't just measure past performance – it can predict likely outcomes of different strategies, helping you make more informed decisions about future campaigns.

Benefit 5: Improved CRM integration

AI marketing transforms customer relationship management from a simple contact database into a powerful engine for growth and retention.

With AI-powered CRM, you can anticipate customer needs before they even express them. The system identifies which customers are at risk of churning, spots perfect opportunities for cross-selling, and even recommends the ideal frequency and timing for communications.

For Brisbane businesses competing with larger corporations, this technology creates an opportunity to deliver personalised service that feels thoughtful and human – building the kind of lasting relationships that drive sustainable growth.

Benefit 6: Better creative at scale

Content creation has traditionally been a bottleneck for marketing teams. AI marketing tools are changing this reality by dramatically increasing creative output without sacrificing quality.

From blog posts and social media content to images and video editing, AI can handle routine production tasks while your creative team focuses on strategy and big-picture thinking.

The results can be remarkable: Jasper users report creating campaigns 93% faster, and one company achieved an 800% surge in web traffic by leveraging AI for content creation.

This doesn't mean replacing your creative professionals – it means empowering them to do more of what humans do best: developing innovative concepts and emotional connections that resonate with your audience.

Benefit 7: Competitive advantage

Perhaps most compelling is what happens if you don't accept AI marketing while your competitors do. According to McKinsey, over 70% of high-performing executives believe competitive advantage now depends on having the most advanced AI capabilities.

With global AI adoption reaching 72% in 2024, businesses that resist these technologies risk being outpaced by more agile competitors who can deliver more personalised experiences, make faster decisions, and operate more efficiently.

AI marketing competitive advantage - ai marketing

At RankingCo, we help Brisbane businesses harness these benefits through our Digital Marketing Services in Brisbane , ensuring you don't just keep pace with the AI revolution – you lead it.

Core Use Cases Powering Modern Campaigns

AI marketing has evolved from an exciting possibility to an essential part of successful marketing strategies. Let's explore the real-world applications that are delivering impressive results for businesses today.

Audience segmentation & look-alikes

Gone are the days when marketers relied solely on basic demographics. Today, AI marketing tools identify intricate behaviour patterns that even the most experienced human analysts might overlook.

These sophisticated systems excel at creating micro-segments based on subtle online behaviours, predicting which customers will bring the most lifetime value, and building look-alike audiences that mirror your best clients. Perhaps most valuably, they can spot customers at risk of leaving before they actually do.

For local Brisbane businesses, this means pinpointing your most valuable potential customers with laser precision – something that was previously only accessible to enterprises with massive marketing departments.

AI Marketing for Content Creation

Content creation has undergone a remarkable change thanks to AI marketing tools that can generate, refine, and personalise content at unprecedented scale.

Today's AI systems don't just write blog posts – they craft compelling social media captions, create engaging ad copy, develop detailed product descriptions, and even produce video scripts custom to your brand voice. The results speak for themselves: 40% of companies using AI for content creation reported significant traffic increases through improved blog content.

But as we've explored in our article on Is This the End of Human Copywriters? , AI works best as a collaborative partner that improves human creativity rather than replacing it. The most successful content strategies combine AI efficiency with human storytelling and emotional intelligence.

Conversational AI & Customer Support

The days of frustrating automated phone menus are giving way to sophisticated AI chatbots and virtual assistants that transform customer service experiences.

Modern conversational AI doesn't just answer basic questions – it guides potential customers through complex purchase decisions, gathers and qualifies leads, knows when to bring in human help for tricky situations, and continuously improves through each interaction. Industry experts project that AI will soon handle 75-90% of product and business queries, freeing your human team to focus on high-value customer relationships.

For Brisbane businesses with limited customer service resources, AI chatbots offer an affordable way to provide responsive, friendly support around the clock – ensuring you never miss an opportunity to connect with potential customers, no matter when they reach out.

Predictive analytics & demand forecasting

One of the most powerful applications of AI marketing is its ability to identify patterns in data that predict future outcomes and optimise business decisions.

Imagine knowing which seasonal trends will affect your business months in advance, understanding which leads are most likely to convert before you even reach out to them, optimising your pricing strategy based on real-time market conditions, or anticipating inventory needs to prevent both stockouts and excess inventory.

We helped a Brisbane hardware store implement AI-powered demand forecasting that predicted seasonal surges in gardening tool purchases. This allowed them to maintain perfect stock levels – having enough inventory during peak periods without tying up capital during slower times. The result? Higher sales, lower costs, and happier customers.

Search & SEO optimisation

AI marketing is revolutionising search engine optimisation by providing deeper insights into search intent and content performance than ever before.

Today's AI-powered SEO tools suggest content topics based on emerging search trends, analyse search results to identify ranking opportunities your competitors have missed, optimise your content for maximum relevance, generate meta descriptions and title tags that encourage clicks, and automatically identify technical SEO issues before they impact your rankings.

Understanding the Relationship of Content and SEO is essential, and AI tools are making this connection more powerful and accessible than ever before.

At RankingCo, we leverage advanced AI-powered SEO tools to help our Brisbane clients achieve better organic visibility through our Leads SEO and Get More Traffic services. Our approach combines the analytical power of AI with human expertise to create SEO strategies that don't just chase algorithms but genuinely connect with your target audience.

