Eight Crucial AI Skills for Marketers to Acquire in Digital Marketing

Eight Crucial AI Skills for Marketers to Acquire in Digital Marketing

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has caused marketers to feel both anxious and excited. Even though AI presents businesses with never-before-seen opportunities, there are worries about ethical issues, job displacement, and security threats. Marketers need to embrace AI in order to succeed in this new era of technology, but they also need to acquire the skills needed to use it efficiently. This post will discuss the eight essential competencies that digital marketers must possess in order to grasp AI and offer advice on how to advance your career in this quickly changing field.

1. Familiarity with Conversational AI

While AI has long existed in the background, conversational AI—specifically, ChatGPT—has revolutionized the industry. Based on a generative language model, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence system that can perform tasks, have conversations, and offer insights. ChatGPT has already demonstrated its worth in a number of domains, including content production and analysis, despite its recent widespread adoption.

As an example of ChatGPT’s exponential growth, Jim Leckinski of the Kellogg School of Management predicts that it will be “two times as good tomorrow and four times better the next day.” Platforms like ChatGPT will act as the cornerstone for upcoming AI innovations as they develop. It is imperative that marketers become acquainted with ChatGPT and comprehend its possible uses.

Find out more: A Comprehensive Guide to ChatGPT Prompting for Your Digital Marketing Strategy.

2. Content Generation & Creation

Content marketers and designers are now very concerned about AI-powered content creation. Even though AI can produce content fast in response to straightforward text commands, human insight, originality, and teamwork are still vital components of content creation.

Rather than being afraid of AI, marketers should take advantage of it. AI can help with time-consuming tasks like keyword research, content generation, and content ideation, freeing up marketers to concentrate on more strategic and creative projects. AI can improve many facets of content creation, from email marketing and video production to blog writing and social media marketing.

Marketers must comprehend AI’s potential and incorporate it into their content development plans in order to reap its benefits. Marketers can draw in high-intent clients and maintain their competitiveness in the digital space by employing AI skillfully.

AI must be combined with creative and data-driven insights, according to Mischa McInerney, CMO of the Digital Marketing Institute, who says, “If it doesn’t come from creative and data-driven insights, then it’s just spray and pray.”

Must Read Crafting Compelling Content: A Masterclass in Engagement

3. Information Evaluation

For marketers, making decisions based on data is crucial, but many find it difficult to interpret and analyze the massive amounts of data that are at their disposal. By offering insights into customer behavior, sentiment analysis, and conversation trends, artificial intelligence (AI) can greatly improve data analysis.

In order to effectively employ AI, marketers must hone their data analysis abilities. Developing proficiency in data collection, visualization, cleaning, management, and data-driven decision-making are all necessary for this. Marketers can obtain important insights and improve their campaigns by utilizing AI’s data analysis capabilities to make predictions that are focused on the needs of their target audience.

According to a Pecan AI study, 4 out of 5 marketing executives struggle to make decisions based on data, which highlights the critical need for marketers to advance their data analysis abilities.

4. Automated Marketing

Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) work together to transform marketing by optimizing campaigns and reaching target audiences. AI-powered automation tools can determine the most effective platforms, channels, and times to reach the target audience quickly and widely.

Automation tools can be utilized by marketers for a range of marketing tasks, such as lead generation, email marketing, social media management, content creation, and campaign performance tracking. According to Salesforce, 97% of employees worldwide think that companies should give AI top priority when it comes to employee development.

Marketers can improve results by streamlining their operations and concentrating on the strategic elements of their campaigns by implementing marketing automation powered by AI.

Must Read: Comprehending Digital PR: Formulating a Successful Approach

5. Knowledge of AI Platforms & Tools

Despite the fact that AI may seem overwhelming, marketers need to gain a fundamental understanding of the platforms and tools that are available. Daily marketing tasks like audience research, customer journey mapping, idea generation, trend analysis, and competitor monitoring can be greatly streamlined and improved with the help of these tools.

