How to Get Started with AI in Marketing and Sales

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept reserved for big tech companies. It’s becoming the engine behind how modern businesses attract customers, personalise experiences, automate workflows, and scale. Soon, every business will use AI in its sales and marketing. It’s not a matter of if — it’s a matter of when.

The good news? Getting started doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the right plan, the right tools, and a clear roadmap, AI can become one of the most powerful growth drivers in your business.

Below are 6 proven steps to help you confidently integrate AI into your marketing and sales operations.

1. Start With One Area of Your Business

AI works best when applied to a specific problem or opportunity. Don’t try to transform everything at once—start small and build momentum.

Examples of high-impact starting points:

• Lead follow-up automation

• Email marketing optimisation

• AI-powered SEO content

• Intelligent website widgets or chatbots

• Customer service inquiries

• Capturing abandoned leads or missed calls

Why start small?According to HubSpot, businesses using simple AI automation in one workflow see a 20–30% reduction in manual admin time within weeks. Small wins build confidence and generate quick ROI.

2. Map Out Your Customer Journey and Identify Gaps

Before you implement AI, understand where your prospects are dropping off or where your sales team is overwhelmed.

Ask yourself:

• Where are leads being lost?

• What tasks repeatedly drain time?

• Where is follow-up inconsistent?

• What can be automated without losing the human touch?

Example:If 60% of your leads never get a follow-up in the first hour, an AI chatbot or AI SMS workflow could rescue tens of thousands in missed revenue.

3. Build Your AI-Driven Strategy

Once you identify your opportunities, define what success looks like.

Your strategy should include:

• Goals: (Increase leads by 30%, reduce manual workload by 20%, improve conversions by 15%)

• Workflows: (Lead capture, email nurturing, missed-call text-back, review automation, reporting)

• Tools: (DxM Marketing AI, CRM, calendar systems, website bots)

• People: (Who manages, who monitors, who measures?)

According to Salesforce, 73% of high-performing teams already use AI to improve personalisation, reporting, and customer engagement. This is becoming the competitive standard.

4. Select One Workflow and Implement

Choose one workflow that will immediately move the needle and automate it using AI. This is where businesses begin to see real results.

Popular first automations:

• AI lead follow-up sequences

• Smart website chatbots that qualify prospects

• Reviewing and improving SEO using AI insights

• Automated review collection

• AI email content creation and scheduling

• Voice agents to handle overflow calls

Tip: Keep this first implementation simple and measurable.

5. Execute, Test and Optimise

AI is not a set-and-forget tool. The real gains come from ongoing refinement.

Measure:

• Response rates

• Conversion improvements

• Time saved

• Cost reductions

• Quality of leads

Businesses that optimise their AI workflows monthly see up to 2x performance improvements compared to those who set it once and forget it.

6. Scale AI Across Your Marketing and Sales

Once your first AI workflow is working smoothly, expand into other areas.

Examples of scaling:

• Add AI SEO optimisation

• Launch automated email nurturing campaigns

• Introduce an AI voice agent for inbound calls

• Build an AI-powered omnichannel sales pipeline

• Use AI analytics for forecasting and attribution

  
  

This is where your business begins creating a true AI-enabled growth engine.

The DxM Marketing AI Advantage

Most businesses struggle to get started because they don’t know which tools to use, how to integrate them, or how to manage the complexity.That’s where DxM Marketing AI changes everything.

With DxM Marketing AI, you can:

• Start small and grow at your pace

• Access intelligent chatbots, AI-powered SEO, CRM, email, automation, reporting, voice agents and more

• Automate lead capture, follow-up, nurturing, appointments and sales

• Reduce staff workload and eliminate missed opportunities

• Move from manual to automated, from reactive to proactive

• Implement and optimise workflows with expert guidance from DigitalxMarketing

It’s the simplest, fastest way for  businesses to begin their AI journey — and see results in weeks, not months.

Ready to Start Your AI Journey?

If you're serious about growing your business and want expert guidance to begin implementing AI in your sales and marketing, we can help.

Click here to schedule a discussion and discover how DxM Marketing AI can transform your business.

Email info@digitalx.marketing or visit www.digitalx.marketing to learn more.