Marketers is snowballing towards AI, according to the data
Marketing professionals are turning to AI, but the levels of adoption vary widely. According to Ascend2’s “Data-Driven Marketing Trends 2024” report, 11% of respondents are leveraging AI extensively in their marketing efforts, showing that these companies are already reaping the benefits of sophisticated automation, audience insights, and personalization capabilities.
At the same time, a larger group—35%—is using AI to a moderate extent, showing that many organizations are exploring AI’s potential but may not have fully integrated it across all marketing functions.
Interestingly, 29% report only minimal use of AI in their campaigns, suggesting that while some progress has been made, there are still major knowledge gaps and hesitance around more comprehensive AI usage.
On the other end of the spectrum, 17% are not using AI at all, pointing out barriers such as cost, lack of expertise, or concerns over data privacy. With 8% planning to adopt AI soon, however, the trend is clearly upward, due to broader recognition of AI’s value in marketing optimization.
Why marketers are slowly warming up to AI—and what it means for you
Despite the benefits AI offers, many organizations are still in the early stages of implementation. There are several reasons for this gradual adoption:
First, many businesses recognize AI’s potential for improving marketing outcomes, but they also encounter challenges like cost, integration with legacy systems, and the need for specialized knowledge. In particular, some companies struggle with the shift to data-driven decision-making, finding it difficult to overhaul existing processes in favor of AI-powered automation.
AI’s appeal is clear: companies that have embraced AI extensively benefit from superior audience insights, increased efficiency in managing campaigns, and improved personalization that scales.
This is especially relevant in today’s competitive market, where marketing precision and customer engagement drive business outcomes. As AI technologies become more accessible and easier to integrate, it is expected that the adoption curve will continue to rise, with more businesses embedding AI deeper into their marketing strategies.
The smart way to introduce AI—Start small, educate, and scale up
Introducing AI into your organization doesn’t need to be a massive undertaking from the start. Through implementing AI in smaller, high-impact areas such as audience targeting and personalized recommendations, businesses can start to see tangible results without overwhelming their teams.
For example, AI can help identify micro-segments within your audience, allowing for more tailored and efficient marketing efforts. Over time, as teams become more comfortable with the tools and their impact, the scope of AI usage can gradually expand.
Team education is a key element in smoothing the transition to AI-driven marketing.
Workshops, training sessions, and ongoing learning opportunities can bridge knowledge gaps, reducing the friction that often comes with adopting new technologies.
It’s also important to involve team members in the process, showcasing how AI supports their roles by providing actionable data and helping them make more informed decisions. When employees understand AI’s practical benefits, resistance decreases, and the organization can move toward deeper AI integration with greater ease.
5 winning strategies to nail audience segmentation with AI
Marketing teams face two primary challenges in executing data-driven strategies: 45% of professionals cite targeting segmented audiences as a major issue, while 32% struggle with real-time decision-making.
Modern marketing is complex, where both personalized experiences and fast, data-driven responses are key to staying competitive.
1. AI and predictive analytics create precision campaigns
AI is particularly effective at solving segmentation challenges through machine learning and predictive analytics. Through processing large amounts of data, AI tools can identify distinct customer traits, behaviors, and preferences that human analysis might miss.
These insights let marketers group customers into more actionable segments, making campaigns more targeted and more relevant. Precision helps eliminate wasted resources on broad, generalized marketing efforts, replacing them with highly specific strategies aimed at well-defined audience groups.
2. AI scales what customers love with hyper-personalization
One of AI’s greatest strengths is its ability to personalize marketing at scale. Leveraging Natural Language Processing (NLP) and behavior analysis, AI can predict what individual customers want based on their past interactions, making it easier to serve up content that resonates.
Tools like Salesforce’s Einstein 1 use these capabilities to tailor content recommendations for different audience segments, providing a more personalized experience without requiring the manual effort typically associated with such customization.
3. AI is your real-time resource for making smarter decisions faster
With 32% of marketers struggling to make real-time decisions, AI’s ability to deliver instant insights is a game changer. AI tools can continuously monitor customer behavior and campaign performance, providing real-time feedback loops that help marketers adjust messaging, targeting, and ad placements on the fly.
Dynamic adjustments make sure campaigns stay relevant, timely, and effective, even as market conditions shift or new data becomes available.
4. Let AI handle customer segmentation
Automation is another area where AI shines, particularly in handling complex segmentation tasks. Platforms like HubSpot and Marketo offer AI-driven segmentation that takes into account demographics, customer interests, and behaviors.
Automating these processes, marketers save valuable time and resources, while also increasing the accuracy of their targeting efforts.
AI-driven automation is especially useful for identifying patterns that manual segmentation might miss, making sure campaigns are more precise and better aligned with customer needs.
5. AI knows your customers better than they know themselves
Predictive AI can also be employed to anticipate customer behaviors, offering marketers the chance to get ahead of future trends. Through analyzing past purchasing data and behavior patterns, AI can forecast which customers are likely to convert, churn, or engage with specific types of content.
Insights generated here help marketing teams design more proactive campaigns that focus on high-value customer segments, ultimately boosting both customer retention and new acquisitions.
Here’s how marketers are using AI right now
Marketers are applying AI in several areas, including:
How AI is being used in marketing
While personalization is the most common application, AI-driven customer service solutions and forecasting tools are gaining ground as businesses see the potential to improve customer experiences and make more informed strategic decisions.
Still, 23% of marketers have yet to adopt AI for these purposes, pointing out the potential for growth in these areas.
Why you need to jump on board now and start using AI
AI is already proving to be a transformative force in marketing. Its ability to personalize experiences, improve audience segmentation, and facilitate real-time decision-making is giving companies a competitive edge.
Those that integrate AI into their marketing strategies benefit from more precise targeting, better campaign performance, and deeper customer engagement, while those that delay adoption risk falling behind their competitors.
Marketers looking to thrive in an AI-driven world should focus on two primary goals:
- Invest in scalable AI solutions
- Prioritize team education.
Scaling AI capabilities gradually lets businesses implement the technology where it matters most without overwhelming their teams. At the same time, educating employees about AI’s benefits and practical uses helps smooth the transition, setting the stage for more extensive AI use over time.
Final thoughts
As AI continues to impact the marketing, the question every brand must ask is: Are we moving fast enough to use its full potential, or will we be left behind by competitors who are? The focus should be on adopting AI strategically. How will you leverage it to outsmart and outpace your competition?
