How AI Will Change the Marketing Landscape Over the Next Two Years

AI and ChatGPT have undoubtedly become more and more commonplace recently. More and more they are becoming an important part of people’s jobs and helping them to accelerate the rate at which they’re able to do their work. This is a dramatic shift that could potentially be the biggest evolution we’ve seen since the invention of the internet. Changes on the horizon include:

Increase in AI-generated content
Emergence of new marketing roles
Marketing tools will become smarter

If you’re curious to learn more about how the world of marketing is set to shift, including the upsides and downsides, keep reading.

AI-generated content will become commonplace

AI will play an increasing role in content creation for digital marketing campaigns. Systems will generate large volumes of basic content like blog posts, email newsletters, social media posts, landing pages and more. While human content creators will still be needed for high-quality, complex content, AI can produce simple yet personalized content at tremendous scale.

AI can analyze trending topics, keywords, and content types to determine the best content to create for a target audience. It can generate draft content, refine and optimize the content based on key metrics, and then publish the content across the most suitable digital channels to achieve maximum reach and engagement. The entire content creation process can be automated from start to finish using AI.

Email marketing

For email marketing, AI can create highly customized email newsletters, alerts, and promotions tailored to specific audience segments. The content, design, copy, images, calls-to-action, and more within each email will be optimized based on historical data and predictive analytics for that audience. AI will send emails at the precise day and time, and with

specific content and messaging, most likely to generate a response from each recipient.

Social media

On social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, AI can produce social posts for multiple brand profiles consistently and at optimal frequencies based on the audience and purpose of each profile. Systems analyze the types of social posts, topics, visual assets, and language that will be most relevant and impactful for each audience. They can curate and re-purpose the best-performing social content to continue building brand awareness and engagement over time.

Landing pages

Landing pages, an essential part of conversion campaigns, can also be created automatically by AI based on the offer or content they are promoting. AI determines the most effective layout, copy, imagery and calls-to-action for each page based on the target audience and goals of the promotion. The pages are then optimized continually based on their performance to maximize the key metrics for that campaign like email sign-ups, downloads, or sales.

While human content creators currently handle all of these digital marketing content needs and more, AI can take over responsibility for high-volume, basic content requirements. This allows digital marketing teams to focus their resources on more complex, strategic content initiatives that truly differentiate the brand. Together, AI and human content creators provide scale and quality to excel in today’s content-centric digital marketing landscape. AI and humans will collaborate to enhance and optimize the end-to-end content production process.

Content in an AI – world

In summary, AI will generate a large portion of the content for digital marketing including blog posts, emails, social media posts, and landing pages. By automating high-volume, basic content creation, AI allows digital marketing teams to concentrate on developing premium content that fuels business growth. Through AI-human collaboration, content generation will achieve both the scale and quality needed for success. AI-generated content will become an important part of every digital marketer’s content strategy within the next 2 years.

AI will take over repetitive, low-level tasks

AI will assume responsibility for many of the routine, repetitive tasks in digital marketing, such as analytics, content marketing, social media, and advertising. By leveraging natural language processing and other advanced technologies, AI will enable marketers to work faster and more accurately than ever before.

For example, AI can analyze the performance of an ongoing email marketing campaign in real-time, evaluating factors like open rates, click-through rates, conversions, and customer engagement metrics. It can then dynamically adjust elements of the campaign like send frequency, content, audience targeting, and more to optimize results. AI can do this far faster and more precisely than any human, allowing marketers to focus on higher-level strategy and creative direction for the campaign.

As artificial intelligence takes over the repetitive tasks in digital marketing, it frees up human professionals to focus on the strategic thinking, creativity, and interpersonal skills that truly drive business success.

Analyzing big data

AI will also transform how digital marketers analyze and act upon valuable data to gain customer insights. The latest machine learning techniques can analyze huge datasets instantly to detect subtle patterns and correlations that would take humans months to uncover, if at all. AI will translate those findings into concrete recommended actions, such as how to improve a web experience to increase conversions or craft a social media content strategy tailored to different audience interests.