Best Practices & Ethics for Seamless Integration

Implementing AI marketing successfully requires more than just adopting the latest tools. It demands thoughtful integration, ethical considerations, and a focus on data quality.

Ensuring data quality & accuracy

The old tech saying "garbage in, garbage out" has never been more relevant than with AI marketing . Your AI systems are only as good as the data they're trained on.

We've seen at RankingCo how clean, structured data transforms AI performance. Regular data cleaning isn't just good housekeeping—it's essential infrastructure. Our Brisbane clients who implement consistent data collection protocols across all their marketing channels see dramatically better results from their AI tools.

Data quality is often the root cause behind AI marketing setbacks. Running a basic quarterly data audit helps catch and resolve problems early—before they can derail your entire AI strategy.

Training models on the right data

Having clean data is just the starting point—it also needs to be the right data for your specific needs.

For our Brisbane retail clients, we ensure their AI tools are trained on Australian consumer behaviour patterns rather than generic global datasets. This local relevance makes a world of difference in predictive accuracy.

The best AI marketing implementations create a virtuous cycle of improvement. They start with broad industry datasets, then gradually incorporate your own marketing data, creating increasingly custom models that reflect your unique customer base and business context.

Governance & privacy compliance

With great data comes great responsibility. As AI marketing becomes more sophisticated, so do the privacy considerations around it.

Australian businesses face a particular challenge, needing to steer both local regulations like the Australian Privacy Act and international frameworks like GDPR for their global customers. We help our clients develop transparent consent management systems that build customer trust while maintaining compliance.

Human oversight & creativity

Despite all the AI hype, the most successful AI marketing implementations maintain a crucial human element. AI works best as a collaborator, not a replacement.

At RankingCo, we've developed a hybrid approach where AI handles data analysis and initial content creation, while our human experts provide strategic direction and creative refinement. This partnership produces results neither could achieve alone.

AI empowers marketers by automating repetitive tasks, so they can spend more time on strategy, creativity, and building genuine connections with customers—the real drivers of brand loyalty.

Upskilling your marketing team

The marketing team of tomorrow needs new skills to harness AI marketing effectively. This doesn't mean everyone needs to become a data scientist, but basic AI literacy is becoming as essential as social media skills were a decade ago.

We're seeing Brisbane businesses invest in training around:

Prompt engineering – The ability to effectively "talk to" AI systems to get the best outputs is becoming a valuable skill. It's like learning to use a search engine effectively, but with much more powerful results.

Strategic AI application – Understanding where AI adds the most value in your specific marketing context is crucial. Not every process needs AI, and knowing the difference saves both time and money.

Data interpretation – Being able to critically evaluate AI-generated insights rather than accepting them blindly is perhaps the most important skill of all.

Resources like HubSpot's AI Marketing Course offer excellent starting points for teams looking to build these capabilities. At RankingCo, we often recommend these resources alongside our hands-on training for clients implementing new AI marketing strategies.

Step-by-Step Roadmap to Build Your AI-Ready Marketing Strategy

Implementing AI marketing doesn't have to be overwhelming. With a structured approach, businesses of any size can harness these powerful tools to transform their marketing efforts. I've helped dozens of Brisbane businesses make this transition, and here's the roadmap that consistently delivers results:

Marketing Activity Manual Process AI-Assisted Process Time Saved
Content Creation 4-8 hours per article 1-2 hours per article 75%
Audience Segmentation 2-3 days 2-3 hours 80%
Campaign Optimisation Weekly adjustments Real-time optimisation 90%
Competitor Analysis Monthly reports Continuous monitoring 70%
SEO Keyword Research 5-10 hours 1-2 hours 80%

Step 1 – Set measurable goals & KPIs

Before diving into shiny new AI marketing tools, take a moment to define what success looks like for your business.

Start by establishing concrete objectives that tie directly to your business goals. Are you looking to boost brand awareness, generate more qualified leads, or increase your conversion rate? Each goal needs specific metrics attached – whether that's cost per lead (CPL), customer lifetime value (CLV), or return on ad spend (ROAS).

I always tell my Brisbane clients: "If you can't measure it, you can't improve it." Setting these benchmarks upfront gives you a clear way to evaluate whether your AI implementation is actually delivering value or just creating busywork.

Step 2 – Acquire or train talent

The human element remains critical in AI marketing success. You'll need people who understand both marketing principles and how to work effectively with AI tools.

You have several options here. You might hire specialists with AI expertise, invest in training for your existing team, or identify internal champions who show aptitude and enthusiasm for new technologies. Many Brisbane businesses find that partnering with an agency like RankingCo that already has AI marketing expertise offers the quickest path to results.

Step 3 – Adhere to data privacy regulations

AI marketing runs on data, but collecting and using that data comes with serious responsibilities. Australian businesses need to be particularly mindful of the Privacy Act and other applicable regulations.

Take time to review and update your privacy policies, carefully vet AI vendors for compliance, and implement transparent consent mechanisms. Your customers should always understand what data you're collecting and how you're using it.

At RankingCo, we help Brisbane businesses steer these requirements while still leveraging AI's full potential. The goal is finding that balance between personalisation and privacy – using data respectfully to create better customer experiences.

Step 4 – Audit and test data quality

The old saying "garbage in, garbage out" applies perfectly to AI marketing . Before feeding your precious customer data into any AI system, verify its quality and relevance.

