CincyAI Week Recap: High-Level Insights From a Marketer Embracing AI

It's been a couple of weeks but I'm still thinking about #CincyAIWeek and how much it's continued to inspire me to dive right into all aspects of AI.

I wasn't hesitant to jump in, as I'm a strong advocate for early adoption of innovation, however, it can be overwhelming to determine where to start, how to begin, and to find the time to fully understand the tools that can benefit both you and your team.

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As marketers, we often become the "catch-all" for many people and departments. If you're in marketing, you're likely familiar with the phrase, "Make this look pretty." However, true data-driven marketers and decision-makers understand that marketing goes far beyond aesthetics. It's about brand identity, storytelling, impact, creating experiences, and demonstrating to potential customers why they need your product or service.

It's crucial to continually ask yourself: How am I showing my potential customers that I'm a trusted guide and advisor? How am I using data and tools to make more informed decisions in both marketing and sales? AI can significantly enhance our productivity and capabilities, allowing us to lead the charge in our organizations.

Marketers are uniquely positioned to be early adopters and leaders in AI implementation.?

The AI marketing panel at #CincyAIWeek consisted of Summer Crenshaw , Catherine O'Shea , Aida Ramusovic-Witham , Simcha (Simka) Kackley, MBA, OMCP , and was moderated by Kendra Ramirez .

This was an exceptional learning opportunity to hear from marketers using AI in different ways every day.

The analogy was made to think of where we're at with AI like this: We're really only at the "Ask Jeeves" portion of what we can do with AI.

Am I aging myself? Ha! Maybe.

But think of how far we've come since then.

A few takeaways from the marketing panel:

Marketing as a Leader in AI Rollout: Marketing can pave the way for AI adoption throughout your organization. Position yourself as a leader in this space and help train and mentor leaders within your organization and beyond about AI. Identify your company's biggest "pains," look for? essential micro-pains that exist at scale that you can now solve automatically without anyone having to change your organization's workflow

Future Roles and Departments: In the near future, we might see positions such as Chief AI Officers (CAIOs) and dedicated AI departments. Consider what this means for you and how you can contribute to this evolution.

AI Governance: Before integrating AI tools in your company, ensure that you and your colleagues understand the importance of AI governance. Where are you sourcing your data? How is it protected?

Developing AI Terms and Policies: Coordinate with internal teams to develop AI-related terms around your data and privacy policies. Consider building a company roadmap for AI use across departments.

Prompt Engineering and Information Accuracy: Learn how to create effective prompts and identify reliable sources for accurate information.

A critical point made by Pete Blackshaw was: How are we marketing to the algorithms?

We must focus on listening, engaging, inspiring, and transforming our approach to marketing in the age of AI.

As a "catch-all" marketer, remember this: stop chasing productivity. Remember that just because you've become more efficient in your role by using AI, just because you can do it quicker, doesn't mean you shouldn't protect your time.

The entire panel reiterated: You are a human being, not a human doing. Remember to continue learning, but you don't have to understand it all today - keep learning!

Lastly, Maddie Bell ????? 's insights during her breakout session, "AI for Revenue Growth: Tangible Strategies Beyond 'Just Productivity'," provided valuable perspectives on how businesses and customers can leverage AI to enhance communication and drive revenue growth.

She began with a notable quote from Benjamin Hardy, PhD : "Our future pulls us more than our past pushes us... and time is just a tool."

Think about it: We often live in the present guided by our past experiences, but achieving the seemingly impossible requires a clear vision of the future.

When it comes to business and consumer purchasing behavior, the three fundamentals have not changed:

• Good
• Cheap
• Fast

As a consumer, you used to be able to reasonably achieve only two of the three. You could have something fast and cheap, but it would be low quality. You could have something good and cheap, but you would receive it slowly. You could have something good and produced fast, but it would be expensive. Now, our expectations as consumers have evolved—we expect all three.

How can we use AI to achieve all three, providing a better experience and a quality product or service for our customers and ultimately drive more revenue for our business?

Key takeaways:

• Use AI to improve writing and communication skills.
• Shift from thinking in terms of "Integrated AI" to "AI Agents" which then looks like:

> Assistance becomes Action

> Point & Click transforms into Describe & Done

> Co-Pilots become Colleagues

> Tasks transform into Outcomes

> Commands become Criteria

Utilizing AI agents when a new lead comes in allows you to engage, qualify, remind, and communicate in a personal and seamless way, helping you drive more revenue for your business.

If you're a marketer who's diving into AI, how are you using AI? What tools do you find work best for you?