AI tools are progressively being incorporated into digital marketing strategies in Canada, enabling professionals to augment their current skills while unlocking new possibilities for creativity, efficiency, and data analysis.
Did that first paragraph read like ChatGPT wrote it? Or can you even tell? For many people, the line between human and machine is starting to blur with advances in AI, and that includes digital marketers.
Digital marketing continues to evolve as AI tools become more accessible, offering professionals new ways to enhance their strategies while maintaining the human creativity and insight that drives successful campaigns. Embracing automation and knowing how to use AI in digital marketing is vital if you want to build a strong team or land your next role. Here’s a brief summary of what you need to know to keep up.
How to Use AI in Digital Marketing for Business Success
How much are Canadian marketers using AI?
In its recent Generative AI Readiness Survey, the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) found almost three-quarters (74 per cent) of its members used generative AI tools at least once a week at work. That’s higher than the average for Canadian knowledge workers (62 per cent). More than four in five (84 per cent) of those surveyed are enthusiastic about integrating AI tools into their everyday tasks.
What’s lacking, though, is structured training and support. Over half (56 per cent) of respondents said they’d received little to no effective training on AI tools for digital marketing. The vast majority (80 per cent) reported using personal AI accounts (free and paid) at work.
The takeaway? This skills gap creates a significant market opportunity. Organizations must invest in structured AI training and enterprise tools, while marketing professionals who master AI-powered automation will gain a competitive career advantage. Those who can bridge marketing strategy with AI technical knowledge will be most valuable as this technology evolves.
If you’re not already learning how to use AI in digital marketing, now’s the time. Let’s take a look at some of 2025’s top trends:
1. Generative engine optimization (GEO): SEO meets AI
With AI overviews (Google's AI-generated answer summaries) now showing in 30 per cent of Google searches, marketers need to think beyond traditional SEO. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) focuses on creating content that surfaces in these summaries; content that is clear, structured, and conversational.
How to use it
Analyze AI-generated responses for your target keywords and restructure your content to match what AI systems prioritize. Creating content with clear headers, concise definitions, authoritative statistics, and direct answers to common questions will increase your chances of being cited in AI overviews.
Why it matters
As AI summaries increasingly appear above traditional search results, brands optimized for GEO will maintain visibility while others disappear. Being cited in AI-generated responses positions your brand as an authority and can drive traffic even when users aren't scrolling through traditional organic search results.
2. Agentic AI: From reactive to proactive marketing
Agentic AI represents an evolution or advancement of AI capabilities that builds upon generative AI, adding augmented decision-making and action. Unlike basic generative AI which only responds after someone types a prompt, agentic AI runs in the background like a smart co-worker. It watches customer behaviour in real time, suggests the next best action and can execute many tasks with reduced human intervention. However, despite its advanced capabilities, agentic AI still requires human designers to build it, establish its parameters and provide ongoing supervision. Some reports refer to agentic AI as "autonomous," but the truth is, it always operates within carefully defined boundaries set by humans.
How to use it
Start by identifying specific customer journey points where augmented decision-making would add value, such as first-time visitors to your website or abandoned virtual carts. Implement agentic AI tools designed to not just detect these moments but independently execute appropriate responses, such as sending personalized recommendations or time-sensitive offers. Unlike traditional automation, agentic AI will continuously refine its approach based on results and adapt strategies as it learns to provide the best solution for different customer segments.
Why it matters
Agentic AI can deliver a high level of personalization. By independently monitoring, suggesting, and acting across multiple systems, it creates a truly responsive customer experience that adjusts in real-time. This frees your marketing team from repetitive tasks while significantly improving conversion rates through well-timed, contextual interactions that feel genuinely helpful rather than automated.
3. The social shake-up: Finding and following your audience
Social media’s centre of gravity keeps shifting. While X still holds a large user base, platforms like Threads and Bluesky are gaining traction fast, especially among younger demographics. Social media is also focusing more on short-form video content, the direct integration of e-commerce features, and niche communities. Social media platforms are already integrating AI tools for content creation and personalization.
How to use it
AI-powered analytics can help track audience movement and surface platform-specific insights on social media. Want to know what content is landing on Threads vs. Instagram? Machine learning can flag the differences and help you tailor posts to each.
Why it matters
Chasing trends manually is a time sink. With AI analytics, you can spot what’s working, adjust your approach and stay visible without burning yourself out or your team.
4. Standing out in a crowded space: why authenticity wins
Business websites are flooded with content, but not all of them connect well with people. The brands getting noticed are the ones using storytelling, empathy and creativity to show they get their audience.
How to use it
Use AI-powered analytics tools like Google Analytics 4, Hotjar's AI insights, or IBM Watson Analytics to evaluate customer behaviour and preferences. These systems can identify nuanced trends in how customers interact with your content, letting you tailor messaging based on interests, tone preferences or purchase patterns. You can also use AI’s machine learning capabilities to test multiple versions of a message and learn what works.
Why it matters
It’s easy to assume AI-based tools lead to robotic-sounding content, but the opposite is true when properly tailored. They can enhance personalization, allowing your content to connect more deeply with your audience rather than sounding impersonal.
5. Real voices, real impact: human-generated content
With the growing similarity and sameness in messaging from various brands out there, authentic stories from customers and employees can cut through the noise. This trend is about putting real people at the centre of your marketing to build trust and engagement.
How to use it
Use Natural Language Processing (NLP) AI to collect, transcribe and even lightly edit testimonials, reviews or user-generated content. Then pair those stories with smart distribution tools to get them in front of the right audiences. A content management system with AI capabilities that can both process this content and help with targeted distribution would be ideal.
Why it matters
With a little help from AI, you can scale authentic storytelling without losing the human touch. People trust people.
Preparing for the future
Technology is racing ahead, but work teams and job seekers are scrambling to keep pace. More than a third of marketing leaders say the impact of skills gaps has increased in the past year, according to recent Robert Half research. Marketing automation skills in particular are in short supply, with 33 per cent of marketing and creative leaders identifying gaps in this area. The skills gap in marketing automation reflects the transition happening between platforms evolving from simple rule-based systems to sophisticated AI-powered tools. Many marketers understand traditional automation workflows but lack expertise in working with systems that require more specialized skills in data science, AI algorithms and analytics.
That gap is your cue to level up. Whether you’re staffing a department or mapping your next career move, focus on AI tools for digital marketing, from customer-journey automation to AI in content creation and advanced analytics.
A helpful place to start is the CMA, which runs a self-paced course, Generative AI for Marketers. The CMA has also recently published practical AI resources for marketing professionals, including its Guide on AI for Marketers.
Upskilling doesn’t have to be complicated. If you’re a manager, you can start by setting aside time each month for your team to try out new AI tools together, think quick sessions to test, share what worked and learn from each other. For marketing professionals who may be considering a career move, setting aside just an hour a week to explore new tools or test out prompts on generative AI can lead to small wins that add up fast.
Teams that formalize AI adoption with clear goals, guardrails, training and a “human-in-the-loop” mindset will leave ad-hoc adopters behind. And marketers who master how to use AI in digital marketing will future-proof their careers while delivering the personalized, data-driven experiences customers now expect.
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