In a survey by Forrester, 86% of more than 700 marketers in decision-making roles at companies in the US, UK, Australia, Germany, and France agreed that AI would make their marketing teams more efficient and effective.
The problem is, according to that same report, 66% said a lack of technical skills among staff was “very challenging” or “challenging” to AI adoption. And 64% said it was a challenge that AI technologies were designed for data scientists, not marketers.
Yet, figuring out how to make sense of AI in marketing is about to get a whole lot easier for marketers thanks to a new ebook from Access AI.
The ebook, AI 101: AI & Marketing, contains a “practical guide and case studies for marketers” from experts in the field, including a former senior marketer at Walmart and a solutions architect from Amazon.
It also contains in-depth articles on hot topics like key stats showing the rise of marketing AI, how artificial intelligence will transform influencer marketing, how to leverage cloud AI tech, and more.
The ebook is well worth a download. While you wait for it to hit your inbox, check out some of our takeaways below.
Artificial Intelligence in Marketing Is on the Cusp of Mass Adoption…
The ebook shows, using a variety of data sources, that artificial intelligence in marketing is taking off due to a number of factors.
These include:
- The plunging cost of marketing automation software. Many of these companies, spurred by wider use and additional funding, are incorporating AI into their products.
- Many marketers are already using and benefitting from AI. The ebook reports 57% using AI report the technology is already essential to their strategy.
- AI is disportionately benefitting marketers described as high performing. In fact, these marketers are more than three times more likely to be using AI than underperformers.
While the experts in the ebook readily admit AI has some way to go, it’s clear the technology is being leveraged by a significant segment of marketers to improve performance.
...But Significant Obstacles Remain
Experts in the ebook also identify some obstacles to mass adoption.
The top three identified in the book include: the difficulty of creating a single, shared view of their customers; budgetary constraints; and difficulty leveraging data from different sources.
While these obstacles aren’t insurmountable, they could lead to missed opportunities. Consumers are comfortable engaging in AI interactions. For instance, a full 81% say they’d engage with virtual assistants and 68% of people already use a voice assistant.
If marketers are prevented from fully leveraging AI, they could miss out on critical opportunities to engage with consumers.
Broad Understanding Is Needed Among Marketers
There’s a lot of buzz and hype around artificial intelligence these days. And it can be difficult to tell what’s fact and what’s fiction.
In fact, AI technology doesn’t always work as expected or as marketed. Some of it requires a solid technical background to effectively leverage. Marketers must educate themselves and test solutions wherever possible. Says Daniel Rowles of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and one of the experts featured in the ebook:
“What we need is a broader understanding of the underlying technologies and techniques, and more practical tools that can be used by non-experts.”
The ebook from Access AI is a fantastic place to start your educational journey. Get it here today.
Mike Kaput
As Chief Content Officer, Mike Kaput uses content marketing, marketing strategy, and marketing technology to grow and scale traffic, leads, and revenue for Marketing AI Institute. Mike is the co-author of Marketing Artificial Intelligence: AI, Marketing and the Future of Business (Matt Holt Books, 2022). See Mike's full bio.