Technology and automation are not something to be feared by marketers, but rather embraced as support resources. Technology and data insights will only strengthen the value of marketers. Most B2B sales and marketing teams typically operate in a linear fashion. Marketing engages prospective buyers early in their buying journey, qualifying their readiness for sales rep participation through content nurturing.
Once those leads have been designated as “marketing qualified”, individual sellers take charge and seek out those leads through in-person or virtual interactions. In between is “handover”, where marketing passes the baton to sales, and online customer engagement gives way to in-person customer engagement. It is true that some marketing jobs will disappear due to AI, but AI will also improve some marketing work and create new jobs. AI was once just a buzzword, but it is now a reality that virtually every industry relies heavily on marketing automation solutions. In twenty years, marketing will no longer be just marketing, but will be rebranded around customer experiences and CXO will lead the charge.
Marketers will no longer manage a team of digital marketers, but rather a team of marketers who know digital. A good marketing agent can make the difference between a company taking off and filing for bankruptcy. Even in more advanced approaches to “account-based marketing”, that linear physics remains virtually indisputable. The power of email marketing lies in its ability to deliver personalized experiences to the right people at the right time. Therefore, digital marketers are increasingly using this digital marketing tool and instead focus more on using other types of digital marketing strategies that can create more leads.
Because marketing really relies more on experience than messaging potential customers, the CXO role will reinforce this change. While email marketing isn't something new, it's still alive and well and far from dead by the numbers. Most marketers have recognized the user's concern to deviate from these banner ads rather than focusing on the main reason they visited a given website. We are aware that marketing jobs change over time, just like in all other industries. IBM's Watson for Marketing, for example, uses artificial intelligence bots to analyze its business and that of its closest competitors. In conclusion, technology and automation are not something to be feared by marketers; rather they are our support resources.
AI is now real and working in virtually every industry, from insurance to construction. In twenty years, marketing will no longer be just marketing but will be rebranded around customer experiences and CXO will lead the charge. Email marketing is still alive and well and far from dead by the numbers.
