Working with an AI vendor: How marketers can take the leap

If you’re a marketer in 2018, it’s likely you’ve at least thought about using artificial intelligence to power automation in your company. How can you not, given the hype.

But what must marketers know before taking the leap?

“I think the terms [like AI and machine learning] are used super loosely and that ends up adding to the confusion,” said Siara Nazir, head of digital marketing for Autodesk. “I don’t think a lot of digital marketers know how AI is powered, what backend vendors are using, what is the algorithm is, what is the code … these are all areas that would affect the accuracy of the output. And if digital marketers don’t know that and don’t know to ask those questions, they are basically not going to be able to get very accurate with the entire experience.”

Nazir, who will lead a talk on how to use AI-powered chatbots to increase sales at our MarTech® Conference in Boston in early October, says that not every marketer needs AI. But for those who do, the first step is to get the AI provider and the marketing team on the same page.

“The person who creates the algorithm has to be able to understand the digital marketer’s ultimate purpose,” Nazir said. “What do they want to do? Do they want to get higher conversions? Do they want to get a shorter session that brings the customer to their ultimate answer quicker?”

Nazir says that marketers should also talk about the data. There should be discussions around the type of data the marketer should supply, and whether it should be structured or unstructured.

Ultimately, Nazir, like many of the speakers at this fall’s conference, believes that integrated internal teams will help marketers to get the most out of their AI investment.  At Autodesk, she says, they use a “hub and spoke” model, by embedding data scientists directly into the marketing team.

“There are so many nuances in digital marketing that the person has got to be able to understand in order for the execution of the entire project to be beneficial. Having a data scientist who has an understanding of digital marketing or is willing to learn is an asset to your marketing team,” Nazir said.

About The Author

Robin Kurzer

Robin Kurzer started her career as a daily newspaper reporter in Milford, Connecticut. She then made her mark on the advertising and marketing world in Chicago at agencies such as Tribal DDB and Razorfish, creating award-winning work for many major brands. For the past seven years, she’s worked as a freelance writer and communications professional across a variety of business sectors.