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How to embrace AI tools in B2B marketing

By Hannah Bowler, Senior Reporter

October 10, 2023 | 6 min read

Generative AI will significantly change the face of B2B marketing over the next year. But how can marketers use AI to help with their day-to-day jobs?

B2B marketers ready to adopt AI

AI is playing an increasingly important role in B2B marketing with its application already being adopted in areas like lead generation, market research, measurement and content creation.

According to a study by LinkedIn of over 1,500 B2B marketers, six in 10 are already using AI and three quarters plan to increase their use of generative AI in the next year. Not only are B2B marketers already underway in forging AI strategies, but 73% already feel confident about using AI tools.

The same research found that 74% believe AI will significantly change the way they work in the next year and 42% hope it will help them to be more productive.

Tom Pepper, senior director for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions EMEA & LATAM, says that AI is ushering in a new world of work and the tech has already reshaped the industry.

Here are his tips on how B2B marketers should be using AI in their jobs:

Focus on higher value work: “As companies look to stay top of mind and leverage creativity to build memorability among audiences, AI can give marketers a head start on day-to-day tasks, such as summarizing articles and videos, creating first drafts of presentations and providing access to information faster, so they can spend more time on higher value work like engaging customers.”
Jumpstart the creative process: “Marketers can leverage AI tools to jumpstart their campaigns, get instant inspiration, and remove creative blockers. For example, LinkedIn has AI-generated copy suggestions that can recommend up to five headlines and ad copy recommendations in Campaign Manager, which marketers can edit to match their brand’s voice.”
Reach the B2B buying committee faster: “B2B buying decisions are relationship-heavy, group-based (6.8 people on average), realized over a long sales cycle and innately complex. That’s why creating campaigns that reach and influence the right B2B buying committee is no easy task. Creating campaigns can often take hours, from developing creatives to determining targeting, placement and bidding strategies, and AI is a great resource to help in saving time.”

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Pepper adds: “We know that the majority of B2B marketers feel under pressure to deliver results quickly and AI can support them by removing the drudgery of everyday time-consuming tasks so they can focus on more valuable work that delivers impact – nurturing deeper relationships with customers and building memorable brands.”

Where else can AI be integrated?

Lead generation: collecting the data, managing the data and analyzing it is a laborious task for marketers but AI can be integrated into lead gen platforms to get faster and more accurate data.
Consumer insights: AI combined with social listening tools can help build stronger customer segmentation.
SEO keyword generation: on the market, there are tools including Twinword, CopyAI, Rytr and Bramework – and of course ChatGPT. They can compile a list of keywords that will help generate higher levels of traffic.
Customer service: AI applications like chatbots and interactive voice response (IVR) systems can be used for simpler inquiries, freeing up customer service teams for more intricate inquiries.
Website optimization: AI-powered tools like Google Analytics Intelligence can help scrutinize the performance of a website or app to identify problem areas.