Sample your existing data to check for errors, inconsistencies, or gaps. Validate your data sources and collection methods to ensure they're reliable. Test compatibility with your chosen AI tools before full implementation.

One local retailer finded their CRM had been collecting email addresses with formatting errors for years. A simple data cleaning process before their AI implementation improved their email deliverability by 22%.

Step 5 – Choose the right AI solution

With clear goals and clean data in hand, you're ready to select AI marketing tools that align with your specific needs.

Look for solutions that integrate seamlessly with your existing systems – your CRM, email platform, analytics tools, and content management system. Consider scalability (will this grow with your business?), ease of use (will your team actually adopt it?), and the level of support provided.

For Brisbane businesses implementing Effective Digital Marketing Strategies , finding tools that match your specific marketing challenges makes all the difference between an expensive tech experiment and a genuine business advantage.

Step 6 – Integrate & deploy across channels

Now comes the exciting part – bringing your AI marketing tools to life across your marketing ecosystem.

Connect your AI solutions to your data sources and marketing platforms. Ensure proper integration with Google Ads , Meta Ads, and other advertising channels you use. Set up the data flows between your CRM and your AI tools to maintain a consistent view of your customers.

At RankingCo, we specialise in making these integrations smooth and painless. One Brisbane client described their experience: "What seemed technically daunting became straightforward with the right guidance. Now our systems talk to each other automatically, and our marketing is better for it."

Step 7 – Monitor, learn & improve

AI marketing isn't a "set and forget" solution – it's a continuous journey of refinement and improvement.

Regularly benchmark your AI performance against those KPIs you established in Step 1. Run A/B tests to refine your AI outputs and create feedback loops that help your models improve over time. Schedule quarterly reviews of your AI implementation to identify new opportunities or address emerging challenges.

The businesses seeing the greatest success with AI marketing are those that treat it as a partnership between human creativity and machine efficiency – constantly learning from each other and getting better together.

AI Marketing 2025 and Beyond

The AI marketing landscape is evolving at breakneck speed, with emerging trends ready to completely transform how brands connect with audiences in the coming years.

The future of marketing isn't just about adopting AI—it's about embracing continuous learning as the skills gap widens between AI-savvy marketers and those clinging to traditional methods. Let's explore what's just around the corner.

Hot trend 1: Generative AI everywhere

Generative AI is breaking free from simple text generation and spreading its creative wings across all content formats.

The applications we're already seeing emerge are nothing short of revolutionary. Imagine creating stunning video advertisements simply by describing what you want, or having personalised email banners automatically generated for each recipient based on their preferences and past behaviour.

Voice synthesis technology is making AI-narrated podcasts and audio content increasingly indistinguishable from human-created versions. Meanwhile, interactive experiences that adapt in real-time to user engagement are becoming the new gold standard for customer experience.

"We're just scratching the surface of what's possible," notes one of our clients who recently implemented generative AI for their product imagery. "What used to take our design team a full week now happens overnight while we sleep."

According to McKinsey's comprehensive analysis, generative AI could contribute a staggering USD 4.4 trillion to the global economy annually, with marketing departments standing to gain some of the most significant benefits.

Hot trend 2: Privacy-first personalisation

As privacy regulations continue to tighten globally, AI marketing is evolving to deliver deeply personalised experiences without compromising customer privacy.

Smart marketers are already exploring synthetic data generation—creating artificial datasets that mirror real customer behaviour without exposing actual personal information. This approach allows for robust AI training without privacy concerns.

Federated learning represents another fascinating development, where AI models learn from data that remains securely on users' devices rather than being uploaded to central servers. Your phone or laptop processes the data locally, and only the learnings (not the personal data) are shared with the AI system.

For Brisbane businesses navigating Australia's privacy landscape, these privacy-preserving approaches offer the perfect balance—the power of AI personalisation with the peace of mind of regulatory compliance.

"The businesses that will win in the next five years are those that can thread the needle between personalisation and privacy," observes our head of data science at RankingCo. "It's not an either/or proposition anymore."

Hot trend 3: AI-powered SEO evolution

Search engines themselves are becoming increasingly AI-driven, requiring fundamentally new approaches to SEO.

We're already seeing the need to optimise content for AI-generated snippets and summaries that appear above traditional search results. Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) is just the beginning of a major shift toward answer engines rather than traditional search engines.

This evolution requires content that's structured to align with how AI systems understand topics and relationships between concepts. The days of keyword stuffing are long gone—today's SEO is about comprehensive topic coverage that satisfies the intent behind the search.

As we discussed in our article on Meta to Expand AI Image Generation Offerings for Ads , major platforms are rapidly integrating AI into their core offerings, creating both challenges and opportunities for marketers.

At RankingCo, we're helping Brisbane businesses stay ahead of these trends through our Technical SEO and Onsite SEO services that incorporate these future-focused approaches. We don't just optimise for today's algorithms—we build foundations that will continue to deliver results as search evolves.

The most exciting part? We're still in the early chapters of the AI marketing story. The businesses that experiment today will be the category leaders tomorrow, while those who wait may find themselves playing a difficult game of catch-up in an increasingly sophisticated marketplace.

Frequently Asked Questions about AI Marketing

What skills do marketers need to thrive with AI?

The AI marketing landscape is exciting but can feel overwhelming for many marketers. The good news? You don't need a computer science degree to succeed in this new world.

Today's successful marketers are developing a blend of technical and strategic abilities. Data literacy has become fundamental – understanding how to interpret data patterns and draw meaningful conclusions from AI-generated insights. Without this foundation, even the most sophisticated AI tools won't deliver their full potential.

Prompt engineering is quickly becoming a core marketing skill. It's the art of communicating effectively with AI tools to get precisely what you need. Think of it as learning how to ask the right questions in a language AI understands.

"AI won't replace marketers—marketers who use AI will replace those who don't," as one of our Brisbane clients recently observed after tripling their conversion rates with our AI-powered campaigns.

Strategic thinking remains irreplaceable. The most valuable marketers can identify where AI adds genuine value versus where human creativity and intuition still reign supreme. Alongside this, critical evaluation skills help you assess AI outputs for quality, accuracy and brand alignment before they reach your audience.

Finally, ethical awareness has never been more important. Understanding the implications of AI use – from data privacy to potential biases – ensures your marketing remains both effective and responsible.

How can I measure AI campaign ROI accurately?

Measuring the true return on your AI marketing investments requires a thoughtful approach that goes beyond basic metrics.

Start by establishing clear baselines before implementation. You can't measure improvement without knowing your starting point. This means documenting current performance across key metrics like cost per acquisition, conversion rates, and team efficiency.

One approach we've found effective with our Brisbane clients is running controlled tests that isolate AI impact. This might mean launching identical campaigns – one AI-optimised and one traditionally managed – then comparing results.

Look beyond the obvious metrics. While tracking efficiency gains (time saved, cost reduction) is important, don't overlook effectiveness metrics like improved conversion rates, higher customer satisfaction scores, and increased revenue. According to recent industry data, 68% of marketing leaders report positive ROI on their AI investments when measuring this complete picture.

Remember to consider long-term benefits in your calculations. Improved customer lifetime value and better retention often take time to materialise but can dramatically improve your overall ROI. And don't forget to factor in implementation and training costs for a true picture of your investment.

At RankingCo, we help our clients establish comprehensive measurement frameworks for their Digital Marketing Services in Brisbane that capture both immediate and long-term AI benefits.

What are the biggest barriers to AI adoption and how do I overcome them?

Even as AI marketing transforms the industry, several common barriers can slow adoption for Australian businesses.

Data quality issues top the list for many organisations. AI systems require clean, structured data to perform effectively. We help our clients overcome this by implementing practical data governance and cleansing processes before launching AI initiatives. Start small – even cleaning up your CRM data can make a significant difference.

Skill gaps create another common roadblock. Many marketing teams simply don't have the technical expertise to implement and manage AI solutions effectively. This can be addressed through targeted training, strategic hiring, or partnering with specialists like RankingCo who bring both marketing and AI expertise to the table.

Integration challenges often arise when trying to connect AI tools with existing systems. Modern APIs and middleware solutions can bridge these gaps, creating seamless data flows between platforms. For our eCommerce SEO clients, we've developed custom integrations that connect inventory management systems with AI-powered marketing platforms.

Budget constraints remain a reality for many businesses, especially smaller operations in Brisbane and across Australia. The solution? Start with small, high-impact projects that demonstrate value quickly. We often recommend beginning with AI-powered Google Ads optimisation, which typically shows measurable improvements within weeks.

Perhaps the most challenging barrier is simple resistance to change. We've found that education about AI's benefits, combined with showcasing early wins, helps teams accept these new tools. When team members see how AI can eliminate tedious tasks and amplify their creative work, resistance typically fades quickly.

Remember – you don't have to steer these challenges alone. Working with a local partner who understands both AI and the Australian market can significantly smooth your adoption journey.

Open up Your Potential – Get Ranking with RankingCo

AI marketing isn't some far-off future technology – it's here now, changing how businesses connect with customers. The companies embracing these tools today are already pulling ahead of their competitors.

At RankingCo, we're passionate about helping Brisbane businesses harness AI's power to create marketing campaigns that truly work. We don't just implement flashy tech for the sake of it – we blend cutting-edge AI tools with proven marketing strategies to deliver real, measurable results for your business.

"We've seen how AI can transform a struggling campaign into a high-performing one," says our head of strategy. "For many of our clients, it's been the difference between staying afloat and truly thriving in competitive markets."

Whether you're looking to improve your Digital Marketing Services in Brisbane or boost your eCommerce SEO performance, our team brings both technical expertise and genuine care to your project. We're not just service providers – we're partners in your success.

The question isn't whether your business should adopt AI marketing – it's how quickly you can integrate these powerful tools into your strategy before your competitors do. With RankingCo as your guide, this transition becomes straightforward and the results can be truly game-changing.

Many of our clients come to us feeling overwhelmed by the pace of change in digital marketing. They leave feeling confident and empowered, with campaigns that continue delivering results long after implementation.

Ready to see what AI marketing can do for your business? Contact RankingCo today and find how our AI-powered marketing solutions can help your business stand out in the crowded digital landscape. Let's work together to turn technological possibility into business reality.

Want to get In Touch?

