From your favorite website to your car, AI is everywhere. Businesses are in a race to adopt the best and latest technologies to keep from going the way of the dinosaurs, so it’s no surprise that many of our clients are in a hurry to use AI in marketing.
While it’s important to adapt, many people often forget to stop and ask, “Is this right for my business?” and end up investing in a tool or tactic that ultimately distracts them from their goals. The applications of AI in marketing may be growing every day, but don’t waste precious company resources because of AI FOMO!
If you are looking to expand your reach through AI in marketing, here are a few questions to help you discern if a particular AI tool is right for you.
Who will it serve?
It seems simple, but a good way to start evaluating an AI marketing tool is to ask who will benefit from it and how. If you are able to easily identify the specific value an AI tool will bring to an end user—be it a current customer, prospective customer, or your internal team—that is a good sign that you aren’t simply acting out of AI FOMO. This exercise is also helpful for measuring the success of your AI investment. If, after a few months, you can clearly see that the end users are experiencing benefits from the tool you are testing, that means you made a good decision. If not, maybe it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
Will it add complexity to a straightforward process?
We often run into examples of businesses that have accidentally overcomplicated their website by adding unnecessary features in an attempt to make it more engaging. This is a classic marketing mistake, and unfortunately, AI has made it even more common. AI functionality can certainly transform your website, but it must be applied well. For example, building an AI pricing calculator might drastically increase your conversion rate if you sell complex services, but if you have a simple product library, static and transparent pricing will probably be more useful to your customers. Ironically, it will likely be more helpful for showing up in AI search results, too. Be careful not to invest in a flashy tool when better results can be found through a simpler option (good content writing).
Will it make the human process too artificial?
AI is amazing for improving the necessary touchpoints with prospects and customers. It seems safe to say that marketing and customer service are quickly evolving—in many cases in ways that are better for both companies and their customers. That being said, for most companies, there will always be parts of the buyer journey that need a human touch. This is going to be different for every business, but a simple litmus test to perform when you consider automating a human process is “Will people find this weird?”. When you are preparing to pull the trigger on an AI automation, it is helpful to first test it with some of your best customers. Don’t lose customers by accidentally sterilizing a process that needs your human touch!
Is this feature sustainable for our team?
When it comes time to implement a new AI opportunity that you feel confident is right for your business, there are new challenges to keep in mind. Even the simplest AI automations need to be adopted with discipline. If it becomes clear that managing the new feature is too tall of a task for your marketing team, it may be wise to look in a different direction.
We hope you are as excited about AI in marketing as we are. We are living through a very exciting time, but it’s important to tread carefully, act with intention, and avoid AI FOMO.
