The beginner’s guide to using artificial intelligence like a human marketer

The recent advancements in artificial intelligence have been swift, confusing, and pervasive, so it feels important to disclose that a human wrote this blog. AI did help with a few sentences though, and even gave it a once-over edit. Admittedly, it gives me goosebumps to think this may soon be standard practice in our field.

In an uncertain economic landscape, the innovations in AI are simultaneously exhilarating and unsettling. With so many speculations about artificial intelligence taking over our jobs, it's no surprise that some marketers have started to grow concerned. But as these tools become more and more sophisticated, early adopters stand a greater chance of being better positioned in their respective fields and reinforcing their value as human strategists.

From helping leaders gain perspective across customer interactions, to saving organizations innumerable resources, to increasing creative output, these intelligent systems have seemingly endless potential. In the coming of age of artificial intelligence, familiarity with emerging AI tools can make marketers more resilient to the sea change—in a sense, building their digital superpowers.

AI tools are designed to aggregate data and compensate for blind spots.

Where once we'd have to host a workshop to unlock a customer’s behavior patterns, now AI tools can run these calculations in minutes. And while continuously learning from data across multiple touchpoints, smart technology can quickly uncover opportunities for improvement.

Take, for example, Qlik Sense. Qlik Sense self-describes as "peripheral vision for your data," helping users visualize and analyze information and test hypothetical changes on the fly. More comprehensive tools like Acquisio offer an all-in-one system for campaign management, helping marketers automate social ads and report on new initiatives. Meanwhile, in the emergent AI-driven field of competitor intelligence, organizations can more closely keep tabs on their rivals. Systems like Kompyte automatically track your competitors' progress and can even generate up-to-date battle cards for sales teams to deploy.

Time spent analyzing trends or copy editing can be offloaded to AI, saving your organization resources.

In a time = money industry, offloading menial tasks to AI can help marketers differentiate themselves and focus on big-picture strategy.

While I wouldn’t rely on copywriting systems such as Jasper and Copy.ai without strict supervision just yet, both tools can convincingly understand prompts and auto-generate copy, helping writers find launching-off points or get unstuck. On a larger scale, programs like Writer can automate an entire content strategy and even help enforce editorial guidelines across the board. Or, if your team needs help getting started on a topic, Google Trends can spark ideas, identify event-triggered topic spikes, and recommend trending keywords.

AI systems increase creative output across your organization and keep projects in-house.

Marketers are known to wear many hats. Yet we're bound to encounter a project that requires a specialized set of skills. In the past, this often meant outsourcing or referrals—but today, almost anyone on your team with a healthy curiosity can explore these specialties with a much higher success rate.

Whether you’re an experienced designer or just starting out, AI tools can help stretch design capabilities with less time than it would take to rasterize a layer in photoshop. Creative engines such as Canva have grown savvier, not only offering fast, quality logo design but the option to render much more complex realistic illustrations straight from text.

Where once consulting with an SEO expert was an essential part of launching a new website, tools like Surfer SEO can easily optimize web content to boost search engine growth at a smaller price point than hiring an expert. Additionally, marketers can build and prototype landing pages, create voiceovers, or auto-generate social media posts using systems like Designs.ai. And if you’re nervous about releasing your newest AI-built campaign, an AI named Albert can help test/tweak materials and predict engagement or efficacy.

The time to implement an AI strategy in a fast-changing industry is now.

I should note that none of these examples stand as professional or paid endorsements. This toolkit is an exploration of a larger, more nuanced subject matter. But getting a glimpse into AI-driven marketing has led me to believe that industry leaders must remain vigilant about how artificial intelligence is transforming the playing field, adapt early, and be ready to reinvent the wheel from the inside.

This shift toward artificial intelligence can be a catalyst in improving our processes for the better. Still, a healthy skepticism is essential for any kind of sweeping implementation. Ultimately, while testing these tools, I found myself asking, "does this drive me to be a more effective human writer?” and “can this build audience connection?”.

My robot copy editor might be a little biased, but it certainly thought so.

As for me? I’m leaning toward cautious optimism—and even excitement about the capabilities yet ahead.

Want to learn more about how to build resilience in a fast-changing world?

We’d love to help. ask@mixconsultinggroup.com