Artificial intelligence is now a practical tool that marketing leaders use to drive tangible business outcomes. For years, marketers have sought to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time. AI, especially tools like Salesforce Einstein, makes this goal achievable at scale, moving marketing from guesswork to a science of prediction.
The challenge for marketing leaders is not just adopting new technology. It is ensuring these tools support core business objectives such as revenue growth, customer lifetime value, and increased marketing ROI. AI acts as the engine that analyses vast amounts of customer data, predicts future behaviour, and automates personalised interactions. This allows teams to focus less on manual segmentation and more on strategy. As a result, marketing transforms from a cost centre into a predictable revenue driver.
What is Einstein AI in a marketing context?
Salesforce Einstein is an AI layer built into the Salesforce platform and offers a suite of intelligent capabilities that make marketing smarter, more personalised, and more efficient. It works like a data scientist behind the scenes, analysing customer data and delivering actionable insights.
Einstein uses machine learning models to review historical engagement data, including every email open, link click, website visit, and purchase. It identifies patterns that would be impossible for a human to spot, helping marketers predict which customers are most likely to engage, which may unsubscribe, and when the best time is to reach them.
This predictive power allows you to move from broad, audience-based campaigns to genuine one-to-one personalisation, automating complex decision-making along the way.
Predicting customer behaviour with Engagement Scoring
One of the most impactful uses of Einstein for marketers is Engagement Scoring. This feature analyses individual customer interactions to predict the likelihood they will engage with your marketing communications, such as emails and mobile push notifications.
Einstein generates several key predictive scores for each person in your database:
- Likelihood to Open: Predicts how likely a subscriber is to open your next email
- Likelihood to Click: Estimates the probability they will click a link within that email
- Likelihood to Stay Subscribed: Gauges the chance they will remain on your list
- Likelihood to Convert: Predicts if a customer will make a purchase or complete another key conversion
These powerful indicators allow you to segment your audience with remarkable precision. For example, you might target brand loyalists, those who consistently open and click, with exclusive offers or loyalty programs. If you identify subscribers at high risk of unsubscribing, you could include them in a re-engagement campaign designed to win them back.
From insight to action: Turning scores into strategy
Having predictive scores is valuable, but using them to shape marketing strategy is where Einstein truly shines. Its insights drive automated, effective actions that support your main business goals.
1. Boost ROI by focusing on engaged audiences
Not all subscribers are equally engaged. Some are ready to buy, while others are on the verge of tuning out. Einstein’s scores let you focus your marketing efforts and budget where they will have the greatest impact.
For high-value promotions, target the segment with the highest open, click, and conversion scores to maximise ROI. For less engaged groups, you can reduce send frequency or use lower-cost channels to avoid list fatigue and unnecessary spend.
2. Increase customer lifetime value with personalisation
Personalisation at scale is the foundation of strong customer relationships. Einstein enables you to tailor not just what you communicate but also how and when.
If you have subscribers likely to open but less likely to click, you might create a journey with more engaging content and stronger calls to action. For subscribers at risk of churn, you can trigger reminders of your brand’s value or provide tailored incentives to stay. This proactive approach builds loyalty and increases customer lifetime value.
3. Improve deliverability and reduce churn
Email providers closely monitor engagement metrics. Sending emails to disengaged subscribers can hurt your sender reputation and your messages may end up in spam folders.
Einstein helps protect your sender reputation by flagging and suppressing subscribers unlikely to engage. This targeted approach sends stronger positive signals to inbox providers, ensuring your messages reach the most valuable customers. It directly reduces unsubscribe rates and keeps your database healthy.
Making AI a core part of your marketing team
Integrating AI into your marketing strategy is about more than just adopting technology. It is about empowering your team to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Tools like Einstein take on the heavy lifting of data analysis, allowing marketers to focus on creating compelling stories, building brand narratives, and designing outstanding customer experiences.
By using AI to understand and anticipate customer behaviour, marketers can finally personalise at scale. The result is more effective campaigns, stronger customer relationships, and measurable business growth.
Are you ready to move past the buzz and put AI to work on your most important marketing objectives?
