https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/feature/machine-learning-101-training/
As consumer expectations for more personalized and relevant experiences grow, machine learning is becoming an increasingly important tool to meet these demands.
We created a guide based on various materials from Google, Facebook, and other companies that are using areas of artificial intelligence to communicate with their customers.
How machine learning can help you
In short, machine learning is a way to classify and analyze large volumes of data. Humans are capable of doing this in various ways, but a machine can do it faster and on an infinitely larger scale, allowing professionals to focus on strategic marketing activities.
But machines do not learn on their own; they need to learn from a human.
The process
Let's look at the simple but powerful process of how machine learning works and how the human-machine partnership really works:
- Ask a question (goal) that the machine will answer
- Present the alternatives in a dataset
- Inform the options that correctly answer the question
- Based on the answers, the machine identifies patterns
- The more answers, the more accurate the machine will be
How it works
Machine learning uses two types of techniques:
- Supervised learning, which trains a model on known input and output data so that it can predict future outputs
- Unsupervised learning, which finds hidden patterns or intrinsic structures in the input data
Getting started with machine learning
Now that you know what machine learning is, you may be wondering how to get started. Many marketing professionals dive headfirst into building a program from scratch, but because it is a complicated process, it requires a lot of investment and can take years to perfect. Therefore, instead of rushing in, take a step back.
Several companies are already doing the heavy lifting by integrating machine learning into existing marketing products, helping you gain more detailed insights from your data without the additional effort of your team. All you need to do is ensure that your organization is set up to get the most value from these products. Look for tools and features that offer these built-in solutions to systems and enjoy the competitive benefits of machine learning.
How to prepare your organization for machine learning
- Define your goal very clearly
Just like humans, machines work better when they are given clear goals. Your ultimate goal, or the expected outcome, will be used by the machine to reach conclusions. Make sure your goal is quantifiable and measurable. - An algorithm and data are equally essential
A machine learning algorithm is only as good as the data that feeds it. Therefore, to use machine learning effectively, you need to have the right data for the problem you are trying to solve. And not just a few data points. Machines need a lot of data to learn – think hundreds of thousands of data points. Your data will need to be formatted, cleaned, and organized for your algorithm, and you will need two datasets: one to train the model and another to evaluate its performance.
