5 Things You Should Know About AI & Digital Marketing
The global artificial intelligence (AI) market is expected to grow from $86.9 billion in 2022 to $407 billion by 2027, according to MarketsandMarkets.
So, what does this all mean for digital marketers?
It means that your jobs are at risk of being taken over by AI.
On the other hand, AI has the potential to revolutionize marketing by providing marketers with powerful new tools for targeting and personalization.
Here’re the 5 things digital marketers should be aware of in the age of AI.
1. Innovation, Disruption, Transformation
There are two schools of thought when it comes to how AI will impact digital marketing. The first is that AI will eventually replace humans in the field altogether. The second is that AI will simply augment the work of humans, making them more efficient and effective.
It’s an never-ending debate.
But as of 2022, the latter school of thought is more evidential
In digital marketing, more than any other field, requires creativity and originality. And while AI is getting better and better at mimicking human behavior, it is very hard to replicate the human capacity.
How can AI mock your fans in the cynically, yet charmingly 😉
Takeaway: AI is already changing the landscape of digital marketing, and will continue to do so at an ever faster rate.
2. Master the Algorithm
Marketing has always been about working with and manipulating algorithms. The entire field of SEO is manipulating algorithms.
The difference is that the algorithms have become more complex and the amount of data that can be processed has increased. As a result, the role of the marketer has shifted from someone who is primarily focused on execution to someone who is focused on overseeing the data analysis.
The good news is that, as with this shift, the skills that are required to be successful have shifted as well. Marketers who are able to understand and work with data, who are comfortable with technology, and who are able to think strategically will be in high demand.
The bad news is that, well, some of the experience you’ve gained might become obsolete. You can only imagine the massive resistance and international politics.
If you foresee the trend, you can stay on top of the game.
Takeaway: Marketing will become more about working with and manipulating algorithms, so it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest tech trends.
3. Will it Replace Content Marketing?
Will AI ever replace your job?
That is a great question! And the answer is… it depends. 😄
Part of the reason it depends is because the definition of “content marketing” is a bit nebulous. For the purposes of this answer, I’m going to assume that “content marketing” is any marketing that relies on the creation of original content (written, audio, video, etc.).
With that definition in mind, it’s unlikely that AI will ever be able to replace human content marketers entirely. The reason is that creating truly original content requires a level of creativity that AI simply isn’t capable of.
However, that doesn’t mean that AI won’t have a role to play in content marketing. In fact, AI is already being used to help content marketers in a variety of ways.
For example, there are AI-powered tools that can help content marketers with things like content ideation, content creation, and even content distribution.
It still requires a lot of human guidance and input. It will be like this for a long time.
But in 5 years?
Takeaway: While AI may never be able to replace human content marketers entirely, it is certainly going to have a major impact on the field.
3. You Have to Evolove
“Evolution” isn’t a linear process. There are periods of significant change, and periods of relative stability. The field of digital marketing is currently in a period of significant change.
AI is already better at analyzing data and making decisions based on that data than humans are.
This is a trend that is only going to continue.
Digital marketers who are able to adapt to this change and who are able to use AI to their advantage will be the ones who succeed.
Those who don’t will be left behind.
The bad news is, you can’t rely on AI to do your job for you, but it can help you do your job better.
It’s important for digital marketers to keep up with the latest trends and developments in AI, and to learn how to use AI to their advantage.
Takeaway: Your human abilities will be required to evolve over time as digital marketing changes.
4. Those Who’re Making Profit
Most of the tasks that digital marketers do on a day-to-day basis are very repetitive and can be easily automated with the help of AI.
That being said, the formulation of digital marketing business/creative strategy will remain in our hands.
A high level strategy requires a deep understanding of your company, the market, and the consumer. Formulating a strategy also requires creativity and outside-the-box thinking to come up with new ways to grow the business.
Those companies that are benefiting from AI are the ones that combine the unique attribute of human creativity and using AI for execution tasks such as automating tasks, content creation, and distribution.
Set up the campaigns and let the AI optimize them for us, instead of you having to do it manually.
The cost efficiency and profitability of AI systems will make them increasingly attractive to businesses in the years to come.
Takeaway: Most companies are benefiting from AI in their digital marketing strategy rather than replacing human resources entirely.
5. Never Underestimate the Technology
The thing with AI is that it’s often underestimated, until it changes things with a Bang. We don’t think exponentially, but AI doesn’t have this very slow, linear progress we are used to.
Evolution isn’t linear. But our mind is.
Nobel Prize Winner Daniel Kahneman phrased it;
When linear people are faced with exponential change, they’re not going to be able to adapt to that very easily.
So clearly, something is coming…
And clearly AI is going to win [against human intelligence].
OpenAI’s GPT3 took away a buzz in the community back in 2020. It could write a long form content for the first time.
Many people thought it was impressive, but it’s not there yet.
But, the thing with AI is, they keep coming, equipped with an exponential improvement.
You should not follow your instinct against AI.
Takeaway: AI is often underestimated and can change things very quickly. Never deny them.
Upgrade Your MindSet
Remember, AI is not just a “tool” that can be used in marketing. It is a technology that is drastically changing the way marketing works, and will continue to do so in the future.
The power of AI allows exciting new opportunities to take hold in the digital marketing space. You should be forefront in the center of new gravity.