The advent of AI has undoubtedly revolutionized the world of marketing. But has it made your job difficult?
If you are a business owner, No. But If you are a marketer, Yes!
Businesses are pleased with how things are going. Thanks to AI, they can now whip up informational and promotional content at an impressive speed.
But if you ask marketers, you’ll likely hear a different story. They’ve been hit hard!
To better understand this, let’s delve a little deeper.
Is Digital Marketing Difficult for a Business Owner?
As I previously stated, marketing a business has never been easier than it is today.
If you’re a business owner, you’re likely already familiar with the power of AI tools like ChatGPT, or the newer version, ChatGPT 4o. These tools have revolutionized the way we approach marketing, making it accessible and efficient.
So, you can simply use ChatGPT for your marketing efforts
Let’s say you still don’t have the time to handle all your business operations and also take care of marketing; There’s no need to hire a full-fledged in-house marketing team or spend an exorbitant amount of money on a marketing agency.
Instead, a more economical and effective approach could be to hire a single individual who can manage your marketing efforts with the assistance of AI.
Remember, the possibilities of AI in marketing aren’t just limited to ChatGPT. The market is teeming with a plethora of AI-powered tools that can be leveraged to streamline your marketing efforts.
It’s all about finding the right tools and strategies to make the most of this technological revolution.
Invideo.ai: An AI tool that can help you with video creation
If you’re a business owner and your main traffic source is from platforms like Youtube Shorts, Instagram, and Tik Tok, then Invideo.ai is definitely a tool you need in your arsenal.
This nifty tool leverages artificial intelligence to help you create engaging videos, all based on a simple prompt.
Let me share a real-life example. A friend of mine, who runs a Naturopathic clinic, was able to put this tool to excellent use. She created vertical videos for Instagram and Youtube, which not only increased her online presence but also her client base.
So if you thought video marketing was difficult, think again. With Invideo.ai, you can easily create captivating video content.
Piktochart: An AI tool that can help you create infographics in minutes
If you’re a business owner targeting women entrepreneurs, or if you have an audience on Pinterest, then Piktochart is just the tool for you.
Piktochart is an AI tool that allows you to effortlessly create stunning infographics in minutes.
All you need to do is input a prompt on a specific topic and voila – you have a beautifully designed infographic with a relevant theme.
The best part is you can tailor the colors to your liking and modify the text as needed.
Tools like Piktochart are making it easier than ever. Now, you can create not just one, but 3-4 infographics a day! This means more content to share with your audience, more engagement and ultimately, more growth for your business.
Make.AI: Automate your marketing campaigns
Make.AI is a revolutionary tool that is designed to automate most of a marketer’s tasks, making it easier to run successful marketing campaigns.
It comes with a feature called ‘scenario’ which is designed to automate tasks. A scenario can be anything you want it to be! It’s like having a personal virtual or copywriting assistant that helps you streamline your work.
Let’s say you want to categorize users who submitted a form and add them to an email automation campaign. With the traditional way, this would be a tedious task. But with Make.AI’s scenario feature, it’s a breeze. You just set up the scenario and voila! Your work is done.
But what if you want to tailor your marketing campaign to the users’ actions?
That’s where the ‘router’ option comes in. For instance, if you have a form where users can choose between options A and B, you can use the router to filter out only the users who chose option A and create a specific campaign for them.
If you’re wondering how to do it, don’t worry. There’s a video tutorial available to guide you through the process.
Unlike tools like Zapier, Make.AI isn’t too difficult to navigate. Of course, there’s a learning curve, but it’s worth it. I recommend playing around with the tool to see what kind of scenarios you can build for your business.
And remember, if things get too complicated, you can always hire a marketer to take care of it. After all, the goal of any marketing campaign is to make things easier for you, not harder. So, give Make.AI a try and see how it can revolutionize your marketing efforts.
I have written a separate blog on these AI tools that can help you with marketing efforts. Do give it a read.
AI Marketing Tools for Small Businesses in 2024
Now you know how these AI-powered tools have made marketing easy for business owners.
But what about marketers? How has marketing changed for them?
Is Building a Marketing Career Hard Now?
Yes, building a marketing career now is kind of hard. It’s undeniable that the past few years have been a roller coaster ride for people in the marketing industry, with the dual challenges of rolling recessions and deglobalization.
Well, let’s talk about rolling recessions first. This phenomenon should theoretically only affect certain sectors, but the reality is somewhat different.
The moment businesses hear the word ‘recession’, they tend to panic, laying off their marketing teams and freezing their marketing budget. It’s as if the term ‘rolling recession’ has become a trigger for fear and uncertainty.
Interestingly, most businesses are not fully aware of how a rolling recession works or the potential benefits it can bring to certain industries. In fact, it can even provide opportunities for growth in some cases. Unfortunately, the fear of the unknown tends to overshadow these potential benefits.
On the other hand, we have the issue of deglobalization. Remember the time when we were all heavily reliant on China for manufacturing? Well, the pandemic changed all that. Logistics took a backseat and companies had to pivot rapidly. They were forced to invest in native manufacturing units, which meant redirecting funds from other areas like marketing.
