We’ve only brushed the surface with artificial intelligence.
If you think AI is impressive now, just wait ten years.
On the other hand, some people tend to think AI is way more powerful and capable than it is at this point.
AI in 2020 gives us plenty of incredible tools and features to personalize, connect, and grow.
Now, the real question: Is artificial intelligence a threat to marketing and sales jobs?
Is Artificial Intelligence a Threat to Marketing or Sales Jobs?
Bluntly, no. Artificial intelligence tools aren’t nearing the point where they’ll remove existing marketing or sales positions. 84% of businesses already use AI – up from just 29% in 2018.
Even if AI manages to grip the content writing industry, marketing, and content creation, both still demand human ingenuity.
AI can, however, make the job of marketing much easier.
Instead of running over tedious data sets, session replays, individual heatmaps, and contact lists, AI studies and sorts everything for you. You can focus on the parts that matter most: Creating the content and reaching people.
What about sales?
If you’re worried about AI taking over sales, I’d encourage you to visit the websites of top companies that you know use AI. (Most do.) Browse their career pages, and you’ll see that 90% of them are hiring for all kinds of sales positions.
Artificial intelligence makes your sales job more efficient too. AI can detect subtle behavioral changes so you can know when to act on a lead and when to hit the brakes.
It would be foolish to say AI won’t eliminate any marketing or sales jobs. A few high-earners and low-earners could get cut as companies look to scale. But artificial intelligence also creates demand for new marketing and sales jobs.
Generally, artificial intelligence isn’t a threat to your marketing and sales job. However, it is smart to learn the top AI tools in your industry and adapt to change.
What are the Benefits and Advantages of Artificial Intelligence?
Don’t shoot to automate entire processes or departments. Artificial intelligence should enhance human marketing and sales activity.
Look for areas that demand a ton of labor power and time. Talk to marketing and sales about some tasks they’d like to see automated.
Better Lead Quality and Scoring
The typical lead generation and nurturing process are tedious and pretty outdated—most B2Bs focus on casting a wide net, scoring leads, and nurturing.
Artificial intelligence solves the lead scoring headache by instantly improving lead quality.
We’ve found that brands using Hushly’s AI engine, for example, see an increase in quality by 59%. On mobile devices, lead quality jumps by 86%.
Instead of collecting as many leads as possible through gated content, you only collect content details from leads who show intent in your product.
Focusing Attention on the Right Leads
Artificial intelligence also helps marketing and sales know where to devote their time, energy, and resources by detecting visitor intent.
Most buyers spend about half their time researching – whether online and off – and only 17% meeting with vendor sales teams.
Artificial intelligence lets you know where those touchpoints are so you can nurture leads as best as possible wherever the opportunity. You’ll no longer waste time on low-intent leads while high-intent potential buyers slip through the cracks.
Personalization At-Scale
Buyers spend so much time researching at their own pace. Unfortunately, most B2B marketers haven’t adapted their tactics to keep up.
Instead of creating an environment where leads want to consume more content and research, most B2B websites gate their most valuable nurturing tools behind a form.
Everyone knows as soon as they hand over that email address, you’ll use it.
They don’t want more emails in their inbox. They want your help to find the information they need.
AI lets you ungate your content so leads can self-nurture on your site.
69% of buyers say they expect an Amazon-like experience from your website. AI uses the same algorithms as Netflix and Amazon to personalize every session and gently guide leads down the funnel with recommended content.
Vetting and Verifying Leads
Most business databases are crawling with bad intel. It’s a serious problem that throws off your entire marketing strategy.
AI can help you verify lead data, and vet leads for intent before they ever enter your system.
Instead of letting everyone submit an email address, you’ll only collect emails from genuine business domains. AI fills in all the firmographic gaps. This is another reason lead quality improves so much when customers implement Hushly’s AI engine.
Leads are also more likely to fill out a microform as opposed to a full lead magnet form with firmographic details. So not only do you collect better leads, but you’ll collect more.
Preventing Abandonment
Typically, over 90% of visitors will abandon your website.
The right abandonment strategy can make the difference between landing a sale and letting those leads slip off into the void forever.
Instead of throwing up a form asking for a visitor’s email address, an AI engine uses a popup to offer personalized content recommendations.
How to Use AI to Improve Both Marketing and Sales
Over the years, I’ve noticed companies are thrilled to get their hands-on technology. But once it comes time to actually use it, they don’t embrace all the best features. Some might not even use the martech tools they buy at all!
If you want to incorporate AI into your workflow seamlessly, you need to make sure a few things fall into place first:
- Clearly defined roles and duties across the marketing and sales departments.
- Everyone must adapt to a growth mindset.
- Only pick the tools you need to accomplish certain tasks.
- Assign someone to study each tool’s capabilities and delegate how everyone should use it.
- Set clearly defined goals for your martech and team.
Let AI Help You Improve Lead Quantity and Quality
Adding an AI engine to your website only takes a few hours but delivers incredible results – instantly!
Hushly’s AI monitors every visitor’s behavior and makes content recommendations to guide them down the sales cycle gently.
See the Hushly AI engine in action now to learn how it works.