Key points:

AI will handle routine, repetitive tasks in analytics, content marketing, and advertising
Natural language processing will enhance AI’s ability to optimize campaigns
AI will enable marketers to focus on higher-level strategy and creative direction
Machine learning techniques will uncover valuable insights from vast datasets

Marketers can focus on high-value activities

By delegating lower-level tasks to AI, digital marketing professionals will have more time and mental capacity to focus on areas that AI cannot easily replace: strategic thinking, creativity, leadership, and interpersonal skills. While AI takes over the repetitive marketing work, humans will level up to the higher-value activities that lead to the biggest business impacts. In the next 2 years, this redistribution of responsibilities between AI and marketers will transform what it means to work in digital marketing.

New marketing roles will emerge

The influx of AI in digital marketing will give rise to new roles that utilize both AI and human skills. Roles like “AI Marketing Strategist” and “AI Marketing Technologist” will emerge as companies seek experts who can help them effectively implement and optimize AI tools to achieve their key performance indicators (KPIs).

Strategists

AI Marketing Strategists will help set the vision and direction for how AI can transform marketing strategies and campaigns, particularly in areas like ad copy, visuals, content generation, copywriting, and SEO. They will think creatively about how AI can solve high-level business challenges and require an understanding of the current and future capabilities of different AI techniques. The role will require an understanding of the current and future capabilities of different AI techniques and how they can be applied to areas like content generation, personalized customer experiences, predictive analytics, and more.

Technologists

AI Marketing Technologists will have a much more practical orientation, focused on integrating and optimizing the daily use of AI systems. They will have technical skills to help customize and connect different AI tools as well as troubleshoot issues, while also understanding overarching marketing strategies and objectives. But they will also need a solid understanding of overarching marketing strategies and objectives to ensure AI technology is being leveraged to achieve key goals.

The Tradeoffs

The downside, of course, is that as new roles like these emerge, some traditional digital marketing jobs will decline or change significantly. Positions that primarily focus on routine tasks in areas like data entry, analytics and campaign management are at the highest risk of being phased out or lessened by the use of AI systems. Professionals in those roles will need to adapt by developing new skills that AI struggles to replicate, such as creative and strategic thinking.

Further, marketing teams will need to make space for these new AI-focused roles. They will also need to invest in reskilling and upskilling current marketing employees to thrive in an AI-powered work environment. These shifts are undeniably difficult, however, they aren’t insurmountable. It simply requires investment in training and skill building.

These are some of the harshest realities of the new AI marketing economy. However, while the short term seems scary for many who have made their careers in areas that will be consumed by AI, the long term will lead to more fulfilling marketing jobs. Creative pursuits, strategic thinking, and leadership will consume more of the workday than tedious or monotonous job functions… And that should excite marketing teams everywhere.

Key points:

New roles like AI Marketing Strategist and AI Marketing Technologist will emerge
AI Marketing Strategists will focus on the creative application of AI in marketing
AI Marketing Technologists will integrate and optimize AI systems for daily use
Traditional digital marketing jobs will evolve, requiring creative and strategic thinking
Marketing teams will need to invest in reskilling and upskilling current employees

Over the next couple of years, marketing teams will experience a significant shifting of roles and responsibilities. The investment in reskilling and upskilling current marketing employees to thrive will also cause some short-term pain. However, with the help of AI and human professionals in these new roles, digital marketing teams will be poised to create transformational customer experiences, gain a competitive advantage, and drive remarkable business results.

AI will transform marketing analytics

AI will fundamentally transform marketing analytics by utilizing machine learning, deep learning, and optimization techniques. Many of the most sophisticated and data-intensive analytics that currently consume significant time, money, and human resources will become automated by AI systems.

AI will ingest massive amounts of data from all digital channels and then analyze that data in real-time to uncover key insights and predictive patterns. Systems will dynamically optimize content, campaigns, customer experiences, and product recommendations based on these AI-generated insights. They will also forecast the impact of changes before implementation, allowing marketers to make the most informed decisions in less time.

Key points:

AI will automate sophisticated marketing analytics tasks
Real-time data analysis and optimization will be powered by machine learning and deep learning
AI-generated insights will enable dynamic optimization of content and campaigns
Predictive analytics will help marketers stay ahead of trends and future performance
AI will handle data cleaning, report generation, and dashboard creation

Marketing tools will become much smarter

AI will be embedded into numerous digital marketing technologies and tools to make them far smarter and more powerful. Things like content management systems, marketing automation platforms, email service providers, analytics software and more will all integrate AI to enrich their functionality. This will allow marketing professionals to achieve more with less effort using AI-enhanced technologies.

