The Future of Your Agency: How to Adapt to AI Replacing Jobs
As the age of AI begins, many businesses like yours are finally starting to feel like the long-time nightmare of robots taking over the world is about to become a reality.
So if you feel like it’s time to ditch your agency to start an off-grid sustainable farm , I totally understand that fear—but I don’t think you need to give up just yet and here’s why…
While it’s true that AI has the potential to automate certain tasks, it is unlikely to completely eliminate the need for human marketing professionals.
In fact, the integration of AI in the marketing industry is more likely to enhance the work of marketing agencies like yours rather than replace it entirely.
So in this blog post, I’ll show you how AI will shape the future of marketing—especially for agencies, including:
- Why AI replacing jobs isn’t the doomsday threat you may think it is.
- How you can harness the power of AI to improve your workflow and profitability.
- How you can prepare yourself and your team to maximize productivity and innovation using AI.
Let’s begin.
Why Are Agencies Scared of AI Replacing Jobs?
Any time a new technology comes out — especially if it’s genuinely innovative — the initial reaction is that the world as we know it is coming to an end.
For example, when the train was invented in the 19th century, so many people were concerned about its safety and efficacy that a term was coined for it: “Railway Neurosis.” Much of this fear was rooted in opinions that the speed of railways were somehow unnatural, environmentally disruptive, or physically unhealthy.
A depiction of the Versailles rail accident of 1842, and no doubt an accurate image of the uncontrolled havoc some people thought railroads would cause. Source
Take this quote from the London Lancet:
“...the immense velocity (for some rash speculators had hinted at a pace of twenty miles an hour) was fraught with danger to the respiration, and the carbonic acid generated by the fuel when passing through long tunnels would inevitably produce suffocation by ‘the destruction of the atmosphere’.”
Alongside other rumored claims that trains would create an era where “boiling and maiming were to be every day occurrences,” and “uteruses would fly out of women’s bodies as they were accelerated to that speed.”
While the railway no doubt revolutionized society, these fears are still pretty dramatic for an invention that resulted in occasional delayed travel and an easier way for goods and products to be transported, right?
Today, we consider this kind of paranoia as “technophobia,” and there’s no technology that’s more feared than AI.
Like the railway neurosis of the 19th century, AI has sparked a new wave of fear among professionals in the marketing industry. Even though AI is already being used to help marketers with complex data analysis and insights, many are still concerned that AI will eventually replace human workers altogether.
This is a valid fear. As the development of AI continues to follow a parabolic trajectory, many are rightfully worried that the technology will outpace our ability to adapt.
However, while I have no doubt that AI will change the world, I don’t think AI is going to be the doomsday scenario many agency owners believe it will be.
Like the railway, it will simply be a chance to improve your processes and strengthen your ability to do business — as long as you approach it with the right attitude.
The Future With AI: Catastrophic vs. Realistic Visions
To go deeper into this, it’s important to understand the difference between the changes people fear AI will cause and the changes AI will most realistically cause.
Here’s a breakdown of how AI is and isn’t likely to affect your agency in the future.
What Won’t Happen
The Entire Marketing Industry Will Shut Down Tomorrow
While the development of AI is happening very quickly, it won’t happen as quickly as you may think.
Like everything else, there will be a lag between when a technology gets developed and when it actually gets adopted. There’s even a sociological model that explains the phenomenon.
Right now, we’re in the early stages of this cycle — at the “early adopters” stage, at most. We still need to cross the chasm to break the technology into the mainstream.
(Think it’s already mainstream? Zoom out from your business friends and consider what your parents or rural relatives think about AI. Do they even know what ChatGPT is? Or are they still figuring out how to use the flashlight on their phone?)
This means there’s still plenty of time for AI to advance and perfect before it actually stands a chance of completely replacing agencies. So, until then, don’t worry too much about AI replacing jobs.
ChatGPT Will Be Used for Everything
A common misconception is that the tools that are popular now, such as ChatGPT, are going to be the tools that will take over the technology industry.
While it’s totally possible that ChatGPT may very well end up being the Google or Apple of AI, it's also totally possible that in the coming years, new tools will dethrone it. In fact, by the time AI becomes a standard part of the agency workflow, the best, most-used tools may be things that haven't even been invented yet.
Full Funnels Will Be Automated By Clicking a Few Buttons
While it would be awesome to completely automate the creation and management of entire projects like sales funnels or campaigns with AI, the reality is, we're not in a sci-fi movie yet.
AI is still very much in its infancy and as such, it's not currently able to handle complex projects like these.
What AI can do right now is help you with data analysis and insights that allow you to make informed decisions about your marketing strategies. It also may help with content creation, design, and some forms of more repetitive tasks.
However, these will still involve a lot of judgment calls and piecing parts together for you and your staff.
What Will Happen
SEO and Search Engines Might Become Obsolete
Since using ChatGPT to answer questions I'd normally Google, I've used Google about 80 to 90% less. This is more or less the goal of AIs like ChatGPT: to make research faster and easier by providing a more calculated, organic response than a search engine would.
This means that AI may eventually replace SEO, or at the very least, significantly reduce or change its importance. AI will also increase the amount of content out there, making SEO-driven content more competitive than ever before.
