The rise of digital technology for business and cloud-based touchless solutions gives life to intelligent marketing like no other. Amid all these advancements, one might wonder if we still need digital marketers in their workforce.
It is especially true since digital marketing is now more data-driven, technical, and employs advanced marketing strategies than past models. Today, digital marketers have such a high need with acuity in these modern marketing tools like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the like.
These modern marketing tools significantly reduce human errors and risks of failure in digital marketing strategies. Unfortunately, the demand for digital marketers that master intelligent marketing is not entirely met. This marketing automation is becoming a concern for most digital marketers as AI automation and machine learning in marketing is now the new norm.
Are Digital Marketers Still Needed Amid the Rise of AI and Intelligent Marketing? Share on X
Will digital marketers be replaced due to AI and intelligent marketing? Will they be outranked because of progressive technology?
If they do not adapt to these modern-day marketing tools and master digital marketing developments, then the answer may be yes, but not by machines, tools, or apps. Other digital marketers can be replaced who upskills and masters intelligent marketing tools to stay in-demand as digital marketers.
So how can you remain relevant and valuable as a digital marketer amid the rise of AI and Intelligent Marketing?
Why the Need for AI and Intelligent Marketing:
Task Efficiency
Marketing automation is needed by businesses to meet their time and cost targets more effectively. It also reduces errors in the campaign’s various components, such as preparation, scheduling, acquiring and cultivating leads, funneling orders, and content publication, communicating with customers, just to name a few.
Recurring Tasks
The majority of marketing activities are recurring, and automating the process streamlines the campaign and ensures greater precision. It uses AI and Machine Learning algorithms to help companies reach customers in new ways with personalized content.
Marketing Content
AI helps digital marketers discover what content is most effective, according to targeted customers’ behavior, for the best marketing results. Marketers may develop a greater understanding of what kinds of content perform well for their target audience, helping them share and create the correct kind of content.
For example, nearly half of millennials trust video content, so adding videos to your content is now the second most successful content marketing method next to blogs. A brand aiming at this audience can create relevant content based on AI insights.
Digital marketers can also use AI for content curation. YouTube’s recommendation feature offers video recommendations that may interest viewers based on their past behavior. Using a similar app allows you to recommend products, blogs, videos, and various other content based on users’ past searches, purchases, and engagements.
CRM
Marketing automation combines marketing strategies from your website, social media, email, eCommerce sites, and other platforms. Building campaigns that link and convert combine insight-focused CRM capabilities, a lead management system, analytics tools, and more.
Digital Ads
One of the best areas for artificial intelligence is Facebook, Google, and Instagram to have the best customer experience possible. Gender, age, interests, demographics, and other factors show users the most appropriate advertising that boosts conversions.
Big Data
Big brands that use marketing automation manage a comprehensive database full of valuable consumer data to draw accurate insights based on strategies.
Effects of AI on Digital Marketing Jobs
According to experts, warehouse, in-store, and customer service roles would be the most vulnerable to significant changes resulting from AI and intelligent marketing.
Many human workers in some factories have been delegated to AI. Although some human staff was deep learning machines or applications replaced some human staff, technology cannot fully outrank and phase out human resources, especially digital marketing.
Intelligent marketing tools still need skilled digital marketers’ strength and ingenuity of skilled digital marketers to integrate technology with wit, strategic planning, team management, and creativity to produce inning campaigns.
In the hands of skilled digital marketers, AI-powered apps come to life and wield content that hits all the pain points and preferences of a brand’s target market.
Digital marketers who master email automation, for instance, can do follow-up and produce content and promotion in bulk so that they can move on to other marketing tasks. Automated ads are also a favorite among digital marketers on platforms such as Google and Facebook.
Digital marketers and their teams are still needed to assess data, set the direction for every campaign, and continually improve customer experiences. A human workforce is still necessary to monitor if goals are being met, schedule tasks, write content, monitor automated ads, and set troubleshooting in motion.
One could not stress sufficiently the importance of digital marketers getting a clear understanding of the available resources, increasing acuity and skill, and keeping up with digital marketing trends that come and go.
Here are some skills you need to master to be a topnotch digital marketer in 2021:
Top 5 Skills You Need as a Digital Marketer Today
1. SEO
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the method of growing your website’s visibility to improve search-engine traffic. Search engines can assess a website’s worth and translate it into SERP (search engine results page) rankings using metrics in their search algorithm.
You should be concentrating on learning more specialized skills for sitemap growth, schema markups, and redirects in 2021. Digital marketers should also focus more on local SEO because it produces more targeted leads and more successful conversions.
Quality backlinks and search data must also be the main priority for any digital marketer. However, SEO goes beyond technical capabilities. Digital marketers must also be excellent in SEO, such as content writing or conceptualization, titles, meta descriptions, and more articles, a website’s UX, among other things.
Good SEO strategies get new customers naturally and increase revenues in the long-term so that brands can move away from Pay-per-per-click (PPC) advertising.
