Embracing AI to Create Impactful Marketing Strategies
At our recent online community event, our fractional Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) from various industries came together to discuss the growing influence of generative AI in marketing. There was clear consensus that AI tools are making big strides in improving marketing productivity and efficiency. Plenty of use cases were discussed, including using these tools for research, content creation and video editing, as well as for improving customer experience and optimising digital ads. Talking points also included the skills needed to work with the technology and how to manage risks around the use of AI tools in companies.
Using AI to Enhance Marketing Efficiency and Productivity, Especially for Startups
The latest mainstream generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Claude, are mostly being used by our CMOs to streamline repetitive and time-consuming tasks but there are more specialised tools emerging all the time that can improve workflows for specific workstreams. One CMO, with a background in fintech startups, shared how she has used specific AI platforms in her client work to quickly and affordably use existing video assets to generate multiple short formats tailored for different social media channels. The technology also allows for easy edits such as modification of spoken text without retaking which can be a game changer for companies needing to produce content in a more agile way. These types of solutions are already reducing production costs for brands and are a great example of how fractional CMOs with knowledge of AI can really help drive efficiencies for small businesses.
Another valuable specialised application of the technology is in digital advertising. Demand generation and pay-per-click campaigns have traditionally relied on budget allocations based on past campaign performance, but this often leads to either overutilisation or underutilisation of budgets as customer behaviour is constantly shifting, and A/B testing takes time to identify the best approach. By using AI to manage campaigns, marketers in startups can analyse large data in real-time such as clicks and conversions, and quickly pinpoint the most effective channels for maximum return on investment.
Every Strategist’s Thought Partner
Several leaders in the discussion spoke about the value they gain from AI tools when doing strategic work. While it is clearly not a like-for-like replacement for riffing with teams and colleagues, having AI tools at the click of a button means we have instant access to input into and challenge our work. Perplexity is being widely used by the community for research due to the inclusion of sources in its responses. Many CMOs are using tools like Chat GPT to discuss ideas, interrogate their thinking and fine tune their work before presenting to clients. A few CMOs have experimented with developing their own custom GPTs and training them with frameworks and relevant information to be their ideal marketing thought partners in developing strategies for clients.
Upskilling Matters Because AI is Only as Good as Your Input
Our discussions centred a lot around prompt engineering as the quality of output is clearly correlated with inputs provided. Well-structured prompts, with the right direction and supporting information, yield much more comprehensive, analytical and accurate responses. As with any new technology, practice and building more advanced skills are essential to mastering its use.
AI courses covering topics from foundational concepts to advanced techniques are widely available to help marketing professionals hone these skills, giving them an edge over the competition. We have no doubt that marketers who are skilled in a combination of the core competencies and generative AI will become increasingly sought after in the market.
Educating Employees About the Risks of Uploading Sensitive Information onto AI
One critical point raised during the event was the need for greater education of employees regarding uploading confidential and commercially sensitive information onto AI platforms. Many of our CMOs have experienced employees unwittingly uploading confidential documents into large language models (LLMs), which exposes this data and proprietary information to the public domain. The temptation to use AI tools to ease workloads is clear, and we must all start investing in training and policies to prevent serious data leaks and security breaches by teams who are still naive about these potential risks.
In conclusion, AI Skills Are an Essential Part of the Fractional CMO Toolkit
It’s clear that generative AI is already fundamentally changing how we work as marketers and as the technology continues to improve at rapid pace the adoption will only accelerate. Marketers must start upskilling themselves on the landscape and how to use the technology to stay relevant in the field. For fractional CMOs specifically, there is a big opportunity to use this technology to make ourselves more efficient and increase our capacity to take on client work. There is also huge value in building expertise in this area to be able to advise clients on how to best leverage the new tools available. This is particularly relevant for startups and scaleups who are early adopters of novel technologies and are always seeking more cost effective ways to do things due to their limited resources.
