The future of customer marketing lies in the transformative power of generative AI.
I’m Emi Wayner, Senior Customer Marketing Manager at Google Cloud. Over my years at Google, working across Ads, YouTube, Maps, and Cloud, I’ve built up a deep understanding of how to connect with customers in meaningful ways.
In this article, I’ll share my vision for scaling customer marketing using generative AI, exploring strategies, tools, and practical steps to enhance productivity, improve customer experiences, and drive organizational impact.
The four pillars of customer marketing
When I think about customer marketing, I see it anchored by four key pillars, each one playing a crucial role in shaping how we connect with and deliver value to our customers.
1. Customer storytelling
Storytelling is at the heart of what we do—it’s in our DNA as customer marketers. We uncover and amplify customer stories, empowering customers to share their successes alongside our own.
These stories build credibility, inspire others, and highlight the mutual value of our partnerships.
2. Customer engagement
Customer engagement can take many forms, depending on your organization. It could involve events, webinars, peer-to-peer networking, or even community-building initiatives.
This pillar is an emerging field, offering endless possibilities for creativity.
Advocacy programs, awards, recognition events, and incentive programs all fall under this umbrella. Your ability to innovate and scale engagement strategies will be key to success.
3. Community building
Community building is where creativity and productivity shine. A well-crafted community fosters collaboration, trust, and a sense of belonging among your customers.
Whether through forums, exclusive events, or shared learning opportunities, strong communities can transform transactional relationships into long-lasting partnerships.
4. Voice of the customer
The voice of the customer represents a massive opportunity for customer marketers. While some organizations have developed systematic approaches to capturing and acting on customer feedback, many are still exploring how to do this effectively.
It’s an area ripe for innovation, offering a chance to brainstorm, collaborate, and share ideas to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Rising to leadership challenges
Today’s leaders face greater challenges than ever. As customer marketers, we’re being asked to do more with less. We’re expected to demonstrate how our efforts contribute to broader organizational goals and back up our impact with tangible numbers.
At the same time, we need to think about scalability—not just for today but for the future. How can we create systems, strategies, and tools that allow us to grow and adapt in an ever-changing landscape?
These are the questions we must grapple with as we move forward.
Embracing generative AI in customer marketing
Recent data from HubSpot’s 2024 Generative AI Report underscores this shift. According to the report, 74% of marketers see themselves using AI regularly in the workplace by 2030, and 86% say AI is already saving them more than an hour a day.
While many marketers are using AI for tasks like content creation, fewer are leveraging its full potential for data analysis or strategic initiatives—a missed opportunity we can address.
The value of AI: Productivity, efficiency, and impact
The numbers tell a compelling story. McKinsey reports that organizations adopting AI have already seen productivity gains of up to 40%.
Imagine automating 40% of your manual tasks tomorrow—how would you use that extra time? You could focus on strategic initiatives, engage more deeply with customers, or drive creative projects that deliver meaningful impact.
AI also brings measurable financial benefits. By increasing efficiency and reducing costs, AI can strengthen your case for greater investment from leadership.
Moreover, these productivity gains directly improve the customer experience, creating a virtuous cycle of growth and value.
Exploring generative AI across key pillars
Let’s brainstorm how generative AI can amplify your work as a marketer, focusing on key areas where it can make the most impact.
1. Content creation and analysis
Generative AI offers exciting possibilities for content creation.
AI can help identify what resonates with your audience and pinpoint gaps in your messaging.
Another opportunity lies in maintaining brand and narrative consistency. Large organizations, in particular, face challenges in ensuring that thousands of team members align with a unified voice and style.
Generative AI can assist by applying brand guidelines automatically, ensuring consistency across blogs, presentations, and other materials—saving time and maintaining quality.
2. Data storytelling
Data is only as powerful as the story it tells. While analysts and data scientists excel at gathering insights, they may struggle to weave those numbers into a compelling narrative.
Generative AI can bridge this gap by providing context, highlighting trends, and crafting stories that resonate with leadership and stakeholders.
3. Customer engagement program management
Generative AI also holds immense potential for managing customer engagement programs.
Imagine using AI to analyze a customer’s earnings calls, blog posts, or strategic goals, then creating tailored marketing initiatives that align with their vision.
This personalized approach not only saves time but also deepens your connection with customers by showing that you understand their unique needs.
These tools can turn customer insights into actionable strategies, strengthening relationships and driving mutual success.
A new era of marketing powered by AI
The possibilities for generative AI in marketing are vast, but the real value lies in how we use it to improve productivity, enhance creativity, and strengthen customer relationships.
