AI is becoming a crucial component in reshaping the AEC industry, especially in the realm of marketing.
It is not an understatement to say that AI is going to dramatically alter the way AEC firms do business and deliver services forever. The impact that AI will have on you is incalculable at the moment. However, because of the nature of the currently available AI tools – specifically to generate text, images, videos, voiceovers, websites, and code in an instant and beyond human proficiency – it has the potential to disrupt your marketing team and efforts first. And by “first” I really mean right now. It is already happening.
- Text. Generative AI has already revolutionized writing from scratch, including editing, grammar, and personalization with brand voice and tone. Additional tools like chatbots and virtual assistants can automatically generate responses to customer inquiries, while content creation platforms can produce high-quality, readable articles, social media posts, and blogs. AI can also automate email campaigns by personalizing content, optimizing send times, and segmenting audiences to enhance engagement and conversion rates.
- Image. AI can already create and manipulate/edit imagery with simple text prompts, and current imagery analysis can provide accurate insights into visual content performance. AI can create or enhance original images for print or digital use, while image recognition technology can analyze user-generated content for context and brand mentions. AI can also automate image sorting, tagging, descriptions, and optimization, ensuring visuals are appealing and relevant to targeted audiences.
- Video. AI can streamline video creation, production, and analysis for marketers by automating the editing processes and providing actionable insights through video analytics. Automated video creation tools can generate promotional videos from text inputs, while AI algorithms can analyze viewer behavior and engagement, optimizing video content for better performance and descriptors for better SEO. Additionally, AI can personalize video content for different audience segments, enhancing relevancy and engagement.
- Voice. Voice synthesis technology can generate human-like or even cloned voices for advertisements, podcasts, or other audio content, ensuring consistent brand messaging. Moreover, voice search optimization tools can help marketers optimize their content and website for voice searches, catering to the growing user base that prefers using voice commands.
- Websites and code. Generative AI can develop websites from a prompt or sketch and can ensure optimal performance and user experience. AI-driven development platforms can generate code based on user inputs, reducing the technical barrier for marketers to create better or more personalized digital platforms. Additionally, AI can automate A/B testing and analyze user interaction data for better performance and engagement.
Currently available AI technology can automate approximately 25 percent of each marketer’s day, including your sales and proposal staff.
One easy exercise to do right now with your marketing team is to fill out a workflow matrix. Divide your chart into five columns with the following titles across the top:
- Generate (text, voice, image, video, website, or code)
- Process (text, voice, image, video, website, or code)
- Create ideas
- Complete tasks
- Interact with users (audiences, other employees, technical staff, and/or clients)
Then within each column, begin to identify marketing tasks that can be enhanced/augmented/supported with AI, automated by/delegated to AI, or replaced entirely with AI. This will give your marketing team a way to understand what immediate needs can be addressed today and what they can work toward as more advanced AI capabilities come to market. It will also give them a way to concretely build excitement about the possibilities and opportunities that will be available to the marketing team of the future.
AI within marketing dramatically reduces content creation/editing time, automates repetitive tasks, ensures real-time team collaboration, breaks down program barriers among creatives and technical staff, and provides valuable insights and personalization capabilities that can significantly enhance your marketing strategies and activities. All of the tactical ways in which AI can help your marketing team listed here also translate to qualitatively and quantitatively beneficial outcomes as well, such as retention/reduced turnover, improved employee happiness, better client and employee relationships, and less burn out.
AI is becoming a crucial component in reshaping the AEC industry, especially in the realm of marketing. The integration of AI in marketing transcends mere automation, ushering in a paradigm shift where strategic, creative, and technical facets merge, forging a pathway that is not only efficient but also ingeniously inventive for your firm, employees, and clients. By integrating AI into various aspects like text, image, video, voice, website, and code generation, it doesn’t just substitute human effort but enhances it, allowing marketers to break free from traditional limitations and explore new, creative, and strategic avenues. The future of marketing with AI promises an expanded horizon where “what’s next is now.”
Kristin Kautz, CPSM is an artificial intelligence consultant at Zweig Group. Contact her at kkautz@zweiggroup.com.