Share online

By Amber Porter May 21, 2025
Lead generation Wollongong: Discover proven strategies to boost leads, sales, and growth for local businesses ready to stand out.
By Amber Porter May 20, 2025
Boost your business with Search engine optimisation Wollongong. Get more local customers and grow online with expert SEO strategies.
By Kerry Anderson December 7, 2022
As a business, there is naturally an audience you wish to reach the most as you are aware that they are more likely to convert. For example if I was a childcare agency I’d primarily want to reach females as I am more likely to find they require my services then perhaps males. When looking at targeting with Display ads you need to take into consideration Googles 3 areas they feel display focuses on in terms of marketing goals: Building awareness Influencing consideration Driving action Building Awareness is the top of the sales funnel and is quite a broad group. If you’re wanting more people to know about your brand and maximize your exposure then this is the perfect option for you. Influencing Consideration is the middle of the sales funnel. You have users who are actively online, looking, and you want to influence their decision to look at your brand over other brands. They aren’t quite ready to convert as they’re still in the “research” phase of buying - but connecting with them at this phase is important as they quickly move between the middle and end of the buyers funnel. Driving Action is the end of the sales funnel. You have users who have completed their research phase and are ready to take action and engage a company. This is a perfect time to use your remarketing lists that you have generated through the previous two stages are you are aware of where they are in the buyer’s cycle. The targeting options you can utilize are: Demographic Targeting Affinity Audiences Custom Affinity Audiences In-Market Audience Custom Intent Audiences Similar Audiences Remarketing Standard Remarketing Dynamic Remarketing Demographic Targeting is where you select the audience based on certain demographic information that Google has garnered about the user from both direct methods and indirect methods eg assumptions based on activity. When users set up their Google profile there are specific questions Google has them answer in this creation phase for example their age and gender. Other demographics such as parental status as also areas Google allows you to target. In the scenario above of the childcare agency, they would utilize all three of these options by potentially looking to target females between the ages of 24-38 who are parents - primarily as this bracket is more likely to convert then perhaps males in their 60s who aren’t parents. This is best suited for building awareness. Affinity Audiences are, as Google would describe, TV-like audiences. What they mean by this is that you can target users based on the things they are passionate about, the type of lifestyle they lead, and their interests based on compiled data of their activity online. Google’s machine learning is able to differentiate between passive and active users - those who are inherently more likely to be highly engaged with a topic over those who were just browsing or researching. There are over 100+ affinity audience options available to select from. This is best suited for building awareness. Custom Affinity Audiences is where you get to create your own niche group of individuals. Let’s say perhaps the affinity audience of “health and fitness buffs” isn’t what your gym is looking for and you want to custom create an even more refined audience, then custom affinity audiences give you that option. To go this granular however you need to have a solid understanding of your potential clients - who they are - their likes and dislikes - in order to refine the group successfully to be better than Google’s machine learning. This is best suited for building awareness. In-market Audiences are a group of users who are presently online weighing up their decisions between products and brands. They are close to the buyer’s stage in the sense that they are considered highly active. Google looks at their “purchase intent” based on previous activity online to determine who fits within this group. This is best suited for influencing consideration. Custom Intent Audiences is where you can customize your in-market audience group more. It enables you to tailor the target group based on keywords, URLs, and APPs that you feel best covers your group of potential buyers. This is best suited for influencing consideration. Similar Audiences is where you can utilize data from an existing remarketing list or another list you have generated that displays what a typically “buyer” is like online. Google then seeks out other users who are similar in demographics to the ones you have uploaded and creates an audience list around this. This is best suited for influencing consideration. Remarketing is where you capture data of specific users when they have been to your website based on a ‘cookie’ that you have placed on their browser due to them being on your website. Remarketing lists are creative in the sense that you can generate a list of uses based on their activity when they were on the website eg a list of those who purchased compared to a list of those who abandoned their cart at checkout. Standard Remarketing is where you simply show your ads to previous uses are they browse the internet You would have pre-created what ad they will see and the image will be a standard image used for all users within that remarketing list. Dynamic Remarketing is where you can show users ads based on specific pages or images they looked at on your website. For example, if you were a watch store and a user looked at a Tag Heuer watch on your website - you can then show them ads with that specific watch on it to attempt to entice them back to your website - you can take it a step further by having discount codes available with the image to give them the motivation to return and urgency to checkout. You will need a data feed in order to utilize this option. As you can see there is a multitude of targeting options within Google Display Ads. In order to get the best use of your advertising dollars, we suggest allowing one of the team to run a complimentary audit on your Google Ads account today. Reach out to the team via our contact us page.
By Kerry Anderson December 7, 2022
