have bits of data, using it for efficiencies and to make more money from defining a process.
Where SMEs are coming into significant challenges is using the data properly and holistically to get the best bang for their buck out of AI.
And that is a challenge because there are too many data silos, lots of different applications that don’t talk to each other. There are no links and in all honesty there’s still a huge amount of cost to this.
We know of an organisation that spent around £100,000 on an AI solution about 18 months ago that you can now do in Copilot for £25 a month.
Marc Potter, assistant principal of digital and creative innovation at Blackpool and The Fylde College
One of the biggest barriers we see among SMEs and students and staff is that people want to use AI but they don’t know what to use it for.
It is defining what that use is. We’re working with businesses to understand how it is going to give them the return on investment they need. Then it is about finding who is going to champion it and drive it. We are all on a learning curve.
People are using AI as a personal assistant. It is a given now that they are using ChatGPT at that level. Businesses are moving to adopt AI where it is useful within applications that
That speed of change is confusing SMEs and owners and managers when it comes to understanding what is available today and what will be available in 18 to 24 months to build that data strategy around.
That end piece isn’t quite there yet because data is everywhere. That’s where the education piece needs to be, to see the height of the possible, where that data can be used and really leveraged for the advantage of the business.
This is the message we give to some of the SMEs and some of the students we work with. We say, ‘AI won’t replace you, but someone who effectively leverages AI probably will’.
We’ve got to make sure that the workforce of the future carries that data literacy and AI curiosity.
Leon Calverley, founder and director of digital marketing agency Door4
The generative AI journey started nearly three years ago with the launch of ChatGPT and realising immediately that there is a system that can help solve tasks and, as we start to understand it, can create content.
We can create plans, we can synthesise other sources. It tallies really closely with our day-to-day business, which is digital marketing, e-commerce and technology.
As we realised that we could get work done better, faster and more efficiently, and get more done for less, we realised
we can change the way our business sells and delivers its products.
We can be at the forefront of, not just AI and the adoption of the new technology, but the classic legacy technologies. That’s been very exciting for us. We look across the entire organisation of a business and we spend time with them, looking at the different departments, looking at the tasks that take place, and we start small.
So, whilst I firmly agree that businesses need to have strategy, what is probably more important today is ambition. One of the core things we do is create content, both for search engine optimisation and brand communications. One of the key uses of Gen AI has been the creation of new, novel content.
At the moment we are creating human driven content, using artificial intelligence to plan and schedule content that will perform in the real world, not just AI slop. Gathering those voices and then using AI to synthesise it. That’s one example of how we are really capitalising on that tech.
It is almost guaranteed that AI will replace human elements in pretty much any knowledge-based business. If your business deals with information, knowledge, data, communications, then AI is fundamentally going to change the way you do that.
The conversations we are having are about how we use our people for interactions with our clients, for the things where we need that creativity that presently only a human can add into the loop.
LANCASHIREBUSINES SV
IEW.CO.UK
Morgan Rothwell Marketing director
DandMcreative d&m-creative
TECH WILL EVOLVE BUT STRATEGY
WILL ENDURE The world of marketing has changed. Almost daily, tools appear promising new customers and leads – and to send your business into the stratosphere.
The next shiny thing arrives and, for a few quid a month, you can be the next Bezos or Gates.
With the latest AI tools, businesses can churn out blogs, videos and social posts in minutes. But amid the rush to produce more, many forget the most important part – strategy.
Brands of all sizes are filling channels with content for content’s sake. But without a clear strategy, activity becomes noise rather than impact – and there’s a lot of noise.
AI can help us move faster – analysing data, researching and generating content in ways impossible three years ago – but it can’t replace the thinking, insight and planning behind successful marketing.
As a Chartered Marketer, strategy is in my DNA. It provides purpose and direction.
A well-defined strategy answers fundamental questions: What are we trying to achieve? Who are we trying to reach? How will we measure success? Without these anchors, we’re guessing. We may know how to create, but not why – or whether it makes a difference.
Marketing without strategy is like sailing without a compass. You’ll move, but you’ll struggle to reach your destination. AI and other tools can amplify a great strategy, but they can’t invent one.
The real value lies in combining human insight with technological efficiency – using tools to enhance your vision, not replace it.
So before pressing ‘generate’, step back. Define your goals, understand your audience and build your plan. With strategy at the core, we can know what works, what doesn’t and what truly moves the needle.
Tel: 01282 685370
Email:
info@dandmcreative.com
dandmcreative.com
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DIGITAL AND AIIN VIEW
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