Using AI To Enhance B2B Marketing Strategies & Business Results

It's been almost a year since we published "The State of Artificial Intelligence From SyncShow Experts." In the last year, advancements in generative artificial intelligence (AI), predictive analytics, and natural language processing (NLP) have let B2B marketers explore how this tech can give them a competitive edge. According to McKinsey, “If 2023 was the year the world discovered generative AI, 2024 is the year organizations truly began using — and deriving business value from — this new technology.” 

AI tools are no longer limited to chatbots or recommendation engines. They now play a part in everything from lead scoring to customer segmentation, optimizing touchpoints throughout the buyer's journey. McKinsey reports that the functions that saw the most significant increase in the adoption of AI this year were sales and marketing. Why? The vast majority of B2B marketing and sales leaders who started using AI in 2024 report that they expect to see "improved efficiency, top-line growth, and customer experience." It's really not a question of "if" B2B leaders should adopt AI. It's more a question of "when" and "how." 

The AI revolution in B2B marketing is advancing faster than anticipated. It's transforming how marketers engage with customers, optimize campaigns, and make data-driven decisions. We're only at the tip of the iceberg, with countless applications yet to be explored. Those who adopt AI today are pioneers, gaining a competitive edge by streamlining operations, uncovering insights, and enhancing personalization. 

However, new technology comes with risks. These include data privacy concerns, ethical dilemmas, and a potential over-reliance on automation. Leaders must implement AI thoughtfully and responsibly. Early adopters of AI now stand as proactive innovators, ready to thrive in a competitive marketplace. This is one of the most exciting yet challenging times in B2B sales and marketing, as each new advancement brings both opportunities and disruptions. 

Our Philosophy on AI's Role in B2B Marketing

At SyncShow, we believe AI should empower humans, not replace them. AI frees marketers to focus on creative, strategic work by automating mundane tasks and streamlining manual processes. AI tools generate ideas and insights faster. This makes creative work more accessible. Now, staff across your organization can contribute meaningfully. Those with specialized skills can harness AI to elevate their expertise and become true experts in their fields. Yet, the human element remains essential. We must guide AI with authentic expertise, thought leadership, and rigorous fact-checking. In our view, AI is not a replacement but an influential collaborator in B2B sales and marketing teams. 

So Many Tools, So Little Time

AI comes in many forms, each with specialized functions that empower B2B marketers to work smarter and more efficiently. Understanding the different types of AI technologies — and how they integrate into your marketing platforms and strategies — helps you unlock their full potential and stay ahead of the curve.

Machine Learning

Machine learning algorithms analyze data and improve outputs over time through experience. These systems identify patterns and trends that inform decision-making and optimize processes. For example, search engines use machine learning to offer deeper insights, while HubSpot employs it for workflow automation.

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Through NLP, machines can understand and generate human language, making interactions more seamless. Tools like Grammarly improve writing quality, and HubSpot chatbots provide real-time customer support for a more engaging experience.

Generative AI

Generative AI creates new content (text, images, or code), giving marketers innovative ways to engage audiences. Solutions like ChatGPT and Jasper help generate personalized messages and blog posts, speeding up content creation. 

Predictive AI

Predictive AI analyzes historical data to forecast the future. It helps marketers anticipate trends and customer behavior. Software like Marketo uses predictive lead scoring to find high-value prospects. 6sense analytics provide insights for targeted campaigns and better sales alignment.

While AI has transformed B2B marketing by streamlining processes and engaging audiences, the rapid adoption of AI also presents challenges. In the next section, we'll explore the potential pitfalls of AI and our suggestions for addressing them.

Potential Pitfalls & Risks of AI in B2B Marketing (and What To Do About It)

Data Privacy & Security

As AI technology advances, so do concerns about data privacy and security. Generative AI tools trained on internet data may inadvertently memorize personal information, raising ethical and legal questions that leaders should proactively address.

What To Do About It

• Regular Audits: Conduct periodic assessments of your AI systems' compliance with data protection regulations and identify any vulnerabilities.
• Implement Access Controls: Limit your teams' access to sensitive data and AI tools, ensuring that both the tools and the people using them adhere to security protocols.
• Be Data Selective: Use only the data necessary for your AI applications, avoiding the inclusion of personally identifiable information (PII) unless absolutely required.
• Be Transparent: Communicate openly with stakeholders about how AI systems collect, use, and protect data.
• Host Locally: Consider hosting AI tools on local servers rather than in the cloud to maintain greater control over data security.
• Create Your AI Policy and Philosophy: Establish clear guidelines on the ethical use of AI within your organization, prioritizing data protection and responsible AI practices.

Bias

AI models reflect the data used to train them so biased datasets can lead to biased outputs and decision-making processes. This can harm your company's reputation and effectiveness.

What To Do About It

• Trust Your Inputs - Manual and Automated: Your data inputs for training AI models must be accurate and unbiased.
• Monitor Outputs: Regularly assess the outputs of your AI systems for signs of bias or unfair treatment.
• Use the Right Training Dataset: Carefully select diverse datasets representing various perspectives to minimize bias in AI training.
• Build a Diverse Team: Include staff from varied backgrounds in your AI development for oversight and to reduce blind spots.

Homogenization of Output

While AI can enhance individual creativity, it also has the potential to homogenize creative outputs. This limitation can result in a lack of diversity in innovative ideas and perspectives.

