In the dynamic realm of modern marketing, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a crucial asset for businesses seeking to secure a competitive edge. This series of blogs delves into the dynamic intersection of AI and marketing strategies, uncovering how intelligent algorithms and machine learning are reshaping the landscape. From crafting personalized customer experiences to facilitating data-driven decision-making, join us as we explore the transformative power of AI in marketing. These articles provide insights and practical applications, catering to both seasoned marketers and those embarking on their digital journey. By demystifying the role of AI, we aim to shed light on its profound impact on the future of marketing.
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MarTech » Marketing artificial intelligence (AI) » AI in marketing: How to balance automation and the human touch
Marketing technology is progressing at such an accelerated pace that it’s hard to keep up and easy to let the tech do the driving. We now have machine learning and AI driving much of our marketing platforms. 
Whether it’s letting Google or Facebook make our ad decisions for us or asking ChatGPT to write all our content (a very bad idea), AI is making our job easier. Or is it?
It depends. Are you getting the results you want? Are you safe using AI-generated content? Are you in danger of losing your voice and jeopardizing your client engagement online? Are you being honest?
In this case, honesty means being human, genuine and transparent. And listening to the most important computer in marketing today — the one between your ears. 
In the early days of the web, we were mostly experimenting and trying to figure things out. Even today, with all these tools, many marketers are still not getting the clarity and visibility they need. 
We have a saying here at Wellspring Digital, “Rule number one, don’t trust the tools.” Distrust but verify. For example:
Platforms like HubSpot, Constant Contact, Marketo and others have opened all sorts of possibilities for marketers. We can now automate most of our marketing efforts.
We can automate our email campaigns and set up automated drip campaigns using workflows that send messages based on a user’s activity, amount of time elapsed or other factors. We can use AI-driven chatbots to streamline customer service and online sales. 
But this isn’t a “set it and forget it” situation. We still need to use our brains. Look at the user’s journey as they interact with your campaigns using a certain amount of empathy.  Use this insight to assess whether these campaigns will produce as you expect them to — not just as the machines expect them to. 
In other words, an automated drip campaign is only effective if:
Marketing automation platforms have revolutionized marketing. But like the computer nerds always say, “garbage in, garbage out.” These platforms only work if you take the time to plan and execute based on your complete understanding of the convergence of your marketing goals and your user’s needs. 
Dig deeper: AI marketing automation: How it works and why marketers should care
AI is also used in automated bidding for paid campaigns. Or auto-targeting and AI ad generation. It’s not wrong to use these tools. That’s why they’re there. But, again, you don’t simply hand over the keys to Google, Meta or whoever. 
You must really know your audience because the machines don’t. Take the time to verify the words/phrases/themes that you should bid on.  
Take a more holistic approach. Develop your buyer personas. Engage in SEO so you know which terms you can rank for versus which terms you’ll need to bid on and which terms are a waste of time. 
Understand how your audience uses social media. Think through the ads, get a complete picture of what will get their attention and encourage them to act. 
Developing realistic user journeys will help you verify that AI is making the best decisions for your ad campaigns. If you set it and forget it, there is a good chance you might blow through your budget with nothing to show. 
Don’t get me wrong. There are definite benefits to bowing down before our robot marketing overlords. This modern marketing machinery can, if used properly, make us better marketers.
It can also be used to serve our clients better. And that’s my point. 
In today’s ocean of marketing channels and advertising opportunities, most teams struggle to keep up or know where to begin. AI is a great idea generator. If you are blanking on a blog topic, use a tool like ChatGPT as an idea generator. Or use it to develop an outline for your post. You still must do the work and develop real, meaningful content. 
AI and marketing automation platforms can let a team of one or two do the marketing that used to take a team of ten. Automated messaging, scheduling/monitoring of social media and automation in advertising can improve the efficiency of campaigns while allowing the team to scale, expand into more channels and try different messaging and ads. 
And all these tools are grabbing tons of useful data as they do your work for you. Data is dumb, and on its own, it rarely tells a complete story. You need to compare the data from these tools with the data in your head and the heads of your team members. 
Data-driven decision-making is only as good as the data you use. If you look at that data and make a bad call, you will have a bad outcome. Be thoughtful about what the data is telling you and strategic in how you act on it. Engage your humanity to fill in the blank spots. 
AI and marketing technology allow marketers to target audiences with much greater specificity. And this tech is making personalization much easier than before. 
Using AI, you could analyze your subscriber list, for example and identify specific buying habits or needs. You can then segment your list and deliver more targeted messaging or offers to a smaller, more specific segment of your audience. 
The point is not to be creepy. The point is to deliver what each person wants more specifically. They will feel “seen” and be more likely to act. They’re starting to expect it. 
Dig deeper: 3 steps to make AI work for you
You can automate to the point of being annoying if you’re not careful. Your audience will tune you out or mark you as spam.
And AI content can seem cold or formulaic, which will hamper your customer engagement. People don’t want to feel as though they are dealing with a machine. 
People want to work with other people and feel seen. There is a real risk of alienating your customers with each incremental loss of authenticity.
“Openhearted” marketing means engaging your audience as a human, with empathy. Here is a quick checklist to reference as you utilize AI and machine learning to develop and automate your marketing efforts.
This should be a quick spot check based on feeling, experience and audience knowledge. In time, it will become shorthand for all your marketing reviews. 
Embrace authenticity, practice empathy and prioritize genuine human connection. These tools are meant to support, not replace, these core values.
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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.
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