With all the talk about AI’s potential to transform marketing, you might conclude that the skills B2B marketers need are less important in this high-tech age. That couldn’t be further from the truth. 

The same legacy skills that top B2B marketers have always brought to the table remain essential for building a steady pipeline of buyers and driving revenue growth. Sure, those professionals need to keep pace with emerging technologies. But nothing will replace the talent and expertise of a marketer who knows how to apply foundational competencies to deliver strong results.  

A McKinsey & Company report on the state of AI made that very claim: “While AI can enhance productivity and efficiency, human judgment, creativity, and strategic thinking remain crucial in interpreting and acting on AI-generated insights.”  

Let’s dive into the most critical skills to look for in your marketing talent in this AI age, whether you’re hiring internally or partnering with a fractional marketing agency.  

6 Skills B2B Marketers Need in the AI Era

Creativity Still Reigns 

Predictions to the contrary, generative AI won’t replace good old human creativity in marketing. B2B buyers still seek authenticity and a unique perspective from the companies they interact with—something AI alone can’t provide. So while technology can accelerate the research or inspire topic ideas, you still need a talented human with the creative vision to develop compelling campaigns that move buyers to act.  

As successful B2B companies figure out how to operationalize AI, they’re coming to appreciate the need to pair the right tools with the right creative talent. It might be a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) who can envision innovative campaigns that align with the buyer’s evolving journey, or a skilled writer who knows how to craft a unique point of view that spurs buyers to action. When professionals like these incorporate AI into their work, they bring the know-how to train and guide today’s enabling tools to achieve the desired outcome. 

Curiosity Yields a Competitive Advantage 

The most successful, growth-minded marketers have always embraced continuous learning, and that will continue to be more important than ever.  Our industry is changing at breakneck speed, and that demands curious marketers who want to advance their knowledge and enhance their capabilities. 

A Deloitte report on 2024 Global Marketing Trends points out, “As AI becomes more prevalent, marketers need to focus on developing skills that complement AI rather than compete with it.” 

As AI-driven technology becomes more integral to marketing, your team needs to be more committed than ever to keeping pace with the change. Test new tools. (It can be overwhelming to sort through and vet all the options, so check out our guide: Getting Started with AI Tools That Ramp Up Your Marketing.) Uncover new ways to incorporate these tools into your standard marketing practices. And, most importantly, understand how the evolution of technology might be changing buyer behaviors so your team can respond accordingly.  

Standing Out From the Crowd Demands Innovation 

Many companies view generative AI as a great leveler of the playing field, particularly in marketing. Anyone can put a prompt into ChatGPT and get a ROUGH (emphasis intended) content draft or use a specialty AI tool to analyze a website for search engine optimization. But the work doesn’t end there. In fact, it doesn’t even start there.  

To prevent getting lost in a “sea of sameness,” successful marketers will use these tools to develop innovative marketing strategies that propel companies to go to market and reach buyers in ways unlike any of their competitors.  

You Can’t Navigate Change Unless You’re Adaptable 

Your market dynamics, buyer expectations, and buyer behaviors are constantly changing. It’s an ever-evolving landscape that demands agility.  

But marketers can’t change their approach based on a whim or gut instinct—not if they expect great results. They need to access and analyze real-time data about how the environment is shifting and how they’re marketing is performing, and that’s where human + machine delivers better outcomes. New AI tools are making marketing analytics more usable for non-analysts, and that allows strategic marketers to focus on what matters: determining which metrics are most relevant (and why), providing context for the data, gleaning insights from it, and using it to fine-tune their marketing for higher ROI. 

Connecting with Buyers Requires Emotional Intelligence  

It’s well-known that emotional intelligence (EQ) is one of the most important predictors of professional success in any role. But EQ is particularly critical for modern marketers. 

Before you can move your B2B buyer to act, you need to build an emotional connection and develop an authentic relationship. Effective marketers dig deep into their target audience’s pain points and challenges, understand what they need and want, and demonstrate that understanding through messaging that truly resonates. Even when they’re leaning on analytics, they use the data to understand their buyers at an emotional level: Why they behave like they do, what motivates them to act, what they aspire to. 

When strategic marketers tap their EQ to delve into the minds and hearts of B2B buyers, they start from a solid foundation. From there, they can use AI and other technologies to connect with buyers emotionally by developing and delivering engaging, personalized marketing. 

Strategic Thinking Keeps the Eye on the Prize 

Marketing should always support the organization’s business goals; otherwise, it’s just noise. That’s why strategic thinking skills remain a must for modern marketers in the AI era. 

It takes an experienced strategic professional to develop a marketing plan that’s aligned with the organization’s objectives and purpose-built to achieve the business’s goals. Talented CMOs know how to conduct a thorough discovery, then craft a go-to-market plan informed by research, grounded in strategy, and in sync with the company’s goals. They also know how to balance a long-range strategic view with the nimbleness to respond to change.  

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Does your team possess all the skills B2B marketers need for modern marketing? If not, you won’t achieve the growth you’re aiming for. 

A fractional marketing agency brings together all the skills and expertise it takes to generate predictable growth. To learn how this winning approach can drive more revenue for your business, schedule a consultation with our president Deb Andrews.