Last week, there was a conversation in a copywriting group about how AI was wiping out the need for copywriters.Some expressed fear, and others remained positive that AI was a friend, not a foe.
But it’s not only copywriters who are worried about the threat of AI. Search marketers and digital marketers are also wondering if the rise of AI will make them obsolete.
I don’t think we have anything to fear. While no one knows for certain what the future of AI will be, I can say that automation is inevitable.
AI is advancing and penetrating even the most traditional task that was done manually in the past.
From voice recognition for search, writing sales copy driven by human desire, and Natural Language Processing, AI is pushing the boundaries of how computers can learn and function without human intervention.
It’s Been Happening. You Just Didn’t See It Coming
CNN confirmed that almost all the major companies, including American Express, Comcast Holdings, and HP, were automating or outsourcing jobs overseas.
In 2019, Market Watch predicted that over 30million US workers would lose their jobs to AI. And by 2022, the total task hours completed by humans will drop 13%.
Customer service is one area to explore. As chatbots become increasingly pivotal to lead acquisition, customer service reps may lose their jobs.
Automated services are becoming advanced with AI programs like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, relying on voice recognition.
Recommendations from e-commerce stores like Amazon and streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify depend on AI for deeper personalization and improved customer experience.
However, the goal for 57% of employers is not to use automation to replace humans but to augment worker performance and productivity.
How AI Is Changing Marketing
The Impact of AI on SEO
Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai said:
AI is more profound than electricity or fire.
AI is here to stay. Marketers can either learn to leverage AI for success or be left behind.
In the past, SEO worked by optimizing website content for search engines and the user. Historical data was the basis for Search Engine Optimization.
But SEO has evolved beyond website copywriting to include display advertising, paid search, and social media. It’s feeding hard data to content marketing, social media marketing, paid marketing, and email marketing.
Brands need Artificial Intelligence to generate data, make predictions driven by insight, and meet new expectations for SEO.
To better understand events as they happen, AI uses insight from real-time data to predict future trends.
For instance, if you own a clothing store but notice a dip in traffic and revenue over the past month, you’ll turn to analytics to understand what went wrong.
Historical data is old and predates the slump in traffic and revenue. AI-driven data examines search trends as it happens so you can take action immediately.
Real-time, up to date stats means you get there on time to fix issues as they happen and offer the most personalized experiences to your target audience.
The Impact of AI on Digital Marketing
Personalization is a visible benefit of AI in marketing. If you run email campaigns, AI enables you to personalize emails based on user behavior. Instead of sending generic recommendations, you deliver relevant messages triggered by specific actions.
Rather than wasting weeks to A/B test different elements, artificial intelligence allows you to optimize campaigns quickly.
Your digital adverts also benefit from personalization. Paid advertising platforms like Twitter, Google, and Facebook use individual demographics to show relevant ads.
You can maximize your ad spend and smartly allocate budgets to deliver the best results and reduce advertising waste.
For many B2C brands, there’s no human interaction with customers during the sales process. The entire lead generation process and inbound marketing funnel can be automated.
Writing direct response or sales copy isn’t enough. As the BBC reported, there are computer programs that write really good advertising copy in seconds.
Digital marketers must learn how to use marketing automation platforms like HubSpot and email marketing platforms to leverage AI skills.
Will AI Take the Marketers Job?
Fear not, AI will not take your job. Rather, it’s demanding that you evolve to more strategic thinking and solutions.
Experts believe that broader levels of employment will define the future of AI because it’s difficult to automate complex and sometimes unpredictable physical tasks.
Many marketers struggle to find time for creative business processes because they’re immersed in collecting and analyzing data.
Machine learning handles tasks such as understanding your audience to show personalized offerings. AI also automates deeper research, data collection, interpretation, and applying big data.
Instead of wasting hours sifting through data and interpreting them, predictive analysis is your new job role. You must understand and communicate large data that machines help you analyze.
Traditional marketers will evolve into advisers, strategic executives, and AI shepherds who guide intelligent machines and help them learn better.
It’s easier to sort through large piles of data in minutes. The new luxury of time is spent on effective strategy and providing more value for your clients.
Machines Are Not the Enemy, Evolve or Whittle Away
While machines are excellent at automating certain manual tasks and routine work, they don’t do well with tasks that involve human capabilities like leadership, judgment, empathy, creativity, innovation, and inspiration.
No matter how evolved machines become, some aspects of running a marketing team or organization will not change.
You need marketing executives with a vision to attract the right talent, build personalized relationships with customers, and manage a culture around the vision you’ve built.
As more brands adopt AI marketing, strategy and content creation services will be in higher demand. The future of marketing will be different from what you’re used to. It requires more specialization and digital functions that automation cannot do.
A 2019 survey of over 3,500 marketers found that over half of them are using AI. The biggest impact is on customer experience, with tools like WhatsApp and Chatbots used for customer services.
As machine learning develops, it will enhance customer experience by handling conflict and offering highly detailed answers. These tasks, while seeming mundane, are pivotal to a customer’s opinion of a brand.
How Marketers Can Stay Relevant in the Age of AI
Some marketing jobs are at risk with the growth of AI. For instance, there's a natural language generation algorithm that creates 20-25 full ads a second.
Platforms like Google Ads and Facebook are also turning to AI for data collection, targeting, and analytics. AI is helping companies to save thousands of dollars in manpower.
While the service isn’t perfect, it’s ideal for smaller e-commerce stores with a shoestring marketing budget.
Acquire the relevant digital skills that enable you to become more competitive in the marketplace. Automation is only a threat when you perceive it as one. Marketers must stay on top of the latest changes.
Today’s marketing agency prioritizes digital skills. They want team members who understand big data like statistics and analytics.
Versatility is necessary for digital markets to "upskill" if one skill becomes automated. As job descriptions aren’t set in stone, neither should your skills remain static.
Conclusion
Automated technologies help marketers learn more about their target customers, improve personalization, and reduce time spent on manual tasks. But they can’t replace the personalized touch of a marketer. Stay relevant by updating your skills to leverage automation for better results.