Google created what they call “Display Ads” back in 2003 - three years after the Google Ads network was established. By 2020 there are over 3 million apps and websites that the display network operates across enabling businesses to reach around 90% of online users worldwide. That’s a huge figure when you think of how little Google charges for these ads. A normal Google Search Ad cost per click can range from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars, in comparison display ads are as little as a few cents and at maximum are still astronomically cheaper than other advertising options. From 2020 Google boasts that their Display Ads drive results for advertisers with the added benefit of Intent Signals coupled with Machine Learning. What Google is saying here is that they are reviewing data obtained by monitoring users behavior online and across sites to determine how they operate and ensuring that your ads are displayed in the best format possible for them. That’s phenomenal! The automation they use, with targeting and bidding in their control, lets Google tell you your ad can be put in the right place at the right time, or in their words “reach users in the moments that matter”. The sheer scale of 3 million apps and websites means that businesses are no longer conformed to have to advertise in one area and deal with multiple agencies to get that level of global reach. One Ads account, set up correctly, can enable business in California to advertise to users in Australia, New Zealand as well as Canada. Display advertising is designed to engage potential clients earlier in their buyer’s cycle. With the “intent” based model of Smart Campaigns aiding their bidding strategy, you are trusting Google's Machine Learning to place your ads in front of an audience who may have not heard/seen your business before - therefore opening up your buyer’s channel. Google has two types of Display Ads available - Standard and Smart, which we will investigate further below. Smart Display Ads are, as the name suggests, Smarter, as they are completely automated. As a business you do get some form of control over them in the sense of what images you allow Google to display, some content options you want them to use, how much you’re willing to pay per day and per “acquisition”. Google takes all that information and determines which ads to display and what images generate the best outcome. From here the machine will commence its learning phase and continue to make the alterations it deems suitable and display the ads where it feels the audience best suits. As the learning goes on your ads become more refined. Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) or Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) is the bidding methods used for these ads and its important to understand what they mean. Rather than Google charging you each time your ads are clicked on by a user (cost per click CPC), CPA is where you set what a “conversion” is when you create the ad and you are charged only when that conversion occurs also known as acquisition. ROAS works in the same way and means that your bids are automatically altered at the time of the auction based on the likelihood that you will convert for that search eg pay more if it means higher chance to convert and vice verse pay less for lower conversion search terms. You won’t be able to start with a Smart Display Ad initially as Google requires your display campaigns to have achieved at least 50 conversions on display (or 100 on search) within the last 30 days. This is where a smart digital marketing agency becomes useful as they work with you to achieve these goals to then be able to take advantage of Google's Machine Learning. Standard Display Ads are where you are given full control over all aspects of the campaign as each area requires you to manually create or set it. Google gives you 3 objectives to choose from when initially creating your Standard Display Ad being - to build awareness - influence consideration - drive action. Selecting which one is right for your business depends on the outcome you are looking for. If you are a “new to market” brand looking to get your name out there and people knowing who you are then building awareness will probably work for you. If you want people to “explore” your companies options over others then influencing consideration is best. If you simply want more sale or more leads then driving action would be better as it seeks to motivate users to engage with your brand over others. Unlike Smart Campaigns where the bidding method is set by Google - with Standard Campaigns you have two other bidding options to choose from on top of ROAS and CPA - Enhanced Cost Per Click and Maximised Conversions. Enhanced CPC is a bit different to manual CPC as with enhanced you are still giving Google control on bidding higher or lower depending on whether it feels it is likely to convert. Maximised Conversions is a bidding strategy that is purely focused on getting as many conversions as possible within your current budget - it isn’t about pacing your budget or ensuring your ads are shown continually throughout the day rather just getting as much “bang for your buck” as it can. The other area you have to set when creating a Standard Display Ad is the format of the ads themselves. The two options available from Google are Responsive Display Ads (ads which automatically adjust size and format to suit what device the user is searching from) or Uploaded Ads (where you control how these ads will look depending on the device but will be required to upload multiple ads to cover each size variation). Now that we’ve covered the two Display Ad options available to you, it's time to put your thinking hat on - or if you’d prefer some help in deciding which option is best for you, feel free to contact the team today!
By Kerry Anderson December 7, 2022
The search terms report is a list of search terms that people have used, and that resulted in your ad being shown and clicked. Depending on your keyword matching options, the search terms listed might be different than your keyword list. How to view your search terms report Sign in to your Google Ads account. Click All Campaigns in the navigation pane on the left, then click Keywords in the page menu. Click Search terms at the top of the page. You'll see data on which search terms triggered impressions and clicks. You can alter your search terms report and modify which columns show by clicking the column icon . This will allow you to add, remove, or reorder the columns in your report. To download the data in a report, click the three-dot icon and select Download. Keep in mind that you’ll only see search terms that were used by people at least 8 hours ago and have either received clicks in the past 30 days or were searched for by a significant number of people. Any search terms that did not meet this criteria will be summed up in the 'Other search terms' row. Utilising the information in this report is crucial to the success of the account. You will see underperforming keywords against performing ones and be able to add them to your negative keyword list. You also will see trends of specific searches which you can then create specific ads to target to improve your quality score and potentially reduce your CPC and increase your conversions.
By Kerry Anderson December 7, 2022
