With every new technology comes a whole mythology about what it can do and how it works. MARKETING AI® is no exception; while the novelty of marketing automation has worn off as businesses become more familiar with it, machine learning and artificial intelligence are still on the leading edge. Dispelling some of these myths before they get entrenched will give you realistic expectations and outstanding results from your marketing automation system.
Myth: Artificial Intelligence Is Entirely New
You’ve been using AI-assisted applications for years and probably haven’t noticed. Optimized ad campaigns, social media bubbles, and shopping suggestions rely on sophisticated machine learning to deliver information to you. What’s new for B2B marketers is the option to be on the other side, sending the information instead of receiving it. The necessary technology was inaccessible to all but the largest firms – think Amazon, Google, and Facebook – but that’s no longer the case. While AI isn’t new, access to this powerful tool is.
Myth: MARKETING AI Is Plug-and-Play
There’s a kernel of truth in many myths, including this one. The ease of using marketing automation technology can lull marketers into thinking they can install the software and see instant results, but to get the most from the system, you need to give it and the people using it time to learn. Marketing automation consultants recommend dedicating a few weeks of training time for personnel who will be working directly with the system. As for the system itself, a true marketing AI is more than just a collection of tools; it’s a new mind that needs an education before it can carry on an intelligent conversation.
Myth: Data Alone Is Enough
To learn, your MARKETING AI needs two things: data and a framework with which to interpret it. Without algorithms defining how data will be processed, stored, retrieved, and analyzed, your system isn’t able to make sense of the information it contains. If you had a library’s worth of books but no shelving or classification system, you’d be hard pressed to find the book you wanted, and that’s what happens when you have raw data without useful algorithms.
Conversely, algorithms without data are an empty library. The shelves and the signs are there, but the information’s missing. You and your marketing automation manager can develop a data management playbook that defines the initial structure of your AI’s mind. Over time, you’ll refine those early algorithms to create a far more powerful marketing automation system.
Myth: Marketing Automation Is Impersonal
While your MARKETING AI may not be as cuddly as BB-8, it’s warmer and friendlier than your leads might think. Automation facilitates personal connections rather than getting in their way. By handling routine tasks, your MARKETING AI frees you to focus on customer service and communication. It starts conversations with your leads and gives you space and time to continue them. Nothing matches the degree of customization your marketing automation system gives your prospects.
Myth: Machines and People Learn the Same Way
When we talk about machine learning, we’re describing a very different process than what goes on in your mind when you study a new language or take violin lessons. As intelligent as your marketing AI can be in some ways, it takes human insight to make full use of its capabilities. That’s where your marketing automation consultant comes in. With a marketing AI manager, you and your system learn in your different ways together, forming a brain-trust that’s far greater than the sum of its parts.
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