“It’s all happening so fast — and all at once. It’s literally nonstop.” 

This is how my friend Brian characterized the current influx of AI-related paradigm shifts over drinks a few weeks ago. This was before Sam Altman infamously proclaimed the death of creative work and my LinkedIn feed went bananas. 

So, is it true? Is it the end of human-powered creative development? Are we just doomed to become the button pushers for AI-fueled creative executions? 

B2B consumer expectations are getting more demanding all the time. As a result, brand marketing teams face unprecedented challenges. Budgets, performance demands, and the need to hit near-unrealistic demand generation topics all impact how brand marketing teams operate. The old playbooks no longer work, and brand B2B brand marketers are scrambling for effective ways to capture and retain the attention of their audience. 

2024 is already a big year for GenAI for B2B SaaS brands. More than 80% of B2B brands are expected to fully adopt AI solutions as part of their core operations structure. And about half of all B2B leaders are already using AI technology to accelerate their daily workflow — by a lot, according to LinkedIn ads research. 

If my LinkedIn feed tells me anything meaningful (and sometimes it actually does), there are a few schools of thought on the matter: 

AI is here to kill us. (Read: AI is evil. It’s going to take my job, my livelihood, and my state of being. Somebody, please feed my kids!)

AI is here to save us. (Read: Don’t even bother brainstorming or coming up with any new ideas. Just ask the bots. The bots know all. We worship at the altar of AI forever and ever. Amen). 

The reality is somewhere in the middle. AI is here. We can’t ignore it. Adapt or die. But it isn’t going to fix an ill-conceived strategy. Arguably, it will put a magnifying glass on your inability to understand your audience and customers. You can’t beat people over the head with content and expect them to follow you where you’re going. Regardless of who’s creating your content, it still needs to provide value and connect. 

No matter where you land on the matter, there’s no way around it: brand marketers need to be ready to embrace and integrate AI into their own workflows. To take it one step further, if you’re not already creating an AI-readiness roadmap it’s almost too late. 

5 considerations to help evaluate your team’s AI readiness

AI readiness requires more than just a list of prompts to help you draft daily blog and social media posts. You still need to understand what your audience needs, and build out content marketing campaigns that address those needs. Here are a few things to consider when evaluating your own team’s AI-gility! 

1. Data Accessibility and Quality: AI relies heavily on data. Is your marketing team equipped with access to high-quality data from various sources? Do they have the tools and infrastructure in place to collect, clean, and analyze data effectively? Does your team have adequate support to mine critical insights and transform those insights into excellent content quickly? 
2. Analytical Skills: There’s no question that AI tools can provide valuable insights from data, but they require human interpretation and action. Does your team possess the analytical skills needed to interpret AI-generated insights and execute those insights? 
3. Technological proficiency: AI technologies are constantly evolving. Is your team familiar with the latest AI tools and platforms relevant to marketing, such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems, chatbots, and marketing automation software? Can you make informed decisions on how to get the most value from these tech innovations? 
4. Experimentation and adaptability: AI-enabled marketing often involves experimentation and iteration. Is your team open to trying new approaches, testing hypotheses, and adapting strategies based on AI-generated insights?
5. Ethical Considerations: AI raises important ethical considerations, such as data privacy and algorithmic bias. Is your team aware of these considerations and equipped to navigate ethical issues related to AI in marketing?

Five steps to help you enhance your team’s AI-gility

1. Invest in AI development: Give your team a chance to show up with big ideas for this next phase of your content strategy. Give them access to new AI tech and applications, and create a roadmap for them to integrate the new skillset. 
2. Foster a real innovation culture: GenAI in 2024 is evolving quickly, but it’s still very much the Wild West. Empower your team to fail, learn, and grow as they try out new ideas within your content marketing practice. 
3. Build cross-departmental feedback loops: Foster collaboration between marketing, IT, data science, product marketing, and other relevant departments to leverage the full potential of AI in marketing initiatives. This will only make your content stronger. 
4. Ensure Data Governance and Compliance: Compliance is at the heart of an ethical AI content marketing practice. Establish robust data governance policies and ensure compliance with data privacy regulations to mitigate risks associated with AI-driven marketing activities.
5. Find a trusted partner: Evaluating your content marketing strategy through the lens of AI can be daunting. Build a team of content marketing experts who are committed to helping you thrive in your category by getting your best ideas to market as quickly as possible. 

As AI continues to transform the marketing landscape, brand marketing teams need to assess their readiness and take proactive steps to embrace AI-driven strategies. By investing in the right skills, technologies, and organizational practices, brands can position themselves for success in an increasingly AI-driven world. Is your brand marketing team AI-ready?

Ristretto is ready to help you make sense of this complex process. 

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