The Importance of Digital Marketers in the Age of AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing our world, sparking both excitement and fear. One aspect of life that it has already started to change dramatically is business. For business owners, this technology is appealing due to its ability to boost efficiency. On the other hand, workers are concerned that it will affect job security. One group of professionals fearful that they will be displaced by AI is marketers. In fact, 48% of marketers recently surveyed shared they are worried AI will take their job.

While AI has made significant strides in a short amount of time, discussions regarding

its limitations are still ongoing. As AI and human digital marketers each have distinct advantages, one perspective is that AI should be seen as a tool for, rather than a replacement for, human digital marketers.

Here are just a few reasons why digital marketers remain invaluable, despite the capabilities of AI technology and how they can work together:

1. AI Can’t Replicate Human Creativity   

Yes, AI tools can give business owners ideas and copy for social media posts, blog posts, and more, quickly. But, while these tools can be taught to speak in a brand’s voice, such content may not be enough to help businesses stand out among their competitors. This is especially true if competing businesses are using similar prompts to get marketing ideas from these tools. Additionally, AI tools fall short when it comes to storytelling because they do not feel emotions and cannot draw from personal experiences. As storytelling is often used in marketing to relate to one’s target audience, this shortcoming shouldn’t be overlooked.  

On their own, a human’s unique experiences can inspire fresh

digital marketing ideas that result in increased attention and engagement online. Whether business owners hire a marketing agency or freelancer, they benefit from an outsider’s creativity and perspective. They also benefit from having a professional handle such tasks so they can focus on other aspects of running their business. 

This isn’t to say AI has no place in your business’s digital marketing strategy. It is still incredibly efficient and can be a great resource when brainstorming content ideas.

Digital marketing professionals can put a unique spin on AI content ideas by incorporating emotion and insight from their personal experiences.

2. AI Can’t Engage Like Humans 

Have you ever reached out to a company via their website’s chat for support? If so, you probably interacted with a chatbot - and tried to quickly bypass it to reach a customer representative. Why is that? 

As a business owner, every interaction current and potential customers have with your brand is critical. Engaging with your social media audience can help build relationships and demonstrate a commitment to your customers. However, responding to every customer comment or inquiry can be overwhelming as well as time-consuming.

For some business owners, chatbots have eased this burden by facilitating conversations. They are capable of providing timely responses and eliminate the need to personally answer common questions repeatedly. Yet, we can’t ignore the fact that chatbots aren’t capable of delivering thoughtful, personalized replies. When a human oversees such interactions, they can respond with empathy and a commitment to customer satisfaction, unlike AI tools.

This example becomes more relevant as AI continues to develop. Already, Instagram is testing a new AI feature that offers comment suggestions. There’s no question

that if such a feature is to be implemented, it will simplify the engagement process. Yet, primarily relying on AI to manage engagement in this way risks ignoring the “social” aspect of marketing. Human involvement can ensure comments include a question to encourage further engagement. Interacting with your social media audience is important to foster connection, which involves more than sharing thoughtless comments.

3.  AI Struggles with Bias and Validating Information

One way business owners can demonstrate knowledge in their field and gain attention online is by creating educational content. This content can be distributed in quick tips on social media, or via blog posts. In a time where misinformation is rampant, sharing facts that can be proven is more important than ever. Building a social media or blog presence that educates and builds trust and authority can involve research. Sharing accurate information that draws attention requires using reliable sources.

AI’s ability to produce marketing copy in seconds could be seen by business owners as a timesaver. AI tools may also be seen as a low-cost alternative to using a marketing agency or hiring a social media professional, a content writer, and/or an SEO specialist.

However, saving time and money shouldn’t be the primary focus when marketing your business. While AI can produce content with a quicker turnaround than humans, it often does not cite sources. If a business shares inaccurate or offensive information from AI,

it may ruin its credibility, driving away customers and more. Although these might seem like dramatic scenarios, there are already several instances of unchecked AI causing significant trouble for businesses. Human oversight is necessary to review content that AI produces for issues such as inaccuracy and bias before it is shared. 

AI and Humans Working Together

Despite AI’s drawbacks, nothing indicates that it will be going away any time soon -

in fact, things seem to indicate quite the opposite. There are several ways AI can improve marketing activities - it can assist by analyzing consumer data, automating A/B testing, and much more.

Human digital marketers have an important job in the age of AI - to assist in its development. Just like with other tools and technologies, AI’s advancement can benefit our world. We need human specialists, like digital marketers, to offer their insight in an effort to improve this technology. This will aid in the growth of businesses - the shared goal of marketers and business owners. Marketing specialists can aid in the development and refinement of AI tools such as by suggesting and testing features, as well as reporting issues.  

Therefore, the job of business owners and others is to motivate those in content

marketing, social media, and other marketing disciplines to share their insight to aid AI tool development. This approach can quell the fears these specialists have that this technology will take their jobs and can lead to a more advanced future. 

Taking time to evaluate both opportunities and risks is crucial for running a successful business. By relying on digital marketing professionals and embracing the potential of AI, businesses can minimize the risks of using such technology while benefiting from its capabilities. At the same time, they will continue to benefit from the creativity, ability to

build connections, and attention to accuracy that only a human marketer can provide.