We’ve reached the point where it’s safe to bet that a majority of marketers have used AI in some form in their work. Whether it’s testing out copy creation, drafting outlines or brainstorming subject lines, generative AI has become the name of the game for many. But are marketers using AI for their most valuable workflow problems, or only the most visible ones?

Generative AI can now help teams with slide decks, visuals, audio and so much more, but refining your organization’s use of AI to instead tackle the everyday common tasks that quickly eat up time may ultimately prove to be a difference-maker.

What are the biggest workflow optimization opportunities?

1. Project management: Documentation and project summaries are important but often seen as a hindrance to "real" work. Instead of manually creating kickoff notes, timelines, action items and follow-up meetings, marketing teams can leverage AI to assist with automating the project management workflow and even uncover dependencies and milestones that may not have been considered in the first place. Consider also workflow steps that cycle through reviews and approvals with multiple stakeholders; AI can assist with monitoring lack of response or routing approvals according to timeline dates.
   
   
2. Content operations: As many content strategists and editors know, there is more to the website page than the headline and body copy that make up the main article. Everything from metadata and tagging to image alt text and SEO keywords required a careful eye in the past. Marketing teams can use AI to reduce content production bottlenecks and keep writers focused on drafting compelling copy. Consider using AI for content calendar and brand guideline templates, as well as to have the tool edit your own work to ensure consistency across the board.
   
   
3. Reporting and analytics: Think about the routine projects that often come with automatic calendar reminders, standardized processes and a heaving sigh of dread from your teams when it’s time to execute. For most, this could be your weekly, monthly or quarterly analytics review, where marketing ops prepare troves of digital data for organizational leaders who must now try to understand what happened in the latest campaigns or reporting period. AI can be used to detect trends and anomalies in data, as well as summarize the findings and recommend next steps. Using AI to help answer “What’s next?” can ultimately be more beneficial to teams wanting to know which creative is performing better or if personas are not responsive to specific campaigns.

Shifting from content creation to operational excellence

The value of AI lies in more than just drafting quick email responses. With the right automation processes in place, it can become a workflow accelerator for your team. By identifying repetitive, low-value tasks across the organization — such as meeting documentation, report formatting, routing approvals and data synthesis — marketers can devote more time to strategic thinking, customer engagement and cross-functional collaboration. Instead of wondering how AI can help your organization do more, ask yourself how AI can remove any frictions that are preventing your team from doing their best.