Like me, you might have thought about AI from a marketer’s perspective.
How will you show your audience the value of these new technologies? Are decision-makers nervous about smart machines? What place will automation have in the future of marketing itself?
From this angle, it’s difficult to get away from squeaky-clean Sci-Fi scenes or the nagging feeling that, at some point, we might all be surplus to requirement.
But what if we turn the tables. What if we see marketing through the eyes of an AI expert?
That’s exactly what happened for me on the latest Watering Hole podcast (listen here to the full episode). Paul Hansen, COO of Odin Technologies and a 40-year veteran of Silicone Valley, turned my view upside-down:
Your buyer journey works the same way as AI
Not so long ago, Paul saw a buyer journey for the first time. His reaction? ‘Wow – that’s the same way we train AI.’
Why does it matter?
Paul didn’t just give us a great insight into how AI works – he also threw new light on how marketing works. Technologists give smart computers the right information at the right time, bridging the gap between what the machine already knows and what it needs to know. In the same way, the best marketing takes your audience through relatable comparisons and accessible scenarios at every step, ‘teaching’ them about the power of the most complex solutions.
You’re never selling to machines
Tech experts seek AI innovations that have a big human impact. After all, that’s the key to creating demand.
How can we use it?
On the podcast, we were united on one key AI application. We could all see the value of biotechnology, with its power to proactively monitor health and make quality care more accessible. For marketers, this is music to our ears. After all, we know it’s the benefit that really sells – and the human impact that really inspires. Storytelling is the key to unlocking this emotional connection, and we’re still a long way from AI replacing our role in this crucial marketing tool.
You don’t need to see the future
We work in, what can sometimes be called, a headache-inducing industry. Nothing moves faster than the market we’re in. The result? We’re living the Silicone Valley life.
What does it mean?
As we discussed on the podcast, nothing can stand in the way of technological change, and nobody can guarantee you where it’s going. But we can prepare for the unforeseeable – not by second-guessing, but by preparing to flex. If you anticipate the marketing landscape three years in advance, you’re probably in trouble. If you apply the Silicone Valley approach and build flexibility into your plans, you can respond to new technologies and market conditions as they arise.
A great goal is it not? Listen to the entire episode here – and gather around for your weekly dose of light-hearted B2B insights.
