Harnessing the Power of AI: A Three-Step Guide

Marketing professionals must actively participate in deciding how AI will be used within the company. These three actions can be done right now.

It’s amazing how quickly ChatGPT went from “It’s the coolest thing ever” to “It’s going to take our jobs” to “We have to tweak it because it doesn’t have enough information” to “It’s ‘Terminator Genisys’ all over again.”

ChatGPT is a tool that many marketers use to create subject lines. That’s OK as a starting point. But if that’s all you’re doing with it, you’re losing a major chance to address some of your most pressing marketing issues and advance the position of your marketing team as a revenue and technology leader.

I understand you now have a lot on your plate, but with AI ready to be a game-changer, you need to have a say in how AI and related technologies are used. We will collaborate closely with AI in our businesses as email marketers. Waiting around to see what happens is not an option. If we don’t take action, martech can steer us in the wrong direction.

3 steps to guide the use and growth of AI

1. Experiment with AI Across Platforms

Has an AI-driven subject line generator recently been added to your ESP? Great! Don’t stop there though. Boxing AI as a tool can prevent you from using it to accomplish a task that will have a greater long-term effect.

In order to match specific segments or cohorts in your marketing campaigns and recognize intent or action, AI-generated content at scale may adjust language. Creating subject lines is a way to achieve that. Nothing has ended.

Spend some time experimenting with alternative applications of AI and learning how various platforms can produce various outcomes. It’s critical to avoid becoming fixated on a single application or system because AI and related technologies are still in their infancy.

You can test out many platforms at this early level, such as ChatGPT (OpenAI), Google Bard, and Microsoft Bing. You’ll have a clearer notion of what you can accomplish, what you can study, and where you can put your learning into practice. The easiest approach to do this is to create a testing strategy that is centered on a job or aim that helps achieve a marketing objective.

Next, familiarise yourself with the platforms you have access to and repeat your testing strategy on each one. Take advantage of both the free and paid versions of these platforms. I’ve used all three of these and I’m astonished by how different the results are. Even though it requires more work now, you’ll understand what each platform has to offer and create a practical future vision.

Learn everything you can now, and make adjustments as you go. This does not involve copying and pasting different subject lines or calls to action into your email template. You must use your AI results as a starting point for additional testing because you know your brand better than these platforms do.

2. Ask Your Vendors for their Visions

Engage your suppliers in discussions about how they intend to use this technology. Yes, ChatGPT is still in its early stages, but even as we work to define it, it is developing quickly. I’m curious as to what my suppliers have in store.  

Another choice is to inquire about joining any customer advisory boards that your vendors may offer. As a result, you will be directly involved in the most relevant discussion of planning. 

It could be time to launch an RFP and consult with alternative suppliers who are farther along the innovation spectrum if your providers don’t intend to integrate AI or concentrate on a certain purpose, such as topic lines.

3.  Take a Seat at the AI Table

You must be aware of the dialogues taking place at your organization as an email marketer. Why not use your knowledge to take the lead? You could even know more than others at the same table.

Of all your marketing channels, email offers the best return on investment. I should get a seat at the table if my marketing effort generates the most revenue. I am capable of producing material in bulk. I have more approachable clients. I have more features and a proactive communications trail that goes straight to my inbox. My emails are already waiting for my customers in their inboxes, so I don’t have to worry about them finding them.

Use email’s full authority and strength in your talks with AI. Your conversations in this phase will be influenced by the concepts you came up with in Steps 1 and 2 above. Without waiting for your vendors or the industry to define the function of AI, you can utilize this expertise to take charg

We have been discussing the topic of dynamically adding pertinent material to communications for the past 20 years in order to boost engagement. AI could help us get there. However, it won’t be effective if we marketers don’t actively participate in choosing how to use it for its most important marketing objectives. We cannot simply use technology passively. On this route, we must actively influence others. 

By doing experiments, starting discussions, and learning how to use it to meet your marketing objectives and advance your business, you can take part in this wonderful movement.