4 Potential Challenges in AI Marketing and How to Conquer Them

In a recent interview, Bill Gates referred to AI as “the most transformative technology any of us will see in our lifetimes." And yes, that includes the internet and smartphones!

AI has emerged as a powerful ally for B2B businesses seeking to enhance their marketing strategies and customer experiences, but the integration of AI-powered marketing tools can come with its own set of challenges.?

Let’s explore four potential hurdles marketers may face with integrating AI and how to overcome them.

Data privacy and security

AI-powered tools often require access to large amounts of data, which raises concerns about data privacy and security. Failing to properly protect this data can lead to disastrous outcomes for your customers and your business: fraud, spam, and social engineering attacks, to name a few.?

Fortunately, B2B marketers can take the following steps to protect their customers' data and boost their trust in AI:

• Use AI tools designed with privacy in mind. Look for applications that use techniques like anonymization and differential privacy to safeguard customer data.
• Be transparent about your data collection and usage practices. Let customers know what data you collect, how you use it, and how they can control their privacy settings.
• Educate your employees about data privacy and security. Ensure employees understand the importance of data privacy and security so that they’re careful about how they handle sensitive customer data.
• Have a plan of action for responding to data breaches. When a data breach does occur, having a plan with steps for notifying customers, containing the breach, and preventing future breaches can go a long way in mitigating negative consequences.

Integration with legacy systems

The AI migration isn’t always a smooth one. Companies relying on legacy systems may be eager to incorporate AI into their existing marketing workflows, but often run into compatibility issues with outdated software and processes.?

Here are some ways to integrate AI tools into your legacy-based organization:

• Assess your current systems. What are your legacy systems? What data do they contain? How are they used? Answering these questions will make it easier to find compatible AI tools.
• Look for AI tools that are compatible with your legacy systems. A number of AI-powered tools use APIs to work with legacy systems, allowing you to automate tasks, personalize outreach, and generate insights without overhauling your current platforms.
• Consider investing in new systems. If your search for AI tools that are compatible with your current systems comes up empty-handed, it may be time to invest in new ones.?

Bias and fairness

AI is only as intelligent as the data it’s trained on. Unfortunately, this data can often be rife with bias. An AI-powered marketing tool that’s trained on a dataset of mostly male customers, for example, may be more likely to tailor its product recommendations to the preferences of male customers – regardless of who it’s recommending them to.?

To avoid unfairness and discrimination in your AI-powered marketing tools, consider taking the following precautions:?

• Use diverse and representative data. The data you use to train your AI models should come from a variety of industries, regions, and demographics to reduce as much bias as possible towards any one group.
• Take advantage of fairness metrics. Some common metrics used to measure the fairness of AI models include equal opportunity and calibration.
• Be transparent about the data you use. Build trust and confidence in your customers by providing full transparency into the data collection process.
• Use AI responsibly. It goes without saying: B2B marketers must use AI responsibly and ethically, and avoid any practices that could discriminate against or harm a specific group of people.

Over-reliance on AI

Where there is potential for AI to revolutionize the way we approach B2B marketing, there is also potential for over-reliance on AI-powered marketing tools. Think of AI as a health supplement for your marketing efforts – a good supplement should support a healthy diet, not replace it entirely.?

Here are some strategies you can utilize to strike a healthy balance with AI usage in your organization:

• Understand how AI works. Familiarize yourself and your employees with the different types of AI, the role of data in AI, and the limitations of what AI can do.
• Use AI in conjunction with other marketing channels. AI should not be used as a standalone marketing channel. Instead, it should be used to bolster the efforts of other marketing channels, such as email marketing, social media marketing, and content marketing.?
• Monitor the results of AI-powered marketing campaigns. By putting human eyes in front of your metrics, you can ensure that you’re getting the most out of AI without relying too heavily on it.
• Be willing to experiment. The AI industry is constantly evolving, with new softwares and applications hitting the market every day. Experimenting with different tools, techniques, and processes will help you find the best ways to optimize AI for your marketing efforts.

Webinar: How AI is shaping the future of marketing

We’re early in a new era of AI innovation, but we can still forecast the significant impact AI is predicted to have on marketing. In fact, a 麦肯锡 study found that, along with sales, it is the single business function where it will have the most financial impact. This means that if you’re a marketer and you’re not using AI, you’re missing out on the benefits of what is possibly the most transformational technology.

Want to get your hands on AI and marketing insights? Join Courtney Kehl , CEO & Founder of Expert Marketing Advisors, and Celeste Malia , Public & Analyst Relations, Thursday, July 27th at 10am PT for a discussion about how leaders and marketers think AI will fundamentally change how they operate.

In this webinar, you'll:?

• Learn business leaders' perspectives on the future of marketing?
• See examples of brands using AI in their marketing
• Discover how companies may still be able to leverage AI while navigating the potential risks and challenges

Save your spot today.