I mentioned recently in a post that the Artificial Intelligence movement sweeping the world, particularly AI in marketing, is different from past developments like, say, social audio. When Clubhouse emerged in early 2020, as the reality of the pandemic was just starting to settle in, the novelty of a social media 'party line' was a huge hit. But soon that novelty waned, like so many others. That kind of flash-in-the-pan - and the hype that surrounds it - is often referred to as Shiny Object Syndrome. It's easy to get excited about new things, and it's truly contagious. When we see friends and colleagues getting worked up about something new, we often wonder whether we should too.
Why is everyone else so excited about [_________] - you fill in the blank, whether that's Bluesky or NFTs or something else - and what am I missing?
I've been using and talking about AI, and even writing about AI, for over a year now. What's become clear to me is that AI is different. It's on par with the transformative and revolutionary development of the Internet and the Steam Engine. In the coming years, everything is going to change. Not just in marketing, but in our society as a whole.
I've become convinced that the evolution of Artificial Intelligence - and everything that means - is resulting in a profound shift in how we think and live and work. That is not hyperbole. I'm not talking about some new feature on your favorite social network and calling it a "Game-changer." Artificial Intelligence is integrating and layering into everything that we do and as the technology evolves and improves, it will increasingly be able to act and work autonomously.
It's OK if you're skeptical, and it's OK if you haven't yet invested very much time in using or learning about what AI is already capable of. That's something I'm going to help you with.
I am re-dedicating myself to helping us navigate these changes, at least from a marketing perspective.
As I learn and adapt and explore, I'll pass those learnings on to you as well. One of the key ways in which I'll do that is with a new podcast, tentatively titled, "Innovate and Elevate: AI in Marketing." Like I've done so often in the past, I will tap into my network and interview the brightest minds and innovators in AI and marketing and ask them for help understanding the concepts and developments we're all wondering about. Stay tuned for more on that project in the coming weeks!
I'll share in a moment some specific reasons why I'm so excited, personally, about AI, but what about you?
Why should you care?
Why You Should Pay Attention to AI in Marketing
Half of the reasons for why I'm doubling down on AI have to do with simply being a marketing professional and coming to the realization within the last year that AI is going to have a profound impact on everything that we do and who we are, professionally. As Paul Roetzer put it, "AI's not gonna replace you. But people who use AI will replace people who don't."
What's implied is that the people who are using AI are also doing work that is likely very different tomorrow from the work they're doing today. Many of the functions of marketing are easily enhanced or even replaced with generative AI or AI agents, leaving the human marketer free to focus their attention and skills in other, more strategic areas.
So job security should absolutely be a concern, but that's because caring about and learning about AI can help you as a marketer with:
- Competitive Advantage - AI technology is advancing rapidly, and businesses that adopt and understand these applications early on are more likely to outpace their competitors.
- Efficiency & Automation - AI excels at automating routine tasks, analyzing large datasets quickly, and optimizing marketing campaigns for better performance with minimal human intervention. By leveraging AI, marketers can free up valuable time to focus on more strategic, creative activities that AI can't replicate, thus improving overall productivity.
- Enhanced Personalization - AI enables unprecedented levels of customer personalization, which is crucial in today’s marketing landscape where consumers expect tailored experiences. Understanding how to harness AI tools to analyze customer data and predict preferences allows you to craft personalized marketing strategies that significantly boost customer engagement and satisfaction.
- Data-Driven Decisions - AI greatly enhances the capability to make data-driven decisions by providing insights that would be difficult or impossible to glean manually. This leads to more informed strategies that are based on empirical evidence rather than intuition alone.
- Stay Relevant - As AI technology becomes an integral part of the marketing industry, professionals who fail to keep up will be at a disadvantage.
- Business Growth and ROIÂ - AI tends to improve the scalability and effectiveness of marketing campaigns, which can lead to higher returns on investment.
So Why Am I Personally Investing in AI in Marketing?
In addition to the same professional motivations as I listed above for you, I have personal motivators, including:
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Passion for Innovation
- Desire to Influence the Industry
- Commitment to Continued Learning
- Improving Marketing Efficacy
- Personal Achievement and Fulfillment
As I was thinking about this topic over the past week, and why I have such an interest in AI, these were some of the reasons I came up with. yet the number one reason would be "Teaching and Sharing Knowledge." This has been at the fore of my Why for over a decade. When I started The Social Media Hat in 2011, from the very first, it was and continues to be a platform for me to share and help others.
I have a real talent for understanding complex systems and then communicating those systems in a way that other people can easily understand. Right now, there's nothing more complex and important than Artificial Intelligence.
While I'm still serving as Head of Strategic Partnerships at Agorapulse, and open to working with select companies as a fractional CMO, I see this work - just as AI overall - as being integrated and layered into everything that I'm doing.
What's In Store For You?
In the coming weeks I will continue to share blog posts and emails, as well as launch the new podcast, so that I can explore these topics and bring in incredible experts to help us:
1. Understand AI Capabilities
- What can AI actually do for marketing?
- Which marketing tasks can be automated with AI?
- How does AI improve decision-making in marketing?
2. AI Tools and Technology
- What are the best AI tools available for marketers today?
- How to choose the right AI technology for specific marketing tasks?
- What are the costs involved in integrating AI into existing systems?
3. Implementation Challenges
- What are the common challenges in implementing AI in marketing strategies?
- How to ensure data privacy and security when using AI?
- What skills are required to manage AI-driven marketing platforms?
4. AI's ROI and Measurement
- How to measure the ROI of AI marketing initiatives?
- What are the metrics to track when using AI in campaigns?
- How quickly can I see results from using AI?
5. Ethical Concerns and Best Practices
- What are the ethical considerations of using AI in marketing?
- How to ensure AI marketing strategies are not intrusive or unethical?
- What are the best practices for maintaining transparency and trust when using AI?
6. Future of AI in Marketing
- What future trends in AI should marketers be aware of?
- How will AI continue to evolve in the marketing space?
- How can marketers stay ahead of the curve in AI adoption and usage?
7. Personalization and Customer Experience
- How does AI enhance personalization in marketing?
- Can AI improve customer experiences? How?
- What role does AI play in customer data analysis and behavior prediction?
8. Impact of AI on Marketing Jobs
- Will AI replace marketing jobs?
- What new roles might emerge in marketing due to AI advancements?
- How can marketers adapt their skills to an AI-driven future?
And if this is something you want guided help personally or throughout your organization... if want to be able to quickly share with someone on a call what your goals and struggles are and get personalized insight into what your next steps should be and how AI can be of vast help to you, we should talk. I'm accepting a limited number of initial consulting calls on AI & Marketing at 60% off my normal consulting rate.
Grab some time now and let's position you and your business for success in the coming years.
