What do you do if your Marketing Operations team is unprepared for the rise of artificial intelligence?

See AI for the opportunity it is. If this means you and your team take a course or set aside regular time to understand the impact and benefits and experiment with use cases then do that. It will be time well spent because AI can significantly increase your productivity and effectiveness.

No team is fully ready at all times. As a marketing team you need to come to terms that technology will continue to change and you need to be constantly learning and unlearning. So be sure to follow a numbers of sources to know more and know better. Make sure what you know doesn't get in the way of learning what you don't know. - Use new techologies - Test, test, test - Find out what works best for you Always remember that philosophy is mostly not technological. So stay strong, complete your mission and use the most current technology at hand.

First, familiarize yourself with the Gartner Hype cycle. Take a deep breath, and recognize that there's time to approach this thoughtfully. Next, appreciate that data analysis and workflow automations are the two areas where non-engineers can find tangible AI wins. Finally, pick a base hit/quick win that you think you might solve with an AI-enabled solution. This will make your POV more credible when discussing your organization's AI strategy. The great news is most new AI startups will offer analyses/POCs/free professional services to win marketshare. Within the Marketing Ops space I would look at Target Account Analysis, Buyer Persona Analysis, Predictive Pipeline or outbound cadence scale.

Marketing Operations and technology have always been closely connected. Keeping up with the latest technology requires some time and commitment, and with new advancements such as AI, there is a learning curve. It is not always clear how new technology will be adopted, but there is no doubt that technology will always be part of the ever-changing marketing landscape.

Skills Audit: Assess data analysis and technical skills to identify training needs in AI marketing fundamentals. Start Small: Choose a specific marketing task and introduce a basic AI tool to learn and adapt. Focus on Benefits: Frame AI as an efficiency and effectiveness booster, freeing up time for strategic marketing. Continuous Learning: Encourage staying updated on AI trends and foster a culture of experimentation.

It’s important to add here that understanding AI is not a one off-project. It is evolving extremely fast. Teams need to integrate ongoing practices, processes and an open mindset to ensure continuous learning and development. Appoint someone in the team to lead this initiative and incentivize the change.

Keep abreast of the latest developments and trends in AI technology and its applications in marketing. Attend industry conferences, webinars, and networking events to stay informed and learn from other experts in the field.

The marketing team needs to be flexible and adaptable to changes, learning and unlearning is the new oil. In this AI age, there's a need to be open to new topics, join groups, network with people in the tech field, ask questions, try new tools etc

It’s essential to have a clear understanding of your current processes as well as a foundational understanding of what’s possible with AI tools and technologies to identify the best use cases for AI in marketing. Then you’ll want to prioritize the use cases and getting the relevant stakeholders onboard to collaborate and implement them. Communication of the roadmap and successes based on defined KPIs is important for every step of the way.

Evaluate AI tools and platforms that are relevant to your marketing operations needs. Look for solutions that align with your goals and offer features such as machine learning, natural language processing, and automation capabilities.

An area that is being overlooked when it comes to AI. Make sure you understand where your data is, where it goes and who has access when using or investing in AI tools.

Discuss the ethical implications of AI in marketing operations with your team and ensure that they understand the importance of ethical and responsible AI practices.