For a long time, AI defined many sci-fi films, from 2001: A Space Odyssey to The Matrix to—my personal favorite—Her. In many of them, people struggled to peacefully coexist with artificial intelligences which threatened to replace them. But what if coexistence were possible? What if the key to progress and growth were a partnership between man and machine?
In recent years, AI has become a part of our everyday reality. It’s worked its way into every industry: healthcare, education, finance, copywriting (thanks, ChatGPT), and our own territory: marketing. Search for AI marketing solutions online and you’ll be met with countless apps to choose from— each one offering to automate and streamline tasks that’re often completed by people. But this doesn’t mean companies should pivot and completely rely on AI to meet their marketing and communication needs—in fact, just the opposite. AI is simply a tool—albeit a useful one—that helps us work our magic. AI marketing is a powerful solution for increasing desirable results, but it can only prove its full potential with a human behind the wheel.
If AI marketing is a tool, the marketer is the craftsman.
AI marketing drives efficiency and increases productivity, allowing marketers to spend more time engaging their audience and less time worrying about the more tedious, repetitive tasks.
In a digitally saturated age, authentic connection is everything. People long to feel seen and understood, and are more likely to interact with companies that meet their unique needs. By analyzing customer data, identifying potential touchpoints, and making data-driven predictions, AI marketing empowers marketers to strategize effectively and gain a high-level understanding of their customers’ preferences—and act accordingly.
Imagine using a GPS for a cross-country road trip. It provides the most ideal route to your destination while assessing traffic and updating its suggestions. But it won’t magically drive your car; you still have to take the wheel. Similarly, AI marketing is a helpful resource in achieving marketing goals. But it still takes actual people at the helm, using its insights wisely, to create better, more personalized campaigns.
The world of AI is like the wild west.
AI marketing is still in its early stages, allowing marketers to explore uncharted territory and discover exciting ways to strengthen their efforts. But it’s also evolving at an extremely rapid pace—and raising various ethical concerns. Much like the wild west, AI is largely unregulated. Its uncertainties and lack of structure can pose a considerable risk for companies, especially as they navigate the ins and outs of such a new technology.
Data privacy is a significant issue: not just in marketing, but in any industry that involves collecting and analyzing personal information. When consumers willingly give their data to marketers, they exercise a deep level of trust—and when an unexpected data breach or violation happens, the relationship can easily be broken.
Furthermore, with its ability to disrupt jobs and shift the economy, AI breeds a general level of distrust. Will there ever come a day when human-centered roles are completely dominated by machines? What does this mean for marketers when companies look to cut corners and prioritize cost-effective alternatives over genuine human connections?
We produced a wide variety of content for a professional networking giant
As the world’s largest and most influential professional network, LinkedIn helps millions of businesses connect with top talent. Throughout the year, LinkedIn’s growth marketing team kicks off new initiatives to expand its user base at various points along the acquisition funnel. While other agencies and copywriters had fumbled in representing the delicate nuances of the industry—requiring often-extensive redos and rewrites, MarketSmiths hit the ground running. Since 2018, we’ve steadily produced ebooks, landing pages, informative guides, articles, and other content that hits the mark, successfully boosting SEO, driving traffic and product interest, and meaningfully connecting with a global audience of recruiters, business leaders, and more. Our work enables the LinkedIn team to focus on broader strategic initiatives—and continue scaling its expansive community and reach.
AI marketing exists to elevate human creativity—not replace it.
If companies plan to add AI marketing to their toolbox, they must foster a deep sense of trust and reassurance. It’s important to paint AI as a supplement, not the main course.
Here are a few examples:
- Grammarly: Grammarly’s About Page explains, “…We strive to help people understand one another, whenever and wherever they communicate in English.” Grammarly scrutinizes the technicalities of written content, allowing marketers to leverage more of their creativity and spend less energy on grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation. Here, it evokes a confidently helpful tone, highlighting its commitment to enhancing human communication without becoming too overbearing.
- Albert.ai: Albert.ai labels itself as an “autonomous ally” that “empowers marketers to reclaim the greater and original function of marketing: building powerful brand and audience connections.” It automates a number of high-level tasks like budget allocation, research, and campaign optimization to make marketing easier. However, it frames its solutions with positive words like ally and empower, suggesting that it completes certain tasks to give agency back to the marketer, allowing them to do what they do best—engage and win over consumers.
- FullStory: FullStory keeps careful note of customer activity so businesses can deliver a powerful user experience. It claims, “We are constantly on the lookout for ways to add efficiency—working smarter, not harder. But never at the expense of losing the human touch.” So, while it uses AI to analyze data and provide useful insights, it boldly ensures the reader that it will never cross its boundaries and completely take over a marketer’s role.
It’s strikingly clear that AI can push the marketing industry to new heights—but it can never replace the value and impact of human interaction. It can streamline and optimize important marketing initiatives, but never bring them to full fruition; only people can do that. If your campaign is the seed, AI marketing is the soil that helps it grow. And you? You’re the gardener who waters its roots. Without you, dirt is just dirt.
If you want to captivate your audience with real words written by real people, MarketSmiths can help. Say good-bye to a lifeless, robotic brand voice—and revolutionize your digital presence with copy that moves hearts.
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