At Marketing CoPilot we’ve experienced first-hand how ChatGPT has been changing how marketers think about content and how it is created. Although ChatGPT and other generative AI tools are already starting to change how we write, some of the signals from the tech industry suggest that they might soon be revolutionizing how people search for information and discover new things. We think this will have tremendous impacts on core B2B channels and may force marketing teams to rethink their channel strategy entirely.
Both Bing and Google have announced that they are exploring AI-generated answers to search queries, and in a recent webinar Marketing CoPilot held with Microsoft’s Keith Overa, he revealed that their research has uncovered many people would rather not have to browse through pages of search results. If taken to its logical conclusion, this trend means that SEO and SEM as we currently know it could change dramatically in the next couple years, and in turn would mean major changes for inbound marketing as a field.
No More First Page
While it is possible that some people will still use traditional search engines to get their information, recent statistics suggest that most people will opt to use AI search agents instead. Although some high-ranking pages and blog posts will make it through this great simplification, the reliable streams of long-tail organic search traffic currently enjoyed by many organizations may end up dwindling to nothing.
What does this mean for B2B marketers? It means that using AI to write three keyword-rich blogs a week is going to do absolutely nothing. It means that SEM is going to look very different, and possibly become even more expensive. It means that social media channels like LinkedIn are going to become very competitive. And it means that “outdated” channels like direct mail might see a resurgence.
Preparing for Possible Changes
As a digital marketing agency, Marketing CoPilot is already starting to map out different future scenarios to help us position ourselves effectively for the future. Luckily, our focus on high-performing websites that convert traffic to leads is something that will remain relevant, as well as our focus on marketing automation solutions that nurture leads at scale.
These kinds of “owned” channels will be very important, as they will represent the closest relationships you have with prospects and people in your industry. Having someone’s email on a list, along with their permission to receive messages from you, is something that has been a cornerstone of digital marketing for decades, and we don’t think that will change. If anything, bolting AI onto email workflows will increase personalization, allow for completely customized workflows, and further automate the channel.
Competitive Content Environments
At Marketing CoPilot, we’re also thinking about what AI will mean for content. As marketing teams being to realize, as we did, that artificial intelligence can double an organization’s content volume, the amount of mediocre content, and even good content, is going to increase dramatically. In such an environment, having a good blog post won’t help you break through the noise, and even a great blog post isn’t going to drive the results it used to.
Especially as AI allows creative professionals to extend their production capabilities and remix content for different channels effortlessly, high-traction content in the future is going to have to be not only very insightful, but entertaining and even cinematic. The tools already available, and the ongoing development of creative fields following a decades-long focus on STEM, mean that the bar for content is going to be very high.
Three Things That Will Remain Important
In our work with clients, the foundation of everything we do at Marketing CoPilot is centered around helping them develop a unique value proposition, adopting marketing automation technology to help them tend leads at scale, and aligning sales, marketing, and service to ensure that all stages of the customer lifecycle are handled with care. None of these things are channel-dependent, and when done correctly, they amplify the results driven by any given channel.
Additionally, we’ve been emphasizing to our clients and contacts that humans are not in competition with technology. Rather, we should think of ourselves as hybrid intelligences where the strengths of both human and machine are leveraged without sacrificing the essential contributions of either. This is something we’ve been talking about a lot recently, including at the Illuminate 2023 conference hosted by International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners and Commedia, on our webinar with Microsoft’s Keith Overa, and in our guide to content production with AI tools.
Another insight that Keith shared is that most workers are excited to automate the more repetitive parts of their roles. However, an organization that approaches this new technology with an efficiency mindset, rather than a possibility mindset, will discourage employees from experimenting with these technologies and making themselves obsolete. For roles that you can foresee being automated or heavily augmented in the future, it might be the time to open up career discussions with those employees to see where they would most like to contribute with the time they gain back from automation. You might be surprised at the opportunities your employees see!
Learn More About AI and B2B Content Marketing
What does the invention of ChatGPT and language-enabled AI solutions mean for B2B businesses looking to fill their funnel and grow revenue? In this short but detailed Marketing CoPilot AI guide, we walk you through what ChatGPT is, the philosophy you need to have when deploying it in your business, and how AI-enabled workflows can help you accelerate your content production. Download it for free here.
About Marketing CoPilot
Marketing CoPilot Inc. builds digital sales engines that help companies find customers and keep customers. Our proven methodology improves demand generation, resulting in qualified leads for your sales team. Companies that implement our program have reduced their cost of lead acquisition, improved the quality of their leads, and increased revenue.
We have worked with over 200 companies in the B2B technology and manufacturing sector to turn digital lead generation around. Our proven methodology to map your buyers’ journey to make an educated buying decision, has helped countless sales and marketing teams win. In today’s cluttered and confusing online environment, we can de-clutter your content strategy and get you on track to better sales results. Your website and web presence should be helping, not hurting your lead generation efforts.
