10 Ways to Skill Up for AI to Drive AI Optimization in Sales and Marketing

When put to use correctly, AI can be useful in everything from content creation, and marketing, to predictive analysis; Artificial intelligence can be a powerful tool through it all.

That said, AI is useful in research and gaining insights from your audience. Artificial intelligence can generate large quantities of information, but it needs smart and talented humans who can put the data into the right context. While the future generation will focus more on imbibing AI training and education, the ones who are already working in the industry feel they lack the required skill sets.

AI is considered to be a revenue generator. As per PWC, AI is likely to contribute up to 15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. However, as per recent reports, there is a huge skill gap among marketing professionals and they are unprepared for the advent of AI in their field.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the marketing and sales landscape. AI-powered tools are being used to automate tasks, personalize customer experiences, and generate leads. As a result, businesses that want to stay ahead of the competition need to start skilling up for AI.

Before we move on, let us have a look at the following statistics:

• A recent study found that 67% of global businesses are leveraging the skills of generative AI, but approximately the same number of IT leaders echo the sentiment that their employees are not trained enough to handle AI tools.
• Such an AI skill gap compounds a broader digital skill crisis. A global survey was conducted on more than 23000 workers. Out of these, approximately two-thirds of the respondents said they lack the required resources to learn digital skills to succeed in the current business landscape.

How do we fill the AI skill gap?

“The gap between our capabilities and what the technology enables and demands has widened,” Erik Brynjolfsson, director of the Digital Economy Lab at Stanford

It is time that we target upskilling. Upskilling is learning new skills for a new or expanded job function. In this context, learning new skills can become a bedrock of success.

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Here are 10 ways to skill up for AI in order to drive AI’s use in marketing and sales:

1. Marketers need IoT, Cloud, and Blockchain – AI can handle daily mundane tasks and can perform such tasks much quickly and effectively than the human staff. So, if a machine works on such routine tasks, humans should add a new skill to deal with the AI revolution. It will be valuable to stay updated with the latest technology so humans and technologies can coexist.
2. Content Generation – Generative AI tools like Chat GPT and Google Bard help to create content faster. Many content creators have already started using these tools. Now, content creators must understand AI-generated content is not publish-ready. They must refine it, and so users must upgrade themselves to learn more about.
3. Marketing – Marketers must learn to use AI tools and machine learning algorithms help their teams to analyze data, identify customer trends and patterns, optimize marketing campaigns, and other marketing strategies.
4. Sales – AI-powered algorithms and predictive analysis help sales teams to better understand their prospects. It is high time that sales teams learn about the right use of AI for their next campaigns.
5. Customer Service – AI plays a pivotal role in improving customer service. However, our customer support teams must know how to put AI to use.
6. Experiment with AI tools and applications. There are several AI tools and applications available that can be used in marketing and sales. Experiment with these tools and applications to see how they can help you improve your results.
7. Get involved in open-source AI projects. Open-source AI projects are a great way to learn about AI and contribute to the development of AI technology. There are some open-source AI projects available that you can get involved with.
8. Contribute to the AI community. You can contribute to the AI community in various ways, such as write blog posts, speak at conferences, or mentor others interested in learning about AI.
9. Stay up-to-date on the latest AI trends. The field of AI is constantly evolving, and it is essential to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in AI so that you can use AI to its full potential.
10. Be patient. Well, you must keep patience as you deal with AI. It can be overwhelming to go from scratch to becoming masters of AI. All we want to say is keep learning and watching what the present and future has in store. Eventually, you will learn to use AI to your advantage.

Wrapping Up

While generative AI is the future of marketing and sales, know that the human touch is not going anywhere. AI can never equal your emotions, compassion, and creativity. Technology innovations will not replace humans, but we humans should upskill ourselves to embrace these technologies to our advantage.

It is time we upskill ourselves for the AI revolution now and ahead. It will help us gain a competitive edge over others always.

Also read the following Star article by Salesforce’s Ketan Karkhanis:

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