10 keys to a successful PPC career in the AI age

Between a teetering economy and AI tools rapidly replacing entry-level roles, marketing careers – and many others – can feel increasingly unstable.

There is a silver lining for those willing and positioned to look for it. 

In marketing, it’s this: professionals who can adapt, think critically, and integrate AI thoughtfully into their work can accelerate workflows, sharpen strategy and targeting, and spend more time on initiatives that drive meaningful impact.

It’s still early in the AI era, but more than a decade as a marketing leader has made certain patterns clear. 

Across my own team and the in-house teams we work with, some PPC marketers are better positioned than others to succeed as AI reshapes the role.

You’ll never keep up with the volume of new AI tools entering the market. 

What you can do, and should do, is understand which tools to test and why.

Testing for the sake of testing is a dead end. 

If you can’t clearly explain the outcome you’re hoping to achieve, there’s little value in understanding how a tool works in isolation.

Choosing the right tools to test is only the first step. 

It’s just as important to define how you’ll measure results and, if the output shows promise, how the system fits into your broader mix of channels and martech tools.

I’ve already seen plenty of examples of AI tools that were adopted enthusiastically, only to sit unused or create unintended ripple effects after being integrated hastily and without regard for existing structures.

Marketers who thrive in the AI era aren’t just tool users. They’re tool strategists. 

They test with intention, measure with purpose, and understand how each system fits into the broader marketing mix.

Dig deeper: How to build a paid media team in the AI age

2. Be a stubbornly critical thinker

Most AI tools can deliver information or output. But then what? 

Nearly every marketing leader has seen examples of output being accepted and used without question.

The marketers who stand out go a step further. They question assumptions, interpret results, and dig into the reasons behind anything unexpected.

Critical thinking also depends on understanding how ad platforms and algorithms evolve over time. 

Marketers who have lived through multiple iterations of Google Ads or Meta’s ad delivery systems understand how changes ripple through performance. 

But newer marketers can build that same depth by digging into:

• What’s happening under the hood.
• What platforms are truly optimizing for.
• What data they can feed into systems to train the AI.

3. Balance curiosity with discipline

Curiosity fuels learning, experimentation, and creative problem-solving. 

But in the AI era, curiosity has to be paired with discipline.

With so many tools and ideas competing for attention, and without a strategy to harness AI’s potential, things can go off course quickly. 

One early safeguard is learning to distinguish between what’s interesting and what’s truly impactful for clearly defined business outcomes, such as driving pipeline or improving retention.

Dig deeper: How to get smarter with AI in PPC

4. See the whole picture

AI excels at optimization: 

• Finding patterns in data.
• Personalizing experiences.
• Automating responses. 

Where it struggles is context, which is where marketers can distinguish themselves from both their tools and their peers.

For example, AI might recommend a bid strategy or a new ad format, but it won’t explain how that choice fits into a company’s broader media mix, brand strategy, or customer journey. 

Successful marketers learn to zoom out. 

They interpret AI outputs through the lens of business objectives, brand strategy, and audience behavior, not the tool’s bells and whistles.

5. Develop technical depth (not just surface skills)

AI may automate campaigns, but it can’t replace deep technical understanding. 

On my team, the people who gain traction fastest with clients go beyond discussing KPIs and can diagnose the reasons behind their progress, or lack of it.

Marketers who thrive in the AI era bring both art and science to the table. They can:

• Audit and interpret data at a granular level.
• Understand how ad platforms actually deliver impressions and conversions, several layers deeper than what tools show on the surface.
• Troubleshoot anomalies or unexpected results.
• Identify when an algorithm’s “smart” decision is actually suboptimal.

This level of technical fluency builds credibility and helps ensure that when AI makes a mistake, you have the awareness and skill to catch it.

6. Stay skeptical of automation

One of the biggest risks in marketing right now is overconfidence in automation, whether it’s new features, performance reports, or AI-generated content.

That skepticism isn’t about distrust. It’s about stewardship. 

Just because an AI tool can do something doesn’t mean it should. 

Smart marketers put guardrails in place to test automation’s limits, validate outputs, and keep AI in a role that supports human judgment rather than replacing it.

Dig deeper: 4 times PPC automation still needs a human touch

7. Take ownership and accountability

One thing AI can’t do is take responsibility. 

Anything you put in front of a client, whether it comes directly from AI or not, is on you.

That mindset is critical. 

In an era where marketers use AI for everything from campaign planning to content creation, accountability is what separates professionals from amateurs. 

Before sending any AI-assisted work into the world, marketers should ask: Is this accurate? On-brand? Ethical? Insightful? 

If any of those answers feels shaky, think carefully before putting it out there and risking your reputation.

8. Champion AI governance and brand safety

AI governance is emerging as a core skill for modern marketers. 

Tools from platforms like HubSpot, Meta, and Google now offer AI-assisted features for targeting, creative, and reporting. 

With those capabilities come real risks around privacy, permissions, and brand safety.

Marketers need to act as stewards of their brand’s reputation by setting clear guidelines for how AI is used internally and externally. 

That includes:

• Reviewing data sources.
• Establishing approval processes.
• Making sure AI-generated content aligns with brand voice and legal standards.

Teams that leave governance entirely to IT, if they even have dedicated IT support, are taking a significant risk that can easily come back to them.

9. Measure what matters

AI can measure everything, but that doesn’t mean everything matters. 

The best marketers focus on metrics that connect directly to business outcomes. 

That often means moving beyond click-through rates and A/B tests to evaluate full-funnel performance.

In our work with clients across a wide range of verticals and maturity stages, I’ve seen many cases where letting go of what appears to be “working” at the surface level, such as lowering lead CPA, leads to stronger outcomes through more advanced strategies, like accepting a higher lead CPA to significantly improve lead quality.

AI doesn’t change this reality, but it does mean you’ll move faster in the direction you choose. 

Make sure that direction aligns with real business outcomes, not surface-level marketing metrics.

Dig deeper: PPC in the age of zero-click search: How to stay profitable

10. Sharpen your soft skills

If AI helps level the technical playing field – and it does – human skills become the differentiator. 

In an automated world, it’s harder to prove uniquely differentiated platform techniques. 

Emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, storytelling, communication, and ethical judgment can’t be replaced by bots.

Marketers who cultivate these skills will always have an edge. 

They’re the ones who can translate AI’s capabilities into brand value, lead teams through change, and preserve the human touch in an increasingly automated world.

The mix that still defines great marketers

AI is reshaping what it means to be a great marketer. 

The most successful marketers in this new era will be those who combine technical fluency with a willingness to adapt, critical thinking, accountability, and creativity.