Looking at the above image you can see there are 2 campaigns. You set the daily budget at the campaign level so it’s important to ensure that you do not use more than the total allocated budget for the entire account. You also set the location to be targeted at the campaign level. Under each campaign are the AdGroups. You use AdGroups to separate the ads or products that you wish to advertise. So if you wanted to advertise for an electrician you would set one ad group for after-hours services and all the ads would match as would the keywords - then for the other adgroup, you would advertise domestic electrician services specific to the service required eg hot water element, power points, etc so the ads which are created are relevant to what the person is searching on Google. Google enables businesses to “bid” on keywords (which is what someone physically types into Google) that they want their ads to show for. Google doesn’t charge the business unless someone clicks on the ad. If someone just looks at the ad and scrolls past it Google calls that an “impression”. If they then click on the ad Google charges them a fee based on a few metrics: ad relevance, landing page experience, expected click-through rate, how many other businesses are bidding on that keyword plus more. It is an online auction run at the time someone searches for a term ~ Google calls it a “cost per click” as they charge for every click. Businesses choose what search terms they want their ads to appear for, where they want their ads to show, how much they are willing to spend on Google per day and per click, what time of day/day of the week they wish to show plus more. The amount Google charges per click is dependent on your Quality Score as well as how competitive the search term is. If you were an insurance company wanting to show for the words “auto insurance price quotes” you would pay around $54.91 per click. The figure can be higher then this if your Quality Score is poor. Your Quality Score is made up of three things: 1. Ad relevance measures how closely related your keyword is to your ads. 2. Landing Page Experience. A measure that Google Ads uses to estimate how relevant and useful your website's landing page will be to people who click your ad. 3. Expected Click Through Rate measures how likely it is that your ads will get clicked when shown for that keyword, irrespective of your ad's position, extensions and other ad formats that may affect the prominence and visibility of your ads. In order for your client to get leads they will need to have a sufficient budget allocated to their account to enable their ad to remain visible when their clients are searching. Think of yourself going to a shopping center to buy an outfit. You might walk in and out of 15 different stores before you finally settle on the item of clothing you wish to buy. Online is no different. People click in and out of ads looking for what they feel is the best website (and ultimately company) to service their inquiry. We know through experience that a client needs to receive no less than 10 clicks per day in order to achieve 1-2 inquiries. So in order to gain those 10 clicks their daily budget needs to be = (10 x the average cost per click) of their keywords. So if we use the example of an electrician in San Francisco, Google currently charges on average $6 per click, so your client would require a $60 per day budget to get 1-2 calls per day. Google split tests the ads they show to your audience to determine the best performing ad to display. Because of this you will always have no less than 3 ads per ad group to enable enough options for Google to select between. In order for your client to get leads they will need to have a sufficient budget allocated to their account to enable their ad to remain visible when their clients are searching. Think of yourself going to a shopping center to buy an outfit. You might walk in and out of 15 different stores before you finally settle on the item of clothing you wish to buy. Online is no different. People click in and out of ads looking for what they feel is the best website (and ultimately company) to service their inquiry. We know through experience that a client needs to receive no less than 10 clicks per day in order to achieve 1-2 inquiries. So in order to gain those 10 clicks their daily budget needs to be = (10 x the average cost per click) of their keywords. So if we use the example of an electrician in San Francisco, Google currently charges on average $6 per click, so your client would require a $60 per day budget to get 1-2 calls per day. Google split tests the ads they show to your audience to determine the best performing ad to display. Because of this you will always have no less than 3 ads per ad group to enable enough options for Google to select between.
Are Google Ads Effective
By Kerry Anderson December 7, 2022
When dealing with a Smart Digital Agency the simple answer is yes. Effective promotion requires an effective platform. Therefore, reaching out to the best Google Ads Experts is necessary. Henceforth reaching out to the smart google agency is the way to go. Thus, one of the leading most important places to promote is through google adverts. There is an abundance of things that can be done through google adverts. It’s more than just displaying an ad for the people to see. It’s a whole new world of exciting promotions including, keyword planners, ads editor, ads manager, reach planner, etc. Through Google ads, it is important to understand that every unique need is satisfied. It is made in such a way that it is easy to control and easy to promote. Advertisement is placed according to the segment that has been targeted. They are quite effective where the selected target audience is reached. This means that no excess or waste of work is being done. The service of google ads is worth the spend if the clicks from the users are actually genuine. This smart digital marketing works with the specific placement of the advertisements, this actually becomes very effective. Here, the AdWords platform is run which is mainly based on pay-per-click advertising. Google ads are quite safe, if that is the main concern. The advertisement directly links to the company’s page when clicked. It takes the customers to where they want to go, so long as everything is properly executed. Now, the money spent should be linked to the overall benefit that is being offered. It is important to see that google ads run on pay per click aspects, so there are different costs linked with different types of ads. The cost can go from anywhere around $2 to $50 and more. This solely depends on the needs of the advertiser. We provide services of google ads for small businesses. Here the main issue arises of whether this works on small business or not. The main purpose of google ads is to promote small businesses. With pay-per-click aspects, small businesses have a greater chance of being promoted. The more expensive the advertisement, the more clicks the business will get. Some confusion may arise as to whether google ads and AdWords are the same. While they may seem similar, AdWords focus on keywords and per click promotions, which google ads are there to promote the business by displaying ads. Everything for a new start-up could need, google ads is a smart way to kick off the business. The companies that utilize Google Ads use to target users by 2 major networks one is the search network and display network. The searching network also includes pay per click ad. Within this bid are placed by the advertiser on keywords. Keywords are related to the business of the advertising company. In this way, companies get the chance to show ads to users when entering keywords into Google while doing the searching. Pay-per-click is basically the paid search. The Display network proposed advertisers the ad options to put the visual banner-style ad on site which is the constituent of the Display network. There are about 90 percent of global internet users who are using the Google Display Network. This is a massive potential audience. After setting the Google AdWords account the AdWords account should be structured properly. The good effect occurs through logical account structure on multiple vital PPC metrics, like Quality Score. By confirming that there is a proper structure of AdWords account there are multiple advantages such as: Higher Quality Scores (hence cost per click is less) Optimization and maintenance of account is easy Traffic and clicks are relevant
