News
The Gist
- AI and marketing. The Content Marketing Institute surveyed 1,068 content marketers for its Content Marketing Career & Salary 2024 Outlook.
- AI’s double-edge. AI tools improve efficiency, but at what cost?
- AI toolbox. Content marketers share their AI tools of the trade for 2024.
As the lines between artificial intelligence and marketing blur, marketing professionals across the globe are confronting an industry in flux. And as marketers grapple with career uncertainties thanks in part to the generative AI infusion into marketing, they face ongoing challenges to recalibrate their skills and strategies for an AI-driven future.
Researchers revealed these findings in the 2nd Annual Career & Salary Survey by the Content Marketing Institute, which tapped into the perspectives of more than 1,000 global content marketers to gauge the real-world impact of AI on this ever-evolving industry.
“To stay relevant in an AI-fueled world, marketers should sharpen their technology skills," Lisa Murton Beets, research director for the Content Marketing Institute, said. "In particular, they should learn as much as they can as fast as they can about AI tools that will make their jobs more efficient.”
Related Article: Why Marketers Should Stop Worrying and Embrace AI in Content Marketing
Marketers Juggle AI Enthusiasm with Existential Jitters
Writing is a foundational pillar of content marketing. At its core, the role is about communicating valuable, relevant and consistent information to a target audience, with the aim of establishing trust, building relationships and driving desired customer actions.
Generative AI technologies, such as ChatGPT and Grammarly, have become staples of the modern-day content marketer's toolkit, with a notable three-quarters of respondents integrating them into their daily operations. Yet, just beneath the surface of these advancements lies a growing apprehension about the future including fears of lower compensation (46%) and fewer jobs (45%).
With the advent of AI tools that write copy, respond to emails and brainstorm, some marketers worry that clients will second-guess the value of paying a team of experienced professionals to do what the latest AI can seemingly achieve faster and at less cost.
Earning less respect as a writer and editor is a big concern for 62% of respondents, with more than half (55%) who believe that content will become identical to that of everyone else using the same tech.
For content marketers, the top driver of engagement is “doing meaningful work” (81%). Because creativity is a big part of the job that many enjoy, the advent of writing-savvy AI could be a reason that nearly a third of respondents said they were interested in leaving their current position.
Related Content: 6 Ways Generative AI Is Changing Content Management
AI in Action: Inside the Modern Marketer's Toolbox
According to the survey, there are still 25% of content marketers who (gasp) are not using any AI tools at all.
As for the rest, they use AI tools like ChatGPT to help with various tasks, such as:
- 47% brainstorm new topics
- 46% research headlines, keywords, etc.
- 36% write drafts
- 29% proofread
- 25% outline assignments
Adapting to the AI Era: How Marketers Are Reinventing Their Relevance
In a swiftly evolving digital landscape, content marketers are strategizing to remain pertinent, with many emphasizing the irreplaceable nature of human creativity and the consensus appears to be clear — marketing professionals must champion their unique abilities, or risk being relegated to mere "order takers."
The survey highlighted that 48% of content marketers see mastering new technological tools as their top priority, closely followed by 42% of respondents who cited an interest in bolstering their data analytics and data science proficiency. And equally important — honing leadership attributes.
However, there's been a shift in focus away from traditionally acclaimed creative capabilities like writing, editing and multimedia creation. Why? Many in the industry perceive these creative domains as increasingly at risk of being commoditized by AI's generative capabilities.
Testimonials from professionals in the field underscore this changing mindset. One marketer shared, "Having picked up coding in just a couple of months, I’ve found it's transformed email marketing into a far more engaging activity." Another advised peers not to box themselves in, saying, "Don’t just label yourself a writer. Delve deep into understanding your clientele's enterprises; it paves the way for strategic thinking."
A noteworthy sentiment echoing across the industry is clear: those adept at leveraging AI for enhancing content creation and distribution stand at the threshold of greater career prospects compared to those who remain uninitiated.
Many content marketers surveyed believe marketers need to learn to advocate for themselves and their skill sets — elevating the creative and analytical skills that AI can’t approximate, for example. One marketer said, “We need to learn how to sell our content ideas or risk becoming order takers.”
Among those who view advances in AI as inevitable, many say honing their skills is a way to stay relevant and protect the value of their work. They’re focusing on developing forward-looking, “AI-proof” skills to complement creative ones.
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AI and Marketers Tango: Who Leads in the Dance?
In a world where the line between human and machine is continually thinning, content marketers find themselves at a crossroads. The rise of AI, while facilitating enhanced productivity and efficiency, also beckons an introspective journey into the very essence of creativity, value and human intuition.
The dance between AI's unmatched prowess and a marketer's inherent creative genius demands a harmonious synchronization, wherein each play to their unique strengths. For, in a landscape dominated by algorithms and data, the timeless allure of genuine human connection, creativity and strategic acumen remains the true north of content marketing.
“Marketers can stay relevant in an AI-fueled world by constantly focusing on how to bring their uniquely human capability for wisdom to bear. In a world where relaying or creating knowledge is a commodity, it is our ability to synthesize our human experience, available information in a real-time context, and insightful judgement, that will differentiate," Robert Rose, chief strategy advisor for the Content Marketing Institute, said. "What does that mean in the real world? If I might paraphrase Dr. Seuss — today you are you, and there is no one — not even AI — who is youer than you. Only YOU can bring what YOU bring to the world."
