Introduction

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the world as we know it, and marketing is no exception. From optimising online ads to creating content, AI is revolutionising how companies can reach their target audience more effectively.

And in this podcast, I talk to Ian Macleod, CMO at SALESmanago, about how AI is changing marketing. 

Today’s Guest

Who they are: Ian Macleod is Chief Marketing Officer at SALESmanago 

A bit of background: Ian is an experienced marketing and growth leader in both B2B and B2C domains, with over 20 years of expertise. Throughout his career, he’s worked with startups, scaleups, and global enterprise brands in various industries, including SaaS, e-commerce, travel tech, and fintech.

Where you can find Ian:

Connect with Ian on LinkedIn here 

Prefer Video? Watch a full video of the podcast here.

Why AI could be good for marketers

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing field that has the potential to revolutionise the way businesses operate. And in the world of marketing, AI can be a powerful tool for enhancing marketing strategies and improving customer engagement.

Ian adds:

‘I look at AI as probably the most revolutionary technology that I’ve seen come to market beyond the internet. To be able to see its power and capabilities is exciting. I think we’re only just touching the surface of what we can do from a marketing point of view, let alone how it can impact the overall ability for marketers, salespeople, or businesses to interact.’ 

One of the key benefits of AI for marketers is its ability to provide real-time customer insights. By analysing vast amounts of data, AI can identify patterns in customer behaviour and preferences, allowing marketers to better understand and target their audience. This can lead to more effective ad campaigns, higher conversion rates, and increased customer satisfaction.

Moreover, AI can help marketers automate repetitive tasks such as email marketing and social media posting. This frees up more time for marketers to focus on creative tasks like crafting compelling messaging and developing new content ideas. With AI handling the mundane tasks, marketers can focus on creating high-quality content that resonates with their target audience.

Another way AI can help marketers is to optimise their campaigns by providing real-time feedback and insights. By monitoring and analysing campaign performance, AI can identify areas for improvement and suggest changes to improve ROI. This can help marketers make data-driven decisions that lead to better outcomes and higher revenue.

Overall, AI has the potential to greatly enhance marketing strategies and improve customer engagement. By providing real-time insights, automating repetitive tasks, and optimising campaigns, AI can help marketers achieve better results and drive business growth.

Why should marketers be wary of AI?

While AI has many exciting potential benefits, there are also some important considerations that marketers need to keep in mind. The potential loss of jobs as AI takes over more and more previously performed tasks by humans is one of the biggest worries. And this is especially true for entry-level marketing positions like data entry and social media management.

While the use of AI in marketing can help businesses be more efficient and effective, it can also lead to a reduction in the number of jobs available in the industry. This could have a devastating effect on those who are just starting out in their marketing careers as well as those who have been in the industry for many years.

Another concern is differentiation, as Ian explains:

‘My kind of thought process here is that we need to try not to be too reliant on AI. As I said, marketing is still about that human connection. It’s all about creativity. And the uniqueness of different brands talking in different ways. 

If every single marketer around the world went and typed in, ‘How do I do a marketing campaign for X?’ We’re going to do the same thing. And therefore, there’s going to be no differentiation. There are going to be no brand emotions. There’s going to be no connection between humans and individuals. 

So, yeah, I’m taking AI as far as I can, and I’m pushing to see what the limitations are. But for me, I just want to make sure that I don’t become reliant on it.’

How can marketers use AI today to help them become better marketers?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way marketers approach their day-to-day tasks. AI has the potential to automate many of the repetitive and time-consuming tasks that marketers face, allowing them to focus on more strategic and creative work.

Ian describes using AI in the following ways:

• Email marketing: creating and testing subject lines
• Content marketing: research, ideation and writing
• Personalisation: create and test personalised messages
• Creative: using generative AI to create images 
• Optimisation: optimise paid ads 
• Research: helping with research and ideation on particular subjects, markets, personas, etc.

A few other highlights to look out for in this episode:

1. How can AI help develop the marketing leaders of tomorrow
2. How SALESmanago is using AI to help solve the problems of their customers
3. What Ian looks for when hiring B2B marketers  

Hiring? Market Recruitment is a leading AI recruitment agency that can help you source and hire the marketing talent you need to scale. Contact us here.