Artificial intelligence (AI) is undoubtedly making a massive impact on the world, and creating new and unexpected ventures in marketing. Naturally, AI is driving marketers to wonder how their careers will be impacted by it. The rise of this technology brings a sense of uncertainty for marketing talent, leaving them concerned in some cases about the security of their jobs.
So, what is the likelihood of marketers being completely replaced by machines and robots? How much time do marketing professionals have to prepare for a possible takeover?
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Digital Talent Agency Shares How AI Helps Marketers Work Smarter
Fortunately, as a digital talent agency, we can assure that AI isn’t sophisticated enough to completely replace humans in marketing. While the full potential of AI is still obscure and unfolding, there are certain human traits and characteristics even the most advanced AI applications lack. Advanced human skills like storytelling, leadership, empathy, creativity, communication, and imagination are irreplaceable.
Instead of thinking of AI as a disruption in marketing, it’s better to think of it as a way to transform and improve how you work. AI amplifies the capabilities of marketing professionals and creates new opportunities for them to make a bigger impact and contribute to the business in more valuable ways.
Staying ahead and picking up key skills is necessary in securing your value as a marketer in the midst of the AI boom. However, to truly adapt, digital marketing talent will need to comprehensively understand exactly how it’s going to impact their role and its responsibilities.
A New Level of Personalization
In today’s customer-centric world, personalization is critical in building genuine, long-term relationships with customers.
AI can help marketing teams build the right messages for the right audiences at the right time. With more data processed faster and AI’s capability to track patterns that no human is able to identify, marketers can drive enhanced personalized, one-to-one messaging. Whether it’s through social media, email, or websites, marketers can utilize AI to build better connections and create the most valuable experiences for their target audiences.
However, robots and technology lack the emotional intelligence and creativity humans inherently have. Thus, it is up to marketers to use their human storytelling and creative skills to craft the right messaging so it aligns properly with the brand’s voice and connects with the customer.
A Deep, Deep Dive Into Data
Data is key in understanding your audiences and customers. AI makes it easier for marketers to analyze massive streams of data also known as big data. Once it was quite impossible to sort through all of the vast amounts of data available, now AI can efficiently process it.
In order to properly make use of big data, organizations need digital marketing talent who is not only able to implement AI technology, but make sense of the data to draw actionable insights. While AI provides trends, insights, and patterns that may have not been possible before, it is up to marketers to incorporate their human knowledge and emotion to get real value out of them. The combination of technology and the human element opens the door for a deeper understanding of the customer like never before.
Cutting-Edge Strategic Planning
Marketers now have access to tools that can automate, monitor, and organize tasks and data for them. Thus, instead of spending time on tedious, repetitive tasks, they can shift that valuable time to more creative and strategic thinking. This in turn allows marketing teams to better focus on building cutting-edge strategies and digital growth.
As a digital talent agency, we know the demand for marketers who have the capability to tackle strategic execution and planning is high. CMOs seek talent who is able to build scalable growth strategies that support the brand’s goals and connect with their target audience – something a machine or robot can’t skillfully do.
Marketers who encompass both emotional intelligence (EQ) and cognitive intelligence (IQ), and who have a balance of left- and right-brained skills will succeed in crafting strategies that drive results. AI is able to provide great data and insights, but isn’t sophisticated enough to drive a comprehensive marketing strategy into fruition throughout the organization.
Increased Support of Sales
By improving the process and quality of marketing efforts at the top of the funnel, marketers are further able to support the sales team in closing deals. Generating and nurturing qualified leads allows the sales team to close more business, bringing in more revenue, and ultimately benefits both sides.
Sales teams may find it difficult to truly keep up with customers along the sales journey. Working together with marketing, sales reps can keep leads engaged at all times. With the help of AI, sales teams can use the insights and strategy marketing provides to improve the customer experience by knowing what content and message to deliver based on the unique personas in their audience.
Leadership
Human to human interaction is never replaceable, and certainly can’t be replaced by robots. AI technology lacks in intuition, empathy, and overall emotional intelligence – which are all key traits of an effective leader.
Marketing has always required personable, relatable connections, and it requires no less from marketing teams. Whether they have an official status of a leader or not, marketers must communicate with their peers and work as a team in order to drive impact. The ability to guide and work with other people (in and outside your team) in a productive manner is something AI or any other technology can’t ever replace.
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Conclusion
When leveraged properly, the immense potential of AI technology opens up many exciting opportunities. AI makes processes more efficient by eliminating time-consuming, administrative, routine tasks – giving marketers more room to focus on creativity and other things that robots can’t do. By automating routine tasks, marketers can ultimately focus better on the buyer and valuable priorities that deliver the best customer experience and ROI.
Ultimately, marketers need to be lifelong learners to assess, learn, and adapt to AI development overtime. But no matter how advanced, technology can only enhance and compliment human capabilities, not replace them.