For marketers the past few decades have been a whirlwind! First digital. Then social. Digital 2.0 snuck in there. Now AI. And as we approach our new ‘now’ marketers can take some lessons forward and be better positioned to ride the generative tsunami.
As a marketer that lived digital and experienced social from the beginning (and now is deep digital 2.0), I’d like to share a bit of perspective and possibly even some direction on where as a marketer you might want to be, and where as a marketer you might consider you are about to go.
This post is not about if AI is helping to shape the life a modern marketer (it is, and I have some stats below to back it up), or if AI is real (it is) – but rather this is more about what you are going to do about it.
A few breadcrumbs, along with a good smattering of clues. And hopefully something tangible you can carry forward as you go on your own journey as a generative marketer.
Generative Marketer – Your New Floor is Curiosity
If you are a marketer, you should be using AI in some way today. It could be in your personal life. It could be for work. It could be on a side project. Whatever the use case, the floor for every marketer around AI today is curiosity.
If you are not at the floor of curiosity you are going to be left behind, so get there quickly. Sorry, and I know that sounds harsh but trust me when I say I’m intending to be helpful.
And by the way, approaching your life as an AI marketer with a curious mindset will serve you well!
Generative Marketer – Your Ceiling is Currently Infinite
So we have the floor. The ceiling is entirely different, mainly because it is still very early and this part of the narrative is just getting started – we really don’t know exactly how this plays out but we do know there are still many pages to be written.
The point being, we can already see very clearly the generative tide is starting to gain some strength. Still early days with an eye on efficiency, we’re starting to creep into creativity, and behind that eventually we get to the novel concepts that are non-derivative and entirely new.
I’m comfortable framing the unknown, at least for now, as the infinite ceiling that all modern marketers will at some point be interacting with.
And yes, as a generative marketer, you will need to be comfortable with this very ambiguous ceiling. Sorry, but it is what it is.
Generative Marketer – Finding the Journey from Ceiling to Infinite with a Ladder Strategy
On one end we have a new floor. The floor is actually quite expansive, but let’s agree that the floor is real. On the other end of our generative marketer adventure lies the unknown which is even bigger!
A strategy I’ve deployed in the past (for digital, for social and then back again for digital 2.0) is laddering.
This entails pursuing pieces (smaller elements), developing skill, and then applying the new experiences in other areas. Essentially, whatever learnings and knowledge you gain as you climb the next rung, you continue to apply in all your next steps.
For example, way back when… literally 2 decades ago, my approach to Twitter (pre-X…) I started small. I made a few mistakes. Then I started to stage a bit more. At the time this was prior to my marketing consulting company, so once my own sandbox started to look interesting (one of my personal accounts had over 20K followers) then I started to apply to this understanding to what was the beginning my marketing practice journey, directly to my new clients and also to take some learning and build them into other networks (Facebook at the time in particular).
My next ladder play in social was custom Facebook apps (back when that was a bit more entrepreneurial) and again applied up and across. Eventually… I started having the confidence to start moving up the ladder with more agility and that degree of confidence that is needed when facing uncertainty (that ambiguous ceiling…)
Fast forward a bit and now digital 2.0 is resonant, and I continue to rely on my “social” ladder, but I also still use the ladder strategy to build the requisite skills needed to maintain my position as a generalized marketer, a digital 2.0 practitioner and a leader.
Laddering is all about learning. It’s a strategy I still use today. And so can you!
Generative Marketer – Your New Reality. Replace or Augment?
The phrase that I seem to be hearing the most right now, is something along the lines of “AI is not going to replace you, but someone who is using AI effectively will.” Perhaps this is true. Or perhaps we see something else where in truth AI is replacing some marketers, and also allowing (or forcing) others marketers to assume new roles.
As I see it right now, marketing AI will be providing a mix of functionality and insight. It will still be the people calling the shots. More like an aide, a companion, a dedicated resource.
I’ve always been a glass is half full person : )
That said, and I’d hate to pull punches here, I also see some storm clouds ahead… A good deal of the marketing AI tech I’m seeing right now is focused on efficiency, and yes, in some cases pure one for one replacement – replacing people with ‘agents’ so while we are moving towards a bit of a customized agent experience, I would also suggest that while you are laddering up, you devote some of your energy into exploring how new marketing roles might take shape, and what you can do now (today) to start laddering into some of the sandboxes.
Statistics Tell A Story. Even Generative Ones…
So where do you really sit? Where are other marketing currently sitting around their AI journey? Stats are a great way to position data, particularly in context. And for this post, that is not different, but I would like to note that the below section was entirely written with AI. Not only was I able to procure results, but I was also able to create a web page on Statistics on Marketers Using AI in case you want to read the entire piece….
Statistics on Marketers Using AI
Artificial intelligence has rapidly transformed the marketing landscape, with statistics showing that 88% of marketers now use AI tools daily and 84% of marketing organizations incorporate AI in some form, primarily for content creation, data analysis, and automating repetitive tasks.
- 75% of marketing businesses use some form of AI 4
- 91% of agencies utilize AI technologies 1
- 63% of agencies use AI extensively, while 28% report more limited usage 1
- 56% of marketers say their company is taking an active role in implementing AI 1
- 43% of marketing organizations are currently experimenting with AI 1
- Only 3.9% of companies remain unwilling to integrate AI into their marketing efforts 1
Again, this was just a portion of my newly “published” AI generated article… If you want to read the entire piece it can be found here. More stats… (also, please note that the remainder of the article is written entirely by me without any AI assists on the editorial.)
Generative Marketer – Final Thoughts
“History repeats Itself. AI is no exception!”
As I see it, our role as marketers in some way changes, but also in many ways the role remains the same. Where I see the most change happening is not around what we do, but rather how we go about doing it.
And in many regards AI is likely to be no exception.
So if you are looking for some key takeaways, here goes.
- Marketers will continue to hold a critical role in connecting with audiences.
- Emerging technologies play a huge role in how we go about our marketing mission, AI will be no exception.
- The journey of the AI marketer is starting to take shape now so, if you are a marketer you need to be present in this space.
- And most importantly, specific to AI, as you go on the journey, curiosity if your new floor and infinity is your ceiling.
So go forth with energy and spirit and reach for the stars.
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