How Marketers Can Overcome AI Overwhelm

The AI boom is in full swing, but many marketers are still wondering whether AI is capable of truly delivering on its promises.  According to a recent survey of marketing leaders:

Companies are only using generative AI 7% of the time for marketing activities. Similarly, 10% have begun using Large Language Models (LLMs) in their marketing work, while another 20% have begun piloting these tools. 

CMO Survey

Factors like doubts about AI’s effectiveness and concerns about AI taking over human responsibilities may explain this lag in adoption by marketers. Some organizations may also be struggling to determine how AI can best support strategy or content production. 

Yet, the need for human perspective and judgment in marketing persists. Marketing teams have an opportunity to take a balanced approach to AI adoption and place themselves at a significant advantage as technology continues to evolve. 

By establishing strong AI governance and assessing AI integration holistically,  marketers can optimize key processes without sacrificing the human edge that drives effective brand interactions. 

Beyond Isolated Use Cases: Establishing Integrated AI Practices

AI can support marketing efforts in many ways, including competitive research, demographic research, video transcription, and content creation. But the multitude of use cases can make it challenging for marketers to assess if AI is actually driving efficiency. 

At AllCampus, we approach AI adoption with the goal of avoiding operational silos. Instead of identifying independent uses for AI, we consider how it can be leveraged across the content production lifecycle.

For instance, if we’re developing an SEO article to target candidates for a paralegal certificate program, AI can be used across teams to support the entire process, from initial topic ideation through the final draft. 

• Topic generation: Marketing strategists can use a generative AI tool like ChatGPT on the front end by assigning it the persona of a paralegal and asking, What are the top 5 issues paralegals face in their day-to-day work? to generate initial topic ideas.
• Keyword Identification: After receiving a topic brief from strategy, the SEO team can use AI to generate potential keywords and headline suggestions. 
• Initial Outline and Draft: Next, the content team can use generative AI to create an outline or even a first draft of the article, which can then be edited, refined, and fact-checked before being reviewed by the client.
• Persona Review: As an added step, AI can be assigned the persona of a prospective certificate student to critique the article and provide feedback. 

It’s important to note that the expertise of marketers is central to this process. Strategists may consult AI for topic generation but will modify outputs based on their knowledge of our certificate programs and the intended audience. 

Facilitating a 360-degree loop of AI use can streamline the content production process for marketing teams. But regardless of field or industry, creating a culture of understanding around AI must come first. 

3 Strategies To Promote AI Literacy For Your Marketing Team

While AI is already present in many organizations, some marketers may continue to harbor doubts about its usefulness. 

Targeted support from marketing leaders can help teams cut through the noise and identify the best applications for AI in their day-to-day work. 

Establish a Robust AI Policy

Effective AI adoption starts with a clear organizational philosophy. It’s not enough to tell marketers to embrace AI. They need specific guidance and instruction to explore diverse use cases while navigating risks. 

For example, potential data usage by LLMs opens new complexities for protecting sensitive personal information, especially in regulated industries like education or healthcare. An AI policy can outline approved tools and restrictions for uploading information, helping marketers quickly determine how to utilize a tool safely. At AllCampus, this top-down approach is essential for protecting sensitive student data and ensuring we comply with relevant standards.

As new AI tools are adopted, an AI policy can also help determine if practices align with organizational goals and standards around AI use. While the policy will likely be revised periodically, establishing a guiding document aligns team members and provides guardrails for marketers to explore AI with greater confidence.  

Support Training and Collaboration

AI tools are not always intuitive and their capabilities are expanding rapidly. In fact, 54% of marketers think training programs are important for them to use generative AI successfully in their role. Ongoing instruction on AI can help marketers understand its full potential, ultimately promoting greater adoption and long-term use.

A hallmark of AI is its ability to efficiently complete routine or tedious tasks, like drafting a blog outline in a fraction of the time a human could. The issue is, marketers may feel frustrated or discouraged if AI fails to deliver on the first try. Providing training on how to refine outputs with targeted prompts — or even asking the AI directly what information it needs to confidently complete the assignment — supports marketers to stay in conversation with AI, instead of abandoning it after the first draft. 

Additionally, consider creating a dedicated channel for colleagues to exchange AI tips, trainings, and use cases. Sharing ideas for optimizing repetitive workflows with AI can inspire new opportunities for cross-functional collaboration, helping establish cyclical processes for AI use in various workstreams. 

Maintain Human Oversight at Every Step

While AI provides a useful starting point, it cannot replace human expertise. In particular, the potential biases and errors generated by LLMs risk significant repercussions for brand reputation and client trust. 

Since AllCampus supports higher education partners, the accuracy of our content is of the utmost importance. This means if AI is used to develop a first draft, a marketing expert will always edit, revise, and fact-check the information. Similarly, if generative AI produces a photo library, team members will curate selections based on client preferences and brand guidelines. 

Ultimately, mediating AI-generated content to ensure a human touch, is simply a best practice for marketers, and should be embedded in any established AI process. To effectively connect with clients and target customers, marketers’ judgment and perspective must remain at the center. 

It’s easy to dismiss AI as an overhyped trend, but the value-add of generative AI tools and LLMs for marketing teams is too great to ignore. No marketer can risk getting left behind by rejecting AI use altogether. 

Establishing strong AI governance, providing learning opportunities, and prioritizing holistic integration will help teams embrace AI as a partner to their expertise, not a replacement. 

As AI continues to evolve, and platforms become increasingly AI-enabled, a foundation of knowledge can empower marketers to integrate AI holistically into their processes and drive powerful campaigns with new efficiency.