How AI Is Changing the Game for Marketers (And What I Learned at SMMW) 

I just got back from Social Media Marketing World in sunny San Diego, and my brain is buzzing with ideas. I attended the “AI Track”—every keynote, seminar, and even the hallway chat was all about how artificial intelligence is reshaping our work and how marketing agencies and clients are scrambling to incorporate it. The insights I gained aren’t just for marketing—they’re for anyone involved in client-facing business, strategy, product, or design.

The Sticky Note That Changed My Perspective

Early in one session, the speaker told us to grab a post-it and write on it:

“How can I use AI to help me on this?”

Not “should I use it?” Not “is it good enough yet?”—just how. That simple question transformed my outlook. As marketers, we’ve spent too much time on repetitive tasks like editing, researching, and rewriting. Now, with AI taking care of the maintenance, we have more time to be creative, strategize, and truly innovate.

A New Kind of To-Do List

I even overheard someone remark that with AI, marketers might be expected to do twice the work but not necessarily get paid more. There was truth in that statement, while we can deliver more for our clients, our true value will come from the strategic services we offer—not just from cranking out content.

Talking to AI Like It’s Your Teammate

One of the most practical tips I picked up was about how we interact with AI tools like ChatGPT. A simple tweak can make a huge difference:

• Be specific. Start your prompts with “You are a [type of expert]…” (for example, “You are a SaaS copywriter…”). This not only sets context but helps generate better responses.

• A couple of speakers mentioned that being polite to your AI has been shown to improve the responses. Also remind AI to "take it's time to respond" otherwise AI has been shown to rush a response without thinking deeply enough about the prompt.

• Use the “edit” button in ChatGPT to refine your prompts instead of starting from scratch. This little trick leads to more efficient and polished results.

A Treasure Trove of AI Tools

I discovered an impressive lineup of AI tools that can transform the way we work. Here are some of the game-changers I noted:

• AI Studio by Google: Analyze video and content for free.

• ChatGPT Projects: Organize your chat conversations like folders.

• Google’s ImageFX: An image generator that brings creative visuals to life.

• ChatGPT 40 Images: Another powerful image generator tool.

• Napkin AI: Perfect for creating diagrams from your ideas.

• Gamma: Build slide decks with AI—even if it’s a bit buggy at times.

• Runway: Convert images to video seamlessly.

• OpenAI Sora: Generate small animations to add a creative spark.

• Zencaster: An AI tool for podcast editing and syndication.

• Suno Soundtracks: Create audio content with AI-generated soundtracks.

• Castmagic: Transform long videos into blogs, clips, emails—you name it.

• Sesame: A conversational voice demo perfect for podcasts.

• NotebookLM: Train AI on your own data for personalized insights.

• Perplexity: For deep, in-depth research.

• Grok Deepsearch: Discover what your customers and industry are saying.

• ChatGPT Deep Research: Use AI for comprehensive research.

• n8n: Inject AI into any automation process.

• Make.com: A free automation tool (though not as powerful as n8n).

• ChiefAIOfficer.com: Get AI certifications to boost your resume.

A cool example I learned was how to connect multiple tools to create an AI-generated podcast. Imagine using ChatGPT Projects, combining it with deep research tools and NotebookLM to script an episode, then using Zencaster or Suno to produce the final audio. It’s like having a high-tech assembly line that turns raw ideas into polished content.

AI in Action: From Screenshots to Code

The practical applications of AI blew my mind. For instance, you can take a screenshot of your analytics dashboard and upload it into ChatGPT. Ask, “What’s working? What’s not?” and get insights on where your conversion rate optimization (CRO) might need a tweak. The same applies to landing pages—upload a screenshot, and ask, “What’s missing?” It’s like having a virtual analyst who never tires.

You can also use AI to:

• Write standout Google ad copy or product descriptions from a simple photo.

• Generate code for business calculators that you can embed into your website.

• Analyze full-page screenshots of your content to recommend design or SEO improvements.

Building Knowledge Blocks and Custom Strategies

One of the most game-changing concepts I encountered was the idea of “knowledge blocks.” By recording your thoughts about your goals, processes, and customer insights, and then transcribing them, you can feed that data into ChatGPT. Over time, these “knowledge blocks” train the AI on your unique language and challenges, creating a reusable resource for future projects.

Another key takeaway was to build artificial personas for each client’s target audience—detailing job titles, struggles, hopes, and even their favorite online hangouts (like Reddit, Quora, or Facebook). With these personas, you can ask AI to run audits, suggest provocative blog topics, or identify missing statistics that could capture attention.

SEO, Automation, and the Future of Marketing

I also learned that the SEO landscape is evolving:

• GEO is the new SEO. We must optimize our content for Google’s AI-generated Overviews, where text references might soon replace traditional backlinks.

• With top-of-funnel content losing some of its power, bottom-of-funnel SEO becomes critical.

• Automation is more accessible than ever. Imagine setting up GPT to scan news sources every morning at 6:15, summarize key points, and even post to social media if you have the right apps.

Final Thoughts

To wrap it up, here’s my big takeaway from Social Media Marketing World:
AI is a skills leveler. It’s not about working faster—it’s about working smarter and delivering better performance. AI stands for “average information” until we train it on our target audience. The magic happens when we build custom strategies, automate repetitive tasks, and generate insights that truly resonate.

At Kensium, we’re not just watching the AI wave—we’re riding it. We’re integrating AI into every aspect of our work, from marketing strategy and automation to reporting and content creation.

If you’re ready to see how these AI tools and strategies can transform your business, let’s talk.
👉 Let’s talk
And if you want to dive deeper into the event that sparked these ideas, check out Social Media Marketing World.

We’re here, we’re ready, and together, we can build the future of marketing.