The rise of AI (artificial intelligence) has left no corner untouched. From smartphone assistants to company chatbots, AI has seamlessly integrated into our daily lives. While AI is certainly not new (remember that annoying paperclip from Microsoft Word?), its recent surge has ushered in a new era.
The question is, how is it impacting your email marketing?
The Rise Of AI
No one has escaped the prevalence of AI in pretty much all aspects of life. From the Microsoft update that introduced an AI assistant on the taskbar to the adoption of AI in things like chatbots or productivity, AI’s influence has seeped into our day-to-day lives.
Of course, I can’t talk about AI without mentioning the big-name elephants in the room. Chat GPT broke records with over a million sign-ups in a week. Google Bard had a similar effect. Plus, when you search online, AI is there, too, without you ever noticing.
Microsoft uses OpenAI to power Bing searches, which makes searching feel more like a chat with a knowledgeable friend, providing a bunch of sources to answer your queries.
The bottom line is AI is all around, and most of us find it pretty useful, if not essential.
The Challenges Of AI
With all that speed and effectiveness, you might think AI is going to make traditional marketing redundant. And you might be right.
The truth is, we don’t know what the future of AI is in terms of marketing and being found online.
It’s an unfolding picture, and the way AI fits into our lives isn’t certain.
We do know, however, that there are challenges with AI – and those challenges may well be permanent ones. AI isn’t human. And as adept at learning as it is, it will never have some of the things that we have as people. Empathy. Compassion. Humour, even.
AI can’t replace people, especially when most people haven’t really got to grips with using it.
Not to mention that you run the risk of impersonal and vague content. The kind of stuff you’d immediately click away from when you realised it didn’t answer any of your questions and only went around in typical AI circles of general knowledge and platitudes.
Or, perhaps even worse, you could be putting out content that’s alarmingly similar to your competitors. Just think: if you’re all inputting the same data and prompts to AI, you’ll all end up with the same blog posts. All in the same voice. That certainly won’t do you any favours.
Marketing, especially direct marketing like email, is all about connection. And AI can’t connect the way a human can. Not yet, anyway.
Why Email Marketing Has A Promised Future
Email marketing can do exactly what AI can’t. It can connect people with your brand. It can tell your stories. Share your insights. It can be a digital expression of who you are.
Email is direct. It’s personal. It’s effective. And in the words of Queen Bey, it’s irreplaceable.
When done well, email marketing will set you apart by merit of being unique and you. With email marketing, you can tailor content for your subscribers, engaging them like it was a conversation between just the two of you. You can build that all-important relationship without the weird, bionic-feeling barrier of AI between you.
Your email list is vital right now. Because as more and more people use AI to search for answers, you can send them right to their inbox. It’s not a passive approach like online searches are. It’s active and direct. You can always be present for your subscribers.
A Little AI Can Go A Long Way
All of that’s not to say that email marketing and AI can’t be pals sometimes. From what I’ve seen so far, AI can be genuinely useful in business settings. You and most entrepreneurs can use AI to help with things like proofreading automation and gaining valuable insights.
AI can also be used as a springboard for email ideas, in the same way you might bounce ideas off a friend or colleague. As long as you’re not taking your inspiration directly from AI, which is ultimately repeating what others have already done, there’s no reason you can’t use it to beat email writer’s block.
AI isn’t the enemy; it’s all about how you use it while keeping the soul of your marketing intact.
Take AI For What It Is…
Ai is exciting, but it’s not the be-all and end-all. You already have the key to remaining relevant and essential to your subscribers, so keep up with email marketing because it’s going to be here for the long haul.
As we all navigate the ever-evolving landscape of AI in marketing, remember that your email strategy is a powerful tool. If you have questions or need help blending the strengths of email with AI, reach out. I’m here to guide you through the endless possibilities.
