In recent weeks, I’ve talked to several CEOs who tout their AI-enhanced products as game-changers. However, the reality is that customers are suffering from AI-overload. To reach them, pitch concrete benefits not utopian promises.
In farming and marketing, there’s a timeless adage: “it’s the big piggies that get slaughtered, while the little pigs get to continue feeding at the trough.”
AI’s versatility poses a significant marketing challenge. The big piggy makes grandiose, unverifiable claims flavored with AI hype, while the smart piggy hones in on the decisive benefit offered by a specific AI-driven feature.
AI excels at tasks like generating documents that summarizie similar content found online (such as common programming tasks or business deliverables). Yet, every potential customer is inundated with exaggerated AI promises.
What’s rare are tangible examples showcasing how AI can benefit specific customer segments. Amidst a sea of flashy offers and a rapidly evolving tech landscape, customers tend to adopt a cautious “wait and see” approach, which spells danger for new products.
A successful AI marketing strategy will answer three questions:
- Solve a critical problem: focus on the business need that is not being met – AI is only the means to solving that problem.
- Deliver proof points: prove that you have delivered value for a clearly defined set of customers with similar needs.
- Explain competitive edge: describe your unique insights or proprietary training data that competitors lack.
For more insight into how rapidly changing technology markets can cause customer indecision, look at the Jolt Effect by Matt Dixon, author of The Challenger Sale.