By Lou Cronin February 5, 2021
Have you heard? Everything you need to know about the 4 Feb 2021 Google Ads Update.
RankingCo and Facebook
By Kerry Anderson September 5, 2020
The world of social media is where real promotions take place. Facebook ads experts here are ready to fulfil every single one of these needs if the clients. Facebook ads are usually purchased on an auction basis. Here the advertisers are charged on the basis of actions, impressions or clicks. When these ads are purchased, then they are delivered all over Facebook. They are also shown in the Facebook News Feed where more and more people get to see them. They are presented in two ways, sponsored stories and advertisements. Smart digital marketing includes Facebook advertisements that are essential for further promotions. This smart Facebook agency looks to help its clients get the best ads based on users and their searches. A selected audience is targeted and the advertisement is promoted to them based on their searches. Facebook ads are safe, and especially the users are kept safe. Community standards are met and that is why the advertisements are completely safe. We as a Smart Facebook agency know these standards and work to place the best advertisement. There are over a billion people on Facebook. There could not have been a better way to reach these people. It is efficient and leads to results. Facebook ads can also be pay per click. This depends on the advertising strategy that has been chosen. The company will be paying if people click on the advertisement and that is how efficiency is made. Now the main question of whether Facebook ads are for small businesses. Facebook ads for small businesses are key to their success. A company that is not being shown on the top social media website, is going to be overlooked by the customers. People look for the best company to purchase from, they look for the cheapest. If a small business provides all of those things but does not promote on Facebook, then they will lose on 1 billion potential customers. This might all be purely hypothetical, but it is important to understand. People need to see change; they need to see a company that gives them all they want. Showing them that they have a strong Facebook presence would be essential. Promoting everywhere and using smart digital marketing strategies to take the business further, is the key to success. The advertisements might be expensive, they might be linked to pay-per-click, but they are also effective. In the present era so many businesses use their Fb pages appropriately to attain their follower and to let them know that they belong from the same community. Through this, they provide direct communication and interaction chance to the customer and construct the sound image of the brand. In this way the loyalty of the customer also maintains. Fb ads provide companies the top-notch opportunities to attain audiences. Through this growth increases along with the increased rate of retention rate. This upsurges sale. This all done due to the correct usage of Fb ads for better relationships. Though these ads on Facebook are relatively cheaper they are worth a lot. These ads aids in providing the business a great height. Though results cannot be generated in a few nights it takes some time to establish a position. In case the company invested the proper time then eventually success will be the result. Fb ads aids in augmenting the content reach. This option of attaining more and more customers is not only practicable but easy too for boosting the marketing strategies. Duplicate ads can also be created which aids in targeting the other segments of the audience.
RankingCo | Is SEO Effective?
By Kerry Anderson September 5, 2020
Don’t fear the complicated word search engine optimization. It is merely as simple as they come. We are an SEO agency that also looks to benefit our clients by helping their business grow. This marketing tool is simple, yet it helps achieve one of the most important goals. Search engine optimization makes sure that the website of the business is listed in the top search results. How many times must you have gone to the second page of Google to look for something? Exactly why we are SEO experts and we help the business stay on the top page and search results. SEO does cost money as every form of advertising does. Keeping the current costs in perspective, in 2020 costs around $750-$2,000/month. This is based on the project. If a project is one time, then it will range from $5,000-$30,000. It might seem pricey but it’s worth it if the results are seen and the practicality measured. SEO does matter actually; it is one of the most important ways for smart digital marketing. When people like a product, they immediately want to understand more about the company. The first thing they do is search up companies that provide the same but at a lesser cost. SEO experts here help the company be the one the people click on. SEO for small businesses is also important. It is the line between success and failure. A small business will always be at the bottom if drastic marketing measures are not taken. SEO and PPC also have a strong link. They are both marketing tools and using them together increases the chances for greater and effective advertising. More advertising helps people see the company in the top searches and that is what people look for. If they see a company popping up everywhere, customers will look for that company. SEO companies are definitely worth it and there is no questioning there. Professional who knows how to handle work and promote the business in the right way, there can be no mistake made with promoting the business. SEO keywords are also an important function here. These are phrases in the web content that ensure that people find the site. Whichever keyword matches the search, the website is going to be listed in the top searches. Henceforth, SEO and SEM (search engine marketing) should be done with the help of professionals to make sure the website is well optimized for search engines. For the brand, there are limitless opportunities related to brand equity and awareness. Through the digital world, there are countless options for exploring the goal of attaining inclusive organizational goals. SEO is included in those approaches which aid in companies at the competitive advantage. Through SEO organic search engine results are attained due to qualitative and quantitative website visits. The company needs to learn how SEO can benefit them. SEO helps in enhancing user experience. SEO is now gaining so much progress and have become the essential rudiment of many businesses. This aids in enhancing the sales within the business in so many ways. It is the Primary Source of Leads Aids Establish Brand Awareness Carries Higher Close Rates Cause Higher Conversion Rate Construct credibility of Brand Endorses Improved Cost Management Enduring Marketing Strategy formulate online Marketing Activities Synergy Helps in attaining Market Share Progresses Website Speed Promote Local Users to go to the brand’s Physical Store After the Search Put the company on a competitive edge Safeguards Website Mobile-Friendliness Upsurges Brand’s Followers on Social Media
More Posts