An approachable strategy for implementing AI in marketing

An overview of the human aspect of implementing AI in marketing, along with strategies for managers to guarantee seamless execution and staff support.

What makes artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing so successful? Selecting the finest AI-enabled marketing tools and agents, as well as the large language model to deploy, will be a source of stress for many firms. But anything other than a company's choice of technology is significantly more likely to determine whether or not AI is successfully implemented in marketing. The secret to becoming successful? a human-centered strategy for implementing AI.

The human aspect of adopting AI

It's understandable that marketers fear AI may replace them in some roles. According to a survey by Salesforce and Vanson Bourne, up to 80% of major enterprises plan to implement fully autonomous business and IT processes within the next 24 months. Senior management want to reduce expenses and increase profitability, and AI-driven automation seems like a viable solution to replace human labor.

AI also intimidates some marketers. These marketers are concerned about the prospect of having to attend courses in rapid engineering or large language model comprehension, not to mention the jargon and acronyms (think NLP, NLG, LLMs, RRN, AGI, ML, AI hallucinations, neural networks, and tokenization).

Any company using AI for marketing may enhance engagement, decrease resistance to change, and increase the likelihood of success by taking a people-friendly approach. Here are some pointers.

Engage staff members up front

People back the creations they contribute to. I have participated in numerous technology and workplace adoptions over the past 20 years. I've discovered the hard way how important it is to involve staff members at all levels right away. They will share their worries with you and offer assistance in resolving them. The influences you pick will not only bring along themselves but also everyone else.

When their colleagues tell worried employees that implementing AI will free them up to work on more important projects and take care of some of the menial tasks, they are far more inclined to trust them than when their superiors say the same thing.

Employee involvement is also increased when it is done upfront. Rather than disengaging and offering a litany of reasons why AI should not be used in marketing, they join the solution. They point out ways that AI might support human judgment rather than take its place. They get enthusiastic about picking up new abilities and applying them to improve their work.

A crucial role is played by leadership.

Leaders need to be change agents, show their dedication, and set a good example. They have to justify the necessity for change and outline the benefits for the typical employee. Too many executives make the error of focusing solely on the benefits AI will bring to the company, which are typically increased productivity and lower expenses. The word "reduced costs" instantly conjures up images of layoffs for workers.

Leaders need to show their dedication. Leaders will perceive a lack of commitment if they talk about teaching everyone on AI but then slash or eliminate the training budget and ask staff to learn on their own time.

Also, leaders must provide an example for others. Are executives utilizing AI to boost their productivity? Can they leverage AI technology and stay up to date with the latest advancements? Employees will doubt the leader's dedication and possibly even their ability to succeed in the brand-new realm of AI-driven marketing if they don't.

Deal with the opposition to change.

Addressing employee resistance to change can be achieved in part by involving them early on, supporting the change, and modeling the behavior they wish to see. But it's insufficient. All levels of leaders must directly address the root causes of change resistance. The traditional catalyst for opposition to change is FUD, or fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

Leaders need to confront the fear of job loss in the workplace. The only thing leaders can do about this anxiety if the purpose of introducing AI is to reduce costs by eliminating roles is to be honest with people. To grow the company while keeping costs in line with growth would be a more sensible objective. Every executive should be attempting to determine how using AI may boost topline growth. Clarity must take the place of uncertainty. To dispel doubt, it is imperative to repeatedly communicate the organization's rationale for implementing AI, its benefits for staff, and its implementation process.

Astute leaders understand that uncertainty can present the greatest obstacle. Employees frequently keep their doubts to themselves rather than sharing them. They must be reassured that their doubts and worries will be treated seriously, and they must be encouraged to voice their issues.

Adopt artificial intelligence gradually.

Avoid the error of initiating an AI revolution. It will most likely be a waste of time and money to pay a consulting firm millions of dollars to create a plan for your AI transformation.

Incremental adoption works better than transformations. Take it slow and adjust along the way. Adjust the ineffective elements and progressively expand the use of AI. In order to garner support during this phase of gradual acceptance, leaders must form alliances and recognize small victories.

Adopt AI gradually, paying attention to improved results rather than technology, such as increased income, decreased expenses, increased customer value, decreased risk, and happier, more engaged staff members.