Content management systems will tap into AI for automatic content tagging, personalized content recommendations, optimized content workflows and AI-generated draft content. They will streamline content creation and make it more data-driven and impactful.

Marketing automation platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce and Zoho will utilize AI to create optimized customer journeys tailored to each individual. They will determine the best sequence of messaging, content and offers to engage each audience segment and move them closer to conversion.

Automation of email, SMS and push notifications will become AI-powered. Email service providers like Mailchimp, Sendgrid and OmniSent will integrate AI for automated email personalization, AI-optimized copy and images, predictive engagement scoring to determine the likelihood of a recipient opening and clicking, and AI-powered resends to non-openers at the optimal time. AI will make email a highly customized, data-driven channel.

Analytics platforms and tools will feature machine learning and AI techniques like natural language processing, predictive modeling, and prescriptive analytics built-in. They will uncover key insights, forecast trends, and instantly optimize marketing performance. AI will enhance data analysis and make it achievable for non-technical users.

In the coming months (and years), digital marketing technologies will become infinitely smarter thanks to AI integration. The platforms and software that marketers use every day to do their jobs will gain advanced capabilities like machine learning, natural language processing and deep learning. This will allow digital marketing professionals to achieve more with the tools they already have access to and push the results of their campaigns further.

AI-powered marketing technologies will give brands a competitive advantage through optimizing how they attract, engage, and convert customers. The tools themselves will evolve into intelligent partners that help marketers better understand their data, surface key insights and make the best decisions to drive business growth. Digital marketing strategies will become supercharged through the infusion of AI into the technologies and tools at the foundation of their success.

Very soon, digital marketers will significantly enhance their marketing outcomes and efficiency by leveraging AI-integrated technologies. The platforms and software they use will become their strongest allies in gaining a competitive edge.

Personalized experiences at scale

AI will power hyper-personalized digital marketing experiences, content, and recommendations tailored to each individual customer. Using advanced machine learning algorithms that get smarter over time by analyzing customer data, interactions, and behaviors, AI will determine the combination of marketing messages, content, and offers that are most relevant and impactful for every person.

Every piece of content a customer engages with, every product they view or purchase, their browsing and buying history, demographic info and more will feed into their AI-powered customer profile. Their profile is continuously updated in real-time to craft digital experiences that match precisely with their current needs and interests.

For example, an eCommerce company like Amazon or Alibaba will leverage AI to make personalized product recommendations to each shopper. Even small brands on stores like Shopify, Etsy or eBay will be able to enjoy the power of embedded AI tools within those applications to retarget prospective customers. The specific products displayed and suggested to a customer will be based on their past purchases, browsing history on the site, products they’ve engaged with in marketing emails or on social media and other data points. The recommendations become more tailored to that individual’s tastes and preferences each time they shop.

Similarly, the content a publisher includes in a customer’s newsletter or the next blog post suggested to them will be chosen based on their profile. The topics, types of content, and brands that most interest that specific reader will determine what they experience. Each consumer will experience an individualized persona instead of being crammed into larger groups of “similar” buyers. Their on-site content recommendations and entire content feed on the website or in the mobile app become customized.

On social media, AI will curate each user’s feed with posts that are most relevant and engaging for them. The types of posts, topics, and influencers that a user most interacts with and responds to in the past will dictate what they see in their feed going forward. Their social media experiences become highly personalized.

Using AI, digital marketers can provide these types of tailored experiences, content and recommendations for every single customer at a tremendous scale. Hyper-personalization fuels customer loyalty, trust and business growth. The more that AI gets to know each customer through data and interactions, the more personalized and impactful the experiences become.

Within the next 24 months, the majority of digital marketers will rely on AI to deliver impactful yet tailored experiences, content and recommendations for each customer in their audience. Personalization at scale will distinguish the brands that gain a competitive advantage through customer trust, loyalty and business results. AI will make hyper-personalized digital marketing an imperative for success.

Investing in continuous learning will be critical

New machine learning and deep learning models are being developed for specific marketing use cases every day. This rapid progress will fundamentally change the skills and capabilities that digital marketing professionals need to achieve success. Ongoing learning and continuous skills development will be critical to getting the most from AI and staying ahead of the technology curve.