This shift to local manufacturing wasn’t just a minor hiccup. It was a major change that required significant investment, leading to a cut in marketing budgets. It’s a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul, and it’s not done yet.
But wait, there’s more! We haven’t even touched on the impact of AI on marketing yet. In the era of AI, you don’t need a huge team to run your marketing campaigns.
Just one person, equipped with AI assistance, can carry out all the necessary marketing activities. It’s a game-changer that’s reshaping the industry.
So yes, building a marketing career might seem challenging now. However, it’s worth noting that these challenges are also opportunities.
In light of these challenges, it is becoming increasingly crucial for marketers to adapt to the evolving landscape. The importance of market research, a deep understanding of consumer behavior and AI prompting cannot be overlooked. It helps you get valuable insights into the changing trends, customer preferences, and competitive dynamics, thereby aiding AI in formulating up-to-date insightful information.
However, it’s not just about gathering data; it’s about interpreting it correctly and applying it for AI prompting.
As we move towards a more AI-driven society, the quality of data we feed into these systems significantly determines their output. Therefore, marketers need to have a keen grasp of research, glean useful data, and other valuable skill set which in turn can help in creating more targeted and personalized marketing strategies.
What are some challenges individuals face when pursuing a marketing career today?
Let’s explore some of the unique challenges individuals might encounter in their pursuit of a marketing career in our current era.
Showing Marketing ROI
Marketing ROI is an essential measure that helps demonstrate the value and impact of marketing initiatives.
It’s the key metric that shows the financial returns from the amount invested in marketing. However, it’s a challenge to accurately measure and show this ROI.
Why? because It’s not an immediate process.
It takes time for consumers to move through the buying cycle, from awareness and consideration to the decision and finally, the purchase. This makes it challenging to link specific marketing activities directly to sales and revenue.
Adding to the complexity is the use of analytics. In today’s data-driven industry, there’s an abundance of data available for marketers. But, making sense of this data and drawing meaningful conclusions is a real challenge.
Just because we have the ability to track everything doesn’t mean we understand everything. Determining which metrics are relevant and how they tie into ROI is a task that requires skills in both analytics and strategic interpretation.
Moreover, every time you launch a new campaign or strategy, it introduces a new set of variables. You have to determine what success looks like for each launch, set appropriate KPIs, and then measure the results. Each launch may require different tools and methods for tracking, adding another layer of complexity to showing ROI.
In conclusion, showing the ROI of marketing is indeed a challenge. It requires a deep understanding of both the art and science of marketing, a grasp on analytics, and the ability to navigate and adapt to the new variables introduced with new product launch.
Wearing Mutiple Hats
In marketing, the phrase ‘wearing multiple hats’ is more relevant than ever. The expectation to juggle various roles and responsibilities simultaneously can indeed become one of the major challenges individuals face when pursuing a marketing career today.
The reason behind this is simple: marketing is no longer confined to one specific domain or function. It’s a field that requires a diverse set of skills, from brand management and strategic planning to social media expertise and content creation. This means that modern marketers often find themselves switching hats, transitioning from one role to another, all within the span of a single workday.
The reality of brand management today involves a lot more than just developing a catchy logo or compelling tagline. It requires a marketer to become a brand custodian, someone who understands and embodies the brand’s values, voice, and vision. This individual needs to ensure that every piece of communication aligns with the brand’s identity, which can be quite a challenging task.
Furthermore, having robust communication skills is no longer a nice-to-have but a must-have in the marketing arsenal. Whether it’s persuading a potential customer, negotiating with a vendor, or presenting a new campaign to the team, effective communication is at the heart of it all. However, mastering this skill while balancing other responsibilities can be a daunting challenge.
In conclusion, the expectation to wear multiple hats in marketing can indeed be demanding. It requires individuals to constantly evolve and adapt, honing a diverse range of skills. However, those who manage to navigate this challenge are often the ones who excel in their marketing careers, making a significant impact on their brands.
Project Management
Project management is an essential aspect of a marketing career that presents its own unique set of challenges. As a marketer, managing various tasks and coordinating with different teams can sometimes feel like trying to keep a dozen balls in the air at once.
A key difficulty comes from the sheer variety of projects that a marketer must handle. From product development to advertising campaigns, each project requires different skills and resources. This means that marketers must be proficient in a wide range of areas, or be able to quickly learn new ones. It’s not just about having a deep understanding of marketing principles, but also being able to apply them effectively across diverse contexts.
Product development, for example, is a critical task in marketing but it’s also a highly complex one. It involves coordinating with multiple parties, from design to production, and from sales to customer service. Each of these parties has their own priorities, timelines, and methods of working, making the role of the marketer in managing all these relationships and processes a challenging one.
Moreover, the pressure of deadlines adds another layer of difficulty to project management. In the fast-paced realm of marketing, being able to deliver results on time is crucial. But when you’re juggling multiple projects, each with its own deadline, it can be tough to keep everything on track. This is especially true if unexpected issues arise, such as technical difficulties or changes in market trends, which can throw off schedules and require quick, strategic problem-solving.
So, while project management is an integral part of a marketing career, it’s not without its challenges. However, facing and overcoming these challenges can also be a rewarding experience, as it allows marketers to develop a wealth of skills and capabilities.
