Applying AI to an inefficient workflow with unnecessary approvals or handoffs won't solve the core problem. Teams must first optimize their manual processes to be efficient before looking to AI for automation. This ensures AI adds value rather than just automating existing flaws.
Instead of a scattered approach, Sprout Social's CMO created a dedicated "AI and Automation Marketing Manager" role. This person, with both marketing and technical savvy, acts as a central catalyst to identify and implement AI-enabled workflows across the entire team, accelerating adoption and impact.
Wrike's marketing team built an internal AI-powered content hub that stores all personas, messaging, and brand guidelines. This tool accelerated content creation across the board, reducing the time to create an SEO article from 3-4 days to just one day, effectively quadrupling the team's output from 8 to 25 articles per month.
Encourage broad AI experimentation and learning by creating multiple channels for sharing. Wrike uses dedicated Slack channels for quick updates, carves out time in monthly all-hands meetings for teams to showcase their AI wins, and maintains a reference library of successful AI-enabled workflows for others to learn from and replicate.
The build-vs-buy decision for AI tools hinges on risk and scale. Opt to "buy" when dealing with customer data, complex approval governance, or security requirements, as established vendors provide necessary certifications and support. "Build" is better for internal, specific use cases where speed and customization are paramount and data is not sensitive.
When every competitor uses the same AI tools, the technology itself ceases to be an advantage. The real competitive edge lies in the human marketer's ability to apply unique creative ideas, superior judgment, and refined taste to the AI-generated output, ensuring the final product stands out.
AI's usage-based pricing doesn't fit traditional seat-based software budgets. Frame it like a marketing program (e.g., paid ads). If increased spending on AI tools generates high ROI, it justifies a larger, flexible budget, shifting the conversation with finance from fixed cost to performance investment.