As AI takes over routine digital marketing tasks, the skills that will be most important for professionals will be creativity, complex problem-solving, critical thinking, and strategic planning. They’ll need to know how to identify the best opportunities to apply AI and work alongside the technology as a partner. Developing an in-depth understanding of various AI techniques, their use cases, and limitations will be valuable.

However, with the constant advancement of AI, digital marketers can’t achieve a set of skills and stop there. They must engage in continual learning through online courses, certification programs, on-the-job learning, coaching, and real-world practice. Staying up-to-date with the latest AI tools, applications, and strategies for marketing will require ongoing effort and dedication.

For companies, investing in continuous learning opportunities for their digital marketing teams will be key to gaining a competitive advantage. They need to give their professionals time and resources to build new skills, learn how to work more effectively with AI and evolve their capabilities in line with the latest technology capabilities. Otherwise, they risk falling behind competitors who are empowering their marketers with the knowledge and skills to thrive in an AI-driven marketing landscape.

The future is AI-human collaboration

The future of digital marketing will not be humans versus machines. It will be humans and machines collaborating together, with each playing to their strengths. AI will enhance human skills and judgment, not replace them, for the best outcomes. A symbiosis between marketers and AI will emerge to drive business growth.

While AI will take over many routine, repetitive marketing tasks, human judgment, creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking will still be crucial. Humans will oversee AI, set its direction, review and optimize its work, and make the final decisions on complex initiatives. AI will amplify human capability but not operate autonomously. The two working together in collaboration will achieve far more than either could alone.

The downside of AI: bias, privacy, and transparency risks

As AI takes on more responsibility for data collection, content creation, campaign orchestration and decision making in digital marketing, ethical considerations will be crucial. Customer trust and brand reputation depend on transparent, fair, and responsible AI practices. Issues of privacy, bias, and transparency must be priorities for digital marketing professionals working with AI.

Privacy is a top concern for customers and businesses alike with AI. As machine learning algorithms gather and analyze massive amounts of data to customize experiences for each individual, ethical data collection and use practices are a must. Being transparent about how data is collected and used for AI, providing controls and consent, and never violating customer privacy through data sharing or “surveillance capitalism” will build trust. The privacy implications of AI must be carefully considered.

Bias is also a serious risk that can negatively impact businesses and marginalized groups. AI systems can reflect and amplify the biases of their developers if not designed properly. Digital marketing professionals need to make AI fairness and lack of bias a priority to avoid skewing content, experiences or opportunities towards some groups over others. Ongoing monitoring and adjustment will be required to remove unfair biases and create inclusive AI practices.

With AI automating more marketing decisions and actions, transparency becomes essential for customer trust and brand integrity. Customers need to understand why they are seeing certain content or offers, and how automated decisions that affect them are made. “Black box” AI that lacks explanation will erode trust in brands. AI systems and their applications must be transparent, with accountability for the humans involved in their development and use. Explainable AI is key to ethical AI in digital marketing.

As you’ve heard consistently throughout this article, AI will play an increasing role in digital marketing in the near future. This makes the priorities of privacy, fairness, and transparency crucial for business and customer trust. Digital marketing teams need to build essential safeguards and oversight around AI to ensure ethical development and application of these tools.

Conclusion

The role of digital marketers and the tools they use will change dramatically due to artificial intelligence. AI systems will take over routine, repetitive tasks like data entry, analytics and campaign monitoring so marketers can focus on high-level strategy. New roles at the intersection of marketing and AI like “AI Marketing Strategist” will emerge.

AI will automate analytics, insight generation and real-time optimization of campaigns, content, customer experiences and product recommendations. It will transform how digital marketers make data-driven decisions and personalize at scale. AI will also commonly generate basic marketing content but human judgment will still be needed for high quality, complex creative work.

AI will significantly transform digital marketing within the next 2 years. Leaders will utilize AI to optimize the customer experience, gain a competitive advantage, and drive growth. Those who establish an AI-human collaboration and commit to continuous learning will have an edge in leveraging these changes for success. Marketers should prepare for AI but remember that creativity, empathy and judgment will remain uniquely human strengths even in an automated world. Ultimately, the future of the industry is both artificial and intelligent.