That’s why it’s important for agencies to start thinking about how their content marketing and overall marketing strategies fit into this changing landscape. My prediction is that paid advertising will start taking precedence over organic, SEO-driven content marketing — but that’s just one potential outcome out of many possibilities.
Your Team Will Scale Back
The idea that AI replacing jobs will spell the end of the world isn’t completely unfounded.
Because of AI’s capacity to automate certain tasks and increase productivity, it’s very likely that some of your staff who are concerned with more repetitive, simple tasks may be cut or that you’ll have a decreased need to onboard new staff in the future.
However, many skilled staff members who are willing to adapt to AI will stay, and will see their productivity skyrocket as a result.
So be prepared for a leaner, more productive team.
Agencies Will Adopt Specialized AIs for Specific Purposes
As AI continues to evolve, AI-based tools will become specialized for specific tasks. Some that are already making waves are ChatGPT for everything from copywriting to development, Jasper for copywriting, Polymer for analytics, and Wix ADI for website building.
This means that the future of agency work with AI will likely include either using AIs for express purposes or even developing your own in-house AI to serve your unique needs. There may even be a scenario where each agency has its own unique AI or set of AI tools as a primary product offering.
Job Roles May Change To Be More Judgment-Based
Up until now, many roles at marketing agencies have been production-based. Writers write, designers design, managers manage, and so forth.
With AI, these same roles may pivot to be less production-centered and more judgment centered. AI can easily handle the more menial tasks, giving staff time to focus on higher-level decisions.
In the future, your team’s roles may primarily be about mastering AI inputs and tweaking AI work to ensure it truly fits the standards of your agency and your client.
Productivity Will Increase
As I’ve mentioned before, when AI is used in the right way, agencies can benefit from improved productivity. AI will be able to take on tasks like copywriting and design that would normally take up a lot of time, or at the very least, shave off significant time from completing these tasks.
This will allow your team to produce more work within a day, which means you’ll be able to satisfy your clients faster and keep up the same profits with a smaller team.
How To Prepare Your Agency for the Age of AI
When used effectively, AI presents a massive opportunity to increase productivity, profitability, and effectiveness of your products and services. Source
So with all this said, how exactly do you prepare your agency to adapt to the age of AI and develop a long-term plan to prevent your business from becoming obsolete?
While no one knows the long-term future of AI, there are a few things you can do right now to stay ahead of the curve for the next few years.
#1. Stay Updated on the Latest Trends and Technology
AI is changing quickly, so it’s important to stay informed on the latest AI developments and trends in your industry. Make sure you’re familiar with AI-powered tools and services that are being used in the business world at large, with special attention being paid to tools used by other agencies.
This will give you an idea of what AI can do for you and how to use it most effectively. If you’re familiar with the current state of AI, it will quickly become apparent what tools will be useful for your needs and which ones can be cast aside.
This will also help you create a game plan for how you want to start benefiting from these tools.
#2. Start Integrating AI Tools Into Your Workflow
Once you’ve identified AI tools that are useful for your agency (for now — this is a continual, iterative process) start thinking of ways you can integrate them into your workflow to automate unnecessarily time-consuming tasks.
Here are some agency responsibilities that current AI tools can assist with:
- Copywriting and content writing
- Web design
- Coding and development
- Analytics
Start slowly and focus on one or two AI tools at a time, taking the time to understand the scope of what the AI can accomplish. This will help both you and your team get used to the AI tools without getting overwhelmed with a completely new workflow.
Most importantly, start this process as quickly as possible. Many agencies are already using AI, and you don’t want to get left behind. According to Oberlo, the number of businesses adopting AI has grown by 270% in four years, so you absolutely need to get on this today.
Train Your Team on Using AI
Like any tool, to get any productive use out of AI, you have to use it properly. There is a skill involved in crafting the right inputs to generate the right outputs, as well as in understanding when AI can help out and when it’s time for a human to take over.
So, if your AI plan involves tossing a tool to your team and telling them to start using it, you’re going to be met with messy, ineffective work. Some teams may even refuse to work with the tool altogether.
To avoid this, create a game plan for training your team. Use any existing training materials, white papers, or guides an AI technology provides, as well as supplemental training involving the best tricks and tips from expert AI users. Ensure your team members know:
- When it’s appropriate to use AI.
- How to craft effective inputs to generate high-quality outputs.
- The strengths and weaknesses unique to the AI tools you’re using.
- How to edit the work of an AI technology.
- How to troubleshoot problems with the AI.
Conclusion
AI will no doubt change the marketing industry and how agencies work, but it won’t spell doom for everyone.
With proper preparation, AI can be a powerful ally in helping agencies scale their output while reducing costs — if you know how to use it properly by:
- Understanding what is and isn’t realistic for what AI can do for your agency — and the world as a whole.
- Learning how to integrate AI tools into your workflow effectively and productively.
- Keeping an eye on AI trends so you’re never caught by surprise or surpassed by your competitors.
So what do you think? Is AI replacing jobs for agencies a real threat? How will you prepare for the age of AI?
Let me know in the comments below.
Keep AutoGrowin’, stay focused.