Intelligent marketing tools are available for free, such as Google Analytics, Google Trends, Google Search Console for indexing, Google Data Studio for analytics, Google Search Console for indexing, Google My Business for local SEO. Digital marketers can also go for other optimization tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Yoast.
2. Marketing Analytics
Marketing analytics measure how effective digital marketing strategies are via data analysis and uncovering clever ways of producing better campaigns.
A better understanding of how analytics work helps digital marketers better predict consumer behavior and improve user experience (UX). With a skilled digital marketer in your team, raw data can be turned into a successful digital marketing action plan.
Data is now more valuable and usable than ever, compared to traditional ads that had to resort to a lot of guesswork. Companies rely on digital marketers who can do market research to glean insights.
Furthermore, data cleaning and data interpretation must go together. Digital marketers need to discard incorrect, duplicate, or incomplete data to avoid obsolete and irrelevant decisions.
3. Brand Development
The identifiable public face of a brand is its brand identity. It includes design, logo, and color, aiming to imprint the brand in consumers’ minds. It also includes the ideals that a brand stands for, how a brand expresses what they sell, and how they connect with their customers.
Digital marketers must know how to do brand marketing because it lays the groundwork for all campaigns. It defines where the team will go, how they will get there, and what they will need along the way.
They need to represent best what your brand is all about, and at the same time, and effectively link the brand to its target market in a relevant and compelling manner.
A digital marketer must also develop a positive brand-to-consumer relationship. When a digital marketer can propel a company forward in terms of customer engagement, revenue, and brand recognition, you can say that branding is effective.
4. Content Marketing Strategy
Content marketing is a vital ability for getting past promotions and attracting the interest of consumers. Digital marketers must learn how to do content and keyword research, traffic analysis, and extracting competitors’ info and performance.
Skilled digital marketers should have an eye for high-quality content that is strategic and data-driven. It maximizes creativity in creating educational and engaging content that adds value to consumer’s lives.
In fact, high-quality content generates three times more leads compared to a PPC campaign. It significantly increases a brand’s bottom line.
Video marketing is also one of the most effective strategies for lead generation, engagements, and conversions, boosting it up to 80%. Videos are now a significant part of a buyer’s journey.
A staggering 86% of businesses utilize video marketing, which will only increase to 61% by the year 2016. A video’s success also increases customer confidence because it inspires them and strengthens their ties with the brand.
Digital marketers must be able to conceptualize, produce, even edit videos. Even if digital marketers do not produce the video themselves, they still need to be on top of it, provide vision, and make sure the video captures precisely what the campaign calls for. However, if you are a freelance digital marketer, it pays to upskill with new tips and tricks on editing videos. Hence, you have the edge over other digital marketers that can only conceptualize but not actually create content.
- UX Design and Web Development
UX or User Experience design is an important skill for digital marketers. A good UX experience means a website is user-friendly, accessible, and creates positive customer experiences. A good UX increases consumer dwell time, decreases bounce rates and boosts sales.
It is why UX design should also be a priority for digital marketers. It is crucial that you can integrate UX design into your marketing strategies to deliver unique experiences so you can outrank the competition.
Digital marketers must learn the best practices for UX design and upskill on essential web development. The goal is to make a solid long-term experience with consumers rather than just an excellent first impression.
Conclusion: Digital Marketers Are Still Needed in the Age of AI and Intelligent Marketing
Digital marketers need to recognize how technology developments can quickly shift. Stay track of the latest technology and trends involving AI and intelligent marketing developments to stay competitive.
AI is now more accessible to businesses and marketers. AI has a significant impact on customer decisions, resulting in data-driven recommendations, feedback, and support. Instead of being overwhelmed by technology, accept the challenge and keep on learning. Instead of being intimidated by technology, embrace the challenge, step up, and continue to develop your skills and proficiency to handle them.
It is never too late or too daunting to learn something new. Aim to boost your brand and fulfill your consumers’ expectations in this new normal economy using the best technology for digital marketing.
Recommended Read:
UPCOMING TRENDS IN DIGITAL MARKETING THAT YOU SHOULD NOT IGNORE THIS 2021
TOP 10 DIGITAL MARKETING SKILLS YOU NEED TO LEARN IN 2021
5 BEST ONLINE DIGITAL MARKETING COURSES IN 2021
General FAQs
With AI technology, marketers can spot microtrends and even predict trends. They can then make strategic decisions about where they allocate their budgets and who they target. As a result, brands can reduce digital advertising waste and ensure that their spend delivers the best possible results.
Artificial Intelligence has the ability to understand the needs and preferences of the consumer with the data it has already analyzed. By segmenting the audience, AI helps companies to understand what their customers want. It helps to predict the purchasing behavior of your target customer.
The scope is wider when it comes to digital marketing. Digital Marketing will remain as the most powerful way of Marketing in the future. But as the dynamics of digital marketing is changing every day, a digital marketer has to be agile, alert, smart and adapt to latest changes.
