There’s been a wealth of new technologies over the past several years that have quickly changed the way businesses communicate with and market to their customers. With growing interest in augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence—including the most recent boom in generative AI—marketers are often finding themselves eager yet overwhelmed when it comes to adopting these new technologies into their current marketing strategies.
And while teams are sure to reap a number of benefits from this tech, they also face a number of challenges. Whether it’s a lack of education or skills, distrust or an issue of cost, the members of Forbes Communications Council have 12 insider tips for implementing new technologies into your marketing strategy and overcoming any obstacles you may face while doing so.
1. Start With The Right Mindset
Implementing technologies like AR, VR or AI without the right mindset is like flying an Airbus with a motorcycle license: You risk missing out on the benefits or carrying inefficiencies into the next level. This is why it is important to align the mindset with the tools, adjust expectations and ensure these technologies fit the company’s purpose while managing the complexity of integration. – Svetlana Stavreva
2. Focus On Education And Improving Tech Literacy
In my opinion, a huge hurdle across teams centers on tech literacy. We don’t know what we don’t know and sacrifice proper implementation for the promise of innovation. Often, this is further complicated by a desire to be “first,” pushing teams to operate in silos and forcing retroactive integration of new technologies into existing operations. – Nadia Khatri, Bristol Myers Squibb
3. Incorporate Smaller, More Cost-Effective Solutions First
A current struggle is the high cost of integrating AI tools into our marketing strategy. While AI can greatly enhance efficiency, the initial investment feels daunting. To tackle this, we’ve started small, incorporating cost-effective AI solutions for tasks like automated customer segmentation. This has allowed us to demonstrate tangible benefits before committing to larger-scale implementations. – Lauren Parr, RepuGen
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4. Take A Generational Approach To Training
Gaps in staff skills, specifically generational learning curves, are a challenge. Meet people where they are in terms of how they learn, and leverage the technology itself to aid in workforce upskilling. Taking a generational approach to training will ensure you bring everyone along at their own pace. Also, recognize that senior leaders who have support teams can receive modified coaching that makes sense. – Stephanie Johnson, BrandDNA Group
5. Foster A Culture Of Innovation And Efficiency
One key challenge is ensuring new technologies integrate seamlessly with the innovative vision of the company. It’s not just a marketing initiative, as it requires alignment across all departments. We should focus on promoting a culture of innovation and efficiency across the company, as well as cross-functional collaboration, to ensure these technologies are accepted and adopted, driving collective success. – Suneeta Motala, Stewards Investment Capital
6. Prove The Technology’s Benefits To Your Team
One struggle with implementing AI or AR/VR in our marketing strategy has been the resistance to change and the learning curve. Some team members worry these tools will complicate workflows. To address this, we’ve provided hands-on training and demonstrated how these technologies can streamline tasks and enhance creativity, helping to ease adoption and build confidence in their use. – Alaattin Kilic, Visa Franchise
7. Prioritize Process Mapping
The challenge lies in assuming technology will solve all problems and setting unrealistic expectations. So, we map existing processes first. This allows for the strategic application of technology to enhance outcomes. Neglecting the process leads to suboptimal results, even with powerful tools like AI. Prioritizing process mapping, then leveraging technology for maximum impact, helps. – Kayla Spiess, Searce
8. Show Collaboration Between Technology And Creativity
One struggle that marketers face is creating understanding and acceptance among their teams that creativity can flourish with AI. Finding the right tools that augment marketing outcomes while preserving human ingenuity in creative decisions is paramount. We can overcome this challenge by developing a culture that highlights the collaboration between technology and creativity. – Arnav Sharma, Tech Mahindra
9. Focus On Pilot Projects That Target Specific Use Cases
Balancing innovation with practicality is a constant challenge. While emerging technologies offer immense potential for immersive customer experiences, the cost and complexity of implementation can be daunting. We focus on pilot projects that target specific use cases with clear ROI potential. By starting small and measuring results rigorously, we can build a business case for larger-scale adoption. – Patrick Ward, NanoGlobals
10. Ensure Tech Enhances The End-User Experience
Our primary challenge in integrating AR/VR and AI lies in ensuring they actually enhance the end-user experience in the marketing campaign. We do this by giving a customer-centric design to the whole marketing experience while leveraging data for tailored applications. We also conduct heavy A/B testing and iterating before launch. All ideas are put through this framework and tied to a clear KPI outcome for success. – Sahil Sethi, Freshworks
11. Leverage Experts In The Field
Integrating AR/VR and AI into our marketing has been challenging due to compatibility issues with current systems and limited customer access to necessary tech. When addressing this, we’ve taken a gradual approach, experimenting with small-scale pilots and working with experts in these fields. This could help us refine our strategy and avoid the risks of diving into large-scale implementations too quickly. – Cade Collister, Metova
12. Maintain Focus On Core Goals While Experimenting
There’s always a shiny new object for marketers to chase, but the real challenge is ensuring you have the resources to execute without losing focus on core goals. With new tech like AR, VR or AI, it’s about balancing priorities. I approach them as experiments—starting small, tracking results and staying flexible to adapt without overwhelming the team. – Elizabeth Pigg, That’s it. Nutrition, LLC
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