Can AI disrupt and transform the marketing industry? Four women business leaders weigh in

In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital marketing, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has created major disruptions for SMEs. 

With advancements in data analytics, personalisation, and automation, AI has the power to take digital marketing to unprecedented levels. Despite this, according to a study by the University of Queensland, which surveyed 17,000 people from 17 countries, most Australians do not trust AI in the workplace.  

From hyper-targeted advertisements to intelligent chatbots and predictive analytics, the application of AI in marketing has created new avenues for innovation and efficiency, but according to the government, Australia is falling behind when it comes to AI and business. 

With innovation and ethics top of mind, the inequalities presented by women are another AI risk, with women making up just 12% of AI researchers and 6% of software developers.

So, what do women business leaders think about AI’s capacity to transform or disrupt business marketing? Here are four leaders’ thoughts on the future of AI and how it could affect SMEs. 

Lana Weal, founder of Market Mindfully 

Over the next few years, we’re going to see major disruptions surrounding digital tools and AI in relation to how marketers work and content is created. Digital tools have been powering online businesses for decades already, and their capabilities are rapidly improving. AI is speeding everything up and is saving lots of time for people who know how to use it, but we’re still in the beginning stages. 

The main tasks I see founders use AI tools for are automating repetitive tasks, breaking down insights from data, creating content, or using it to support their decision-making processes. But the results created by AI depend on the inputs the tool is working with.

Despite this, AI is completely changing required work within marketing teams, removing barriers to entry, and altering the way users engage with marketing too. We’re already seeing a change in how we use organic search and the rise of voice assistant AI tools. SEO and organic search are rapidly changing too.

Some of the best use cases for AI and digital tools come from business owners solving a problem for their customers, which becomes an opportunity to showcase this and generate attention for your brand.

The applications and possibilities for technology and AI in business and marketing are endless. However, because there are so many opportunities it can be overwhelming for business owners who don’t know the return on their time, effort, and monetary investments. The success of AI really relies on the individual business owner, their access to tools, and their willingness to learn how to use them. 

Mia Fileman, global marketing strategist and the founder of Campaign Del Mar

Many times over my 20-year career I’ve heard, “this tool/platform/technology will change everything,’” and while some of it has, most of it hasn’t. AI will improve and integrate, but it won’t replace people. 

AI can automate various marketing tasks, provide valuable insights, and enable businesses to deliver personalised experiences at scale. It has the ability to analyse large amounts of data, identify patterns, and make data-driven recommendations, which can improve how small businesses target their audience, optimise campaigns, and make informed marketing decisions. But a lot of that is way off properly happening, as right now AI is mostly helping stretched-thin marketers with basic tasks. Marketers with solid creative and strategic skills will always be in high demand.

Before investing in any fancy tech and digital tools, small business owners should understand the foundations of marketing. Sadly, I’m seeing a lot of small business owners dive straight into execution and tactics, completely foregoing strategy. Digital tools are worthless if your business proposition isn’t strategically sound.

To be a successful small business owner, you need a growth mindset, curiosity and a willingness to throw out what may have worked in the past and start again.

Sam McFarlane, founder of Sam Says, Stand Out Social

AI offers many benefits for small businesses when used correctly and it’s being used in social media and content management already. 

However, given time, I believe users will see there’s a lack of creativity and human insight when using AI. As I always tell my clients, social media is about creating real human connections, something which AI cannot do. 

The main challenge with AI for SMEs is time, resources, and the finances to adopt new technologies. Small business owners wear multiple hats, they are HR, marketing, accounts, sales, and the list goes on. So, they’re often struggling with time to invest in new technologies. 

My advice would be to invest time into exploring AI, to find ways that it might be able to help with marketing, but don’t rely solely on it to produce content. One of my biggest tips would be to run any content you produce using AI tools through an AI detector tool such as Copyleaks. If the content is flagged as AI, it shouldn’t be used on your website (in terms of landing page copy or blogs) without being rewritten.

Maria Braun, founder of Mirabele Beauty and executive at Motor Culture Australia

Within the team I run at Motor Culture Australia (MCA), we have definitely implemented the use of AI to assist with rudimentary tasks, content writing and certain sales strategies. Undoubtedly, AI is rapidly changing the business landscape and will continue to do so, as has every industrial revolution in the past. However, there is definitely a risk to industries where AI might be able to replace certain skills. The approach I’m taking is to equip my team with the tools to leverage AI to improve productivity and optimise their output, so they’re empowered to achieve even more with their unique skills.

On the other hand, I also run my own business singlehandedly and so having the opportunity to efficiently create content, service customers, and optimise web design, SEO and outreach strategies with AI tools has assisted tremendously. Startups and small business founders are almost-always time poor, so tools that save time are a huge benefit. As a founder in the beauty industry, constant customer engagement and content creation is an absolute must, so AI can be a huge benefit in that respect. 

Leveraging AI technology allows teams to focus more on creative thinking and unprecedented efficiency, leading to positive growth and scale. Businesses should be more focused on how to leverage the incredible efficiency AI gives in an ethical way and train their teams to optimise prompts instead of fearing their replacement by technology. 

Lana Weal, Mia Fileman and Sam McFarlane alongside other women business leaders will discuss AI, digital tools and SME marketing at the upcoming Women’s Small Business Summit hosted by One Roof and Pin Payments this month from June 14-15, 2023.

Ruth Thomas is the founder of Changemakers Media + PR. The business owners interviewed in this article are not clients of Changemakers.