BY TONY FONTANA
You don’t have to look far to find stories about the many ways AI is better, faster, or smarter at work. Sure, the AI marketing machine may be adept at crunching campaign data to forecast future outcomes. But what good are those metrics without content or campaigns that deliver creativity, empathy, and the emotional depth to build connections and inspire people to take action in the first place?
As we all try to wrap our heads around how our future selves will adapt in the age of AI, here’s a snippet from SmartBrief’s Getting Smarter Together: Trends in AI for B2B Marketing blog post that may help put things into perspective:
Purposeful utilization of AI starts with people, not technology, with an outside-in, customer-first perspective of the role that AI will play across buyer and customer interactions. B2B marketing leaders must understand where and how to apply AI capabilities based on strategic initiatives to harmonize the work of marketer and machine.
In the wide range of outcomes that are possible with AI, there’s one certainty: people are the conductors of the AI machine. Harmony is reached when both are working smarter together, and B2B marketers are leading the way with their unique set of skills that can’t be replaced by AI.
Leveling Up Marketing Skills for the AI Age
A March 2024 episode of Forrester’s “What It Means” podcast touched on an important question: “What skills and competencies will B2B marketers need most to succeed in the future?” We’ll cut to the chase: the attributes that differentiate people in the workplace—our hard and soft skills—are also the characteristics that set humans apart from AI.
Related: The Bundled Benefits of B2B Podcasting
Many of the in-demand skills “of the future” have … (drumroll) … been around for some time. While some of the inputs may be new (I’m looking at you, Rob Ott), many of these skills are staples for any great B2B marketer (interpersonal connections and professional presence matter, y’all).
Hard skills 🤝 soft skills: Expertise in data analysis, content management systems and coding, customer relationship management software, graphic design, social media management, and writing for email or SEO are on the short list of essential technical or “hard” skills for B2B marketers. Automation may make some of these areas more efficient, but they all require a human touch that differentiates companies in a competitive B2B landscape.
How do these qualities show up in the workplace? In the podcast, Forrester’s Katy Tynan, VP, Principal Analyst, talked about the connective tissue between skills, competencies, and capabilities: “Skills are really the atomized elements of a competency; a competency is what has business value; and people with competencies make up the capability.”
In other words, the fundamental characteristics that make us human—how we think, act, or feel—are qualities that machines can’t replicate or replace. To bring this point home, Tynan mentioned some tried-and-true, high-value traits that make a difference for B2B human marketers today and will continue to do so in the future. (Spoiler: These are all things that humans are intrinsically better at than AI).
Public speaking: From PowerPoint presentations to delivery techniques, businesses rely on people to convey their business acumen, inspire others, and speak confidently about the company’s value propositions, impact, and vision.
Leadership skills: These include building strong relationships, forging consensus, resolving conflicts, influencing others, and more. We know from firsthand experience that our colleague Rob Ott can’t do any of that.
Soft skills: It’s no surprise that these are also known as “people skills.” Greater emotional intelligence, creativity, clear written and oral communication, resourcefulness—according to LinkedIn, these age-old fundamentals and human-centric interpersonal skills are still the most in demand in 2024. Soft skills and competencies are business critical, even in the age of AI.
At the end of the day, marketing boils down to creating authentic human-to-human connections with your customers (and your colleagues).
Related: We’re All Human, Even in B2B Marketing
Adaptability Is the Name of the Game
Without a doubt, B2B marketers are facing new realities because of emerging technology. Generative AI is the newest realm that B2B marketing teams must upskill. And like the new machines or technology that came before it, people will remain as the pivot point for realizing AI’s potential.
Machines can make us more efficient and productive and can identify patterns or trends that marketers may not spot on their own. It’s the human touch of B2B marketers and our ability to interpret, contextualize, and adapt that AI can’t touch. Change in the world of work is constant, and the B2B marketers who embrace it with curiosity will rise to the top.
How is your team upskilling and embracing AI technology to maintain a competitive edge? Let us know in the comments.