Popular AI tools include Market Brew for SEO data analysis, CaliberMind for B2B sales augmentation, Outreach for sales data insights, TrendKite for trend alerts, and Clearscope for keyword research. Through a thorough understanding of these resources, marketers can use AI to increase their productivity and efficacy.

Jim Leckinski says, “Take the time to learn about AI,” highlighting the significance of ongoing education in this area. Try to understand where things are and where they are heading by reading, learning, watching, listening, and conversing with others.”

6. Search Engine Guidance

SEO, or search engine optimization, is still a cornerstone of digital marketing. However, as Google’s algorithms advance to provide more precise and customized search results, artificial intelligence is constantly changing the SEO landscape.

Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) is an experimental feature that shows users a snapshot with a website carousel, generative answer, and suggestions for more questions and research. Marketers can find high-impact keywords, forecast trends, and optimize their content for search engines by using AI tools like Ahrefs, MarketMuse, SurferSEO, and SEMrush.

As Google gets better at answering complex queries, Nikki Lam, Senior Director of SEO at Neil Patel Digital, sees a shift towards long-tail, complex searches.

Find out more: See our article on Digital Marketing Trends in 2024 for a deeper explanation of SEO and SGE.

7. Soft Skills

To augment their digital and technical proficiency, marketers must cultivate soft skills in addition to technical ones. In the era of artificial intelligence, soft skills like leadership, teamwork, communication, creativity, and a willingness to learn are essential for success.

LinkedIn The significance of soft skills in the workplace is highlighted by Learning’s list of the most in-demand skills. With the aid of strategic thinking, marketers can create long-term plans and strategies to meet organizational objectives. Innovative concepts and novel campaign strategies are made possible by creativity. Cooperation promotes relationship development, conflict resolution, and teamwork. A willingness to learn indicates a hunger for information and a drive for development on both a personal and professional level.

Marketers can stimulate creativity by gaining a thorough understanding of important AI algorithms, which can help them spot chances for innovation while avoiding possible hazards.

8. Ethical AI & Data Privacy

Concerns about job displacement, disinformation, and data privacy have been brought up by the development of AI. Large volumes of consumer data are available to marketers, and using AI platforms to gather and process data has moral ramifications. When using AI in marketing, businesses must put transparency, data security, and non-discriminatory practices first.

According to a study by Salesforce, 60% of executives think that data security and 58% think that ethical skills will be more crucial in the workplace. Marketers should make sure their systems are private, secure, and considerate of data privacy in order to keep customers’ trust.

According to Skyflow’s Sean Falconer, projects involving generative AI that significantly improve people’s lives should start to take off in 2024.

Must Read: A Comprehensive 10-Step Plan for Unrivaled Success

The Art of Upskilling in the AI Age

In the era of AI, marketers need to stay informed and continuously improve their skills in order to protect their careers. In this quickly changing environment, marketers can adapt and succeed by doing the following:

Being Aware: Keep up with the newest advancements, styles, and resources in digital marketing and artificial intelligence. You can better grasp the opportunities and changes in the industry with this knowledge.

Process: Apply what you’ve learned to your actions. Explore AI and see how it can improve your advertising. Try out AI platforms and tools to get some real-world experience.

Application: Incorporate your newly acquired knowledge and abilities into your marketing plans. AI should be included into your data analysis, automation, and content production processes. Iteratively improve and enhance your strategy by drawing on insights from AI.

Recall that in the AI era, learning and adaptability are crucial. Seize the chances it offers and take the initiative to learn the skills required to use AI in marketing effectively.

In summary

Marketers need to acquire the skills necessary to work with AI as it continues to change the landscape of digital marketing. Gaining expertise in these areas will help marketers succeed in the AI era, from data analysis and ethical considerations to conversational AI and content creation. Marketers can use AI to improve customer experiences, generate better results, and stay ahead of the competition by remaining informed, embracing AI tools and platforms, and consistently upskilling.

Recall that AI is a potent tool that can boost marketers’ creativity, productivity, and ability to make strategic decisions rather than a threat. In the digital age, embrace AI, adjust, and allow it help you accomplish your marketing objectives.

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