If you work in marketing, you've probably seen more than your fair share of news about how artificial intelligence (AI) programs are revolutionizing how people communicate. You likely know how platforms like ChatGPT and Jasper are trending across your social media platforms. You may have also noticed how some of the marketing tools you use in your work are launching their own versions of AI tools (we certainly have).
But with this rise in technology, which can do almost everything from creating personas to writing sales emails, you may have wondered what AI means for marketing. Will it take the jobs of marketers? Will it make marketing campaigns obsolete altogether? Those questions have been on our minds, too, and we wanted to find the answer.
Simply put, that answer is: It's Unlikely.
However, discussions about how AI will affect (and already is affecting) the marketing landscape—in many cases in very positive ways—are multifaceted and reveal many reasons you should incorporate these tools into your workplace. Join us as we pull back the layers of that onion.
No, AI Won't Replace Marketing
There is no way around it; AI is revolutionizing marketing. All the same, don't start worrying about the future of your career right now. AI is unlikely to completely take over the marketing space anytime soon (if ever); it simply doesn't have the skills to do so.
In our previous blog, Why AI Is a Marketer's New Best Friend, we talked about how one thing marketers have that AI lacks is the ability to think critically. AI is a reactive tool programmed to follow specific rules and generate results. It must be prompted (either directly or indirectly) to do so. It has no cognitive abilities that allow it to think creatively, make decisions, or draw logical conclusions like a human can. In short, while AI can assist in creating solutions to complex problems, it cannot do so autonomously or with the flexibility required of most humans when faced with such issues in the real world.
How AI Is Making Its Mark on Marketing
While it cannot replace a human mind, AI can help marketers come up with new ideas that they have not considered (and do it faster than ever). In that respect, it is a near-essential tool for marketers, from writers to email coordinators and SEO strategists, to include in their belts. Indeed, AI can (and is already beginning to) automate, streamline and improve certain aspects of universal marketing processes.
For example, AI algorithms can now manage tasks like email list segmentation and targeting, allowing you to categorize your audiences better and tailor messaging more specifically to them. Moreover, it will enable you to analyze data, such as past purchase behavior, more accurately. In this vein, AI allows you to tailor customer experiences further and generate better recommendations based on customer preferences.
Still, AI Remains Imperfect
AI's benefits to marketers are clear. However, because of its limitations, notably the lack of critical thinking skills, it can still not do what human marketers can. It cannot consider emotions and preferences when designing strategy or creating content. As a marketer, you likely understand these nuances' importance to your overall strategy.
Picture yourself writing advertising copy for one of your clients. Of course, your goal is to foster a sense of trust within those who see these ads. You can tell your AI chatbot to write almost every aspect of this copy, and it will do so. However, it can only create that copy, not reason through it. For example:
Only you can judge if the generated content genuinely fits the brand's voice. Marketers are the people who will take the materials that AI has developed and make them actually conform to the existing brand messaging in ways that pass muster.
One of the ways AI tools work is by skimming and scraping data from across the internet. However, AI cannot fact-check that data. As a result, it can make mistakes that only someone who has done their own research can catch.
Because AI creates content by leveraging existing content, there is the proven risk of the machine committing plagiarism. As a result, all content needs to be carefully reviewed, edited and, where appropriate, cited.
With these ideas in mind, it's easier to see that AI tools are more likely to complement marketers' capabilities rather than replace them. In essence, they can help you create foundational content, but it is up to you to look beyond this basic construction and build upon it with your unique voice and evolved ideas. Doing so may help you avoid the potential risk of developing an echo chamber that only reflects the mindset of AI-generated content.
In conclusion, marketing will likely remain a human-driven endeavor. But integrating AI technologies into the marketing world is an exhilarating prospect that promises marketers valuable assistance. AI will open up new opportunities and help optimize existing ones, leading to better, faster and more creative marketing efforts. The Old State is already integrating AI tools into many of its processes, and we're already seeing the benefits. Consider how it may help your brand, too.
About The Old State
The Old State is a Dallas-based full-service marketing agency with a focus on web design, inbound marketing and website optimization. We believe in helping clients create digital strategies that lead to real success through listening, research, and adaptability. Our process ensures that we offer solutions that align with clients' visions and business goals. For more information, contact info@theoldstate.com.