It can be easy for marketers to forget that real people are on the other side of every interaction. But Brian Solis, Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow, aims to bring humanity back into marketing. 

Technology takes humanity out of the equation, he says. As a result, marketers focus too much on metrics like clicks and open rates instead of trying to build relationships. “Once you know more about the people you’re trying to reach,” he says, “the sales or the nurturing or the conversations will happen.” 

A self-described futurist and digital anthropologist, Brian believes that AI allows marketers to get closer to people. “Somewhere along the way, we confused technology with transaction,” he says. Marketers should approach AI by thinking about how they want customers to feel rather than what they want customers to do. 

“If you think differently about technology as investing in relationships and meaningful outcomes,” he says, you’ll get exponential returns. 

On this episode of Be a Marketer, Brian and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss how small business owners can put people back in the equation in their digital marketing and AI use.

☕ What he does: Brian is the Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow. He’s also an author, futurist, and digital anthropologist. He helps companies future-proof by looking at how to be more valuable, agile, and innovative as the world evolves. 

💡 Key quote: “The thing I really like about my work is the ability to see the things that most of us are just too busy — or maybe distracted or biased — to see in order to bring people together for a greater purpose.” 

👋 Where to find him: Website | X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn

👋 Where to find ServiceNow: Website | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram