For as long as I’ve been in marketing people are always looking for the silver bullet. The short cut, the one thing that will deliver amazing results. Years ago it was the Yellow Pages, then it was social media, and now it seems like it’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools. But is AI the marketing silver bullet or by using it are you just adding to the plethora of bad marketing that is going on.
Like me, you may have been receiving loads of unsolicited business emails and direct messages through social media platforms. They are well crafted, correctly spelt and sometimes they even get my name right! They are on the increase. Having a well-written and polite letter in the right tone is a great thing to have in your marketing toolkit. Artificial Intelligence is being used to do just that from newsletters, blog posts, social media content and direct mail. This can be a game changer for those who can’t string a sentence together. I highly encourage utilising these tools. Afterall, we’ve been using AI in various forms for years doing just that with tools like thesaurus and spell check.
The problem isn’t with the AI itself, the message is great, it’s the method and execution of the message which erodes its effectiveness. People just over cook it. They get a marketing tool and go berserk. But where is the discretion, preparation, strategy and real connection?
Anyone can learn how to use a hammer, it doesn’t mean you can automatically build a house – no matter how many YouTube videos you watch!
You can’t just use a tool without knowing the principles behind how to create something with it.
When is Enough, Enough?
I guess by now as a business owner you would have received a LinkedIn ‘reach out’ or 20, 200 or perhaps 2,000 unsolicited emails from Fiona, Leila or Dennis telling you about this new B2B lead systems (which I’m sure are AI formulated both in their marketing reach out and also the product itself). They then send out a follow up second, third and fourth email. Now following up is good practise when someone has shown interest. In this AI scenario it feels like harassment with no unsubscribe button. It is just a system pretending to have a conversation with you but it’s all one way.
Every single B2B Lead company and I’m sure there is more than one – seems to be using the same system. It reeks of inauthenticity. Ultimately, this type of communication is ineffective and shows that the user doesn’t have many smarts when it comes to marketing. The real intelligence of marketing is not the well-crafted letter although that does play a part.
Great one to one marketing is more than substituting a name in a letter which we were able to do in the early 90s. We are so far beyond that. To be effective in your communication you need to understand specific information about a company or individual you are wanting to reach and use that in your communication. You also need to know what is the best method of communication for that particular person/business.
If there was more intelligence and less artificial the available AI Marketing Tools may just be a game changer. For now, in the email marketing space, they are just creating space junk.
So put more personal intelligence in your Marketing Artificial Intelligence.
- Do your research
- Does the prospect have a need for what you are selling?
- Does the prospect fit into your target market for example are they a business who are looking to upscale or expand? Do they actually have staff? Are they B2B or B2C?
- Find out how the prospect would like to communicate
Just sending email after email reminding about your previous email is lazy. If you want to get hold of someone try a combination of different strategies. DM, Text, Snail Mail, Drop-in or Phone.
- Work out a way to stand out from the Tsunami of communication. I know, maybe write your own communication.
For strategies on how to incorporate marketing AI in your business, feel free to reach out.
