Date: July 12, 2023
Author: Steven Kellam
There is little doubt that Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, offers numerous benefits for channel marketers. Products like StructuredWeb’s ChannelGPT provide an efficient way to generate high-quality and engaging content at scale, saving valuable time and resources. Generative AI can quickly produce blog posts, social media updates, product descriptions, and more, freeing up marketers to focus on strategic initiatives. Even helping vendors and partners maintain consistency in messaging, ensuring brand voice and style guidelines are followed consistently across various channels.
Marketers can now seamlessly experiment with different content variations and tailor them to specific target audiences, improving personalization efforts. Overall, generative AI empowers channel marketers to enhance their content creation process and deliver valuable, relevant content to their audience. However, the reality out there is that there are still fears not only about how to harness the power of AI, but the potential outcomes – good, bad and ugly. Therefore, I thought I’d go right to the source and ask ChatGPT to tell us what we can do about those fears. Why not find answers to the questions we all want answers to.
Question 1: What are some common concerns that channel marketers in the technology space or any vertical have about generative AI, and why now is not the time to panic about?
ChatGPT’s Answer:
Some common concerns of channel marketers regarding generative AI include Job Displacement. There may be fears that generative AI will replace human roles in content creation and other marketing activities. It’s important not to panic about these concerns because generative AI is still in its early stages and is primarily used as a tool to augment human capabilities rather than replacing them entirely. It is meant to assist marketers, improve efficiency, and enable them to focus on higher-value tasks.
My Two Cents:
I once heard someone say to me, “AI won’t take your job, but someone who knows how to use it will.” While I agree with Chat that this technology is still in its infancy, now is the time to learn it, get comfortable with it and adapt the way you work and engage with others (channel partners) accordingly. The technology will only get better and as channel marketers, you’re ahead of the curve if you leverage its power early.
Question 2: What reassurances by vendor organizations and solution providers can be given to alleviate those fears? Are they even necessary?
ChatGPT’s Answer:
Vendor organizations and solution providers can provide reassurances to alleviate concerns about generative AI by emphasizing the following points:
Augmentation, not Replacement: Emphasize that generative AI is designed to enhance human capabilities, not eliminate jobs. It assists marketers by automating repetitive tasks, enabling them to focus on more strategic and creative aspects.
Collaborative Approach: Emphasize the importance of collaboration between generative AI systems and human marketers. Highlight how AI can provide valuable insights and recommendations, but human expertise is necessary to interpret and apply them effectively.
Upskilling Opportunities: Showcase the opportunities for channel marketers to upskill and learn new technologies. Highlight that embracing generative AI can enhance their skill set and make them more valuable contributors to their organizations.
My Two Cents:
Reassurances are absolutely necessary to address concerns and foster a positive mindset towards generative AI adoption. However, even more important than that is providing clear communication and education about the capabilities and limitations of generative AI within your channel organization, as well as with your external partners. This is a new era and we’re all in it together.
Question 3: How can ChatGPT benefit channel marketers, channel sales, and the channel in general? And why should employees not be afraid of its potential impact on their roles?
ChatGPT’s Answer:
ChatGPT can benefit channel marketers, channel sales, and the channel in general in the following ways:
Improved Customer Engagement: ChatGPT can provide personalized and timely responses to customer inquiries, enhancing customer engagement and satisfaction. It can assist with marketing, lead nurturing, upselling, and providing product recommendations.
Enhanced Sales Enablement: ChatGPT can generate sales collateral, product descriptions, and marketing materials, saving time for channel marketers. It can also provide real-time market insights and recommendations to optimize channel sales strategies.
Scalability and Efficiency: ChatGPT can handle multiple customer interactions simultaneously, enabling scalability in customer support and sales efforts. It can automate routine tasks, freeing up human marketers to focus on strategic activities.
My Two Cents:
Channel chiefs and marketers should only fear what they don’t know, which is why getting to really know the capabilities of generative AI is key. They will soon find out that instead of doing their job, AI is complimenting it and enhancing it – allowing them to do what they do best – engage with customers and increase revenue. AI can streamline workflows, improve productivity, and enable employees to focus on higher-value tasks that require creativity, critical thinking, and relationship building.
Question 4: Partners are going to use generative AI at some point, so from a vendor’s perspective, why not embrace and understand its capabilities rather than fear them? And how can they turn generative AI into a competitive advantage for them and their partners?
ChatGPT’s Answer: Vendors should embrace and understand the capabilities of generative AI for the following reasons:
Market Leadership: Embracing generative AI early on positions vendors as innovators and industry leaders. It demonstrates a commitment to leveraging advanced technologies to drive partner success and customer satisfaction.
Efficiency and Differentiation: Generative AI can enhance vendor operations, enable personalized experiences, and differentiate offerings in a crowded market. Vendors can leverage AI-generated insights to optimize pricing, promotions, and channel strategies, gaining a competitive edge.
Partner Empowerment: Vendors can empower their partners by providing AI-powered tools and platforms that enhance their capabilities. By offering generative AI solutions, vendors enable their partners to deliver personalized experiences, drive sales effectiveness, and achieve better business outcomes.
My Two Cents:
This is fairly intuitive – if partners are using it (and pretty much everyone else) – then you should too. This technology and its adoption is moving quickly. In the very near future, organizations that don’t embrace some sort of AI integration will be at a clear competitive disadvantage. Now is the time to discover, test and embrace the inevitably of this technology.
Question 5: What does Generative AI look like in a year or two, even 5 years in the channel world?
ChatGPT’s Answer:
In the next year or two, generative AI in the channel world is likely to see continued advancements in natural language processing, enabling more sophisticated and human-like interactions. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants will become more prevalent, providing personalized support and recommendations to partners and customers. In five years, generative AI in the channel world could involve even more advanced capabilities. AI systems may have a deeper understanding of contextual information and be able to generate highly realistic and tailored content across various mediums, including video and multimedia formats. Additionally, the integration of generative AI with other emerging technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) may further enhance the channel experience.
My Two Cents:
Generative AI will play a significant role in transforming the channel landscape, empowering channel marketers and partners to deliver personalized and effective go-to-market strategies using less resources and more capacity. It will streamline channel operations within large organizations and level-up smaller organizations so they can compete. The possibilities are endless – if you’re willing to give it a go.