What To Do About It

• Own Your Inputs and Originating Datasets: Use diverse inputs to inspire varied outputs from your AI systems.
• Make Sure You’re Properly Prompting: Provide specific and creative prompts to guide AI systems toward producing innovative content.
• Be a Critic: Evaluate all AI outputs. Encourage diverse views in your team to foster originality. 

“Hallucinations”

AI can fabricate facts, misinterpret information, or generate incoherent text — a phenomenon known as "hallucinations." These issues can become more prevalent with complex models trained on larger datasets. 

What To Do About It

• Give Clear Instructions: All AI systems must receive precise and unambiguous input to guide their output generation.
• Use Relevant, Limited, Accurate Data Inputs: Feed AI systems only relevant, verified data. This reduces the risk of hallucinations.
• Question AI with Its Own Double-Check: Make your models check their outputs against reliable sources or past outputs.
• Test and Refine the Model: Continuously assess output and make necessary adjustments to improve accuracy.
• Human Review: Incorporate a human review step to catch errors.

Intellectual Property Law 

The convergence of intellectual property law and AI presents important questions. Currently, it's considered fair use to train AI models using existing materials. However, increased legal scrutiny could change how we use AI. This is especially true if rulings require companies like OpenAI to license all training content.

What To Do About It

• Take a Hands-Off Approach: For now, if you want your work to be copyright-protected, don't rely on generative AI to create it.
• Stay Informed: Staying informed and compliant with intellectual property regulations will be crucial for B2B marketers using AI. 

While AI offers transformative potential for B2B marketing, understanding and navigating these pitfalls thoughtfully is essential. Responsible AI use will be critical in harnessing its benefits while mitigating risks.

How We’re Using AI in B2B Marketing Today

Given the explosion of AI tools in B2B sales and marketing, you may wonder where to start. Here’s how SyncShow is leveraging AI for clients and our own strategies today.

For branding and communications, we use AI to develop robust brand strategies and guidelines. We use AI to create thought leadership and PR strategies. It helps us diversify outreach by executing detailed prospect research. Our team conducts competitive analysis, positioning, segmentation, and targeting strategies using AI tools in product marketing. We also craft detailed personas and buyer's journeys with help from AI. For content marketing, we use AI to ideate content themes, by auditing and analyzing trends that align with our clients’ audience interests.

Our clients' sales teams use AI for demand generation by designing and analyzing campaigns, identifying top accounts, and using personalization to improve engagement. We also use AI to analyze customer behavior. It helps us assess needs and find upsell and cross-sell opportunities. In building and optimizing digital channels, we use AI to craft search strategies, increase conversion rates, and execute paid advertising campaigns.

The role of AI isn’t limited to marketing and sales. It is instrumental in strategic planning, prioritizing initiatives and budgeting, and conducting performance analysis and management. Every department in your organization should be using it to refine their workflows and to utilize data-driven reports and dashboards.

How Does This Translate Into Tactics?

At SyncShow, we use AI daily to enhance efficiency and effectiveness across various tasks. One such application is comparing data sets or complex information. This enables us to make better data-informed decisions. Additionally, AI helps us recognize patterns among variable data sets, providing insights missed with manual review. 

We also use AI to distill lengthy documentation to its most essential elements, making critical information accessible and understood. AI helps us organize info by client, task, and best practices. This improves our decision-making and makes it more efficient. AI also informs our ideation processes. It aids us in brainstorming ideas, conducting preliminary research, generating outlines, producing rough drafts, and streamlining our creative workflows.

One Must-Use AI Feature: Custom GPTs

For SyncShow, the one AI feature we consistently use is Custom GPTs. Custom GPTs are populated with specific client information relevant to our needs. Many AI tools, including Copilot and Gemini, offer this functionality, but we primarily use ChatGPT.

Creating Custom GPTs allows us to cater to distinct parameters, including buyer personas, product lines, organizational roles or departments, and types of content. This versatility generates finely tuned responses to our specific needs. Additionally, we can incorporate multiple GPTs in a single conversation, giving us a deeper advantage through collective knowledge and insights. This functionality further enriches our strategic discussions and decision-making processes.

Here’s How We Do It

We upload all relevant client information into a single GPT. We use this centralized model to brainstorm sales and marketing solutions and strategies and to craft content that addresses specific buyer persona pain points and desired benefits.

The information we input and update includes buyer personas, client goals, brand messaging, and standards. We also include competitor assessments, client preferences for content and messaging (including style guide information), content examples, and relevant website URLs.

How Will AI Change B2B Organizations?

Over the next three years, AI will fundamentally change how B2B marketing and sales teams operate. With AI, leaders have the opportunity to build the kind of business they envision, whether that is human-driven or profit-driven. AI is the great equalizer, enhancing user skill levels across the board. It is crucial to stay up-to-date on the innovations in AI technology. The best way to do this is by creating playbooks to navigate this evolving landscape and dispel any fears surrounding its implementation.

At SyncShow, we have created a dedicated AI Action Plan to optimize our clients’ marketing and sales operations and decision-making, utilizing tools for data comparison, pattern recognition, and document distillation. Custom GPTs allow us to tailor strategies to specific client needs, streamlining brainstorming and content creation while ensuring alignment with client goals.

Want to learn more about how SyncShow uses an AI Action Plan to drive results for clients? Click here to request a consultation.