#16 How to think with AI when solving complex marketing problems. Part 2
A practical guide to using AI to break down challenges. From messy choices to a defensible strategy.
TL;DR
If you’re trying to figure out how to grow your product cost-effectively, AI won’t give you the answer. But it can help you break down the problem, spot smarter options, and make a better call.
Here’s how I used AI to shape a growth strategy for tech products:
Clarify what matters right now so you don’t waste time.
Identify values that will shape your plan.
Generate creative options that go beyond obvious growth tactics.
Gather the right data and see what you’re missing.
Compare trade-offs logically before you commit.
Act with confidence on a plan you can defend.
I’ve worked on growth plans where teams dive straight into tactics. “Let’s do paid ads! SEO! Partnerships!” Sound familiar?
We needed to think strategically first. Let’s break it down with a real example.
We had a clear challenge: Find the most cost-effective way to grow for a web scraping tool in a crowded market. Our options? Serve startups, mid-sized companies, or both. The market was fragmented, and the budget wasn’t unlimited.
So I leaned on AI, not for ideas, but to reason through the complexity.
How AI helped break down the decision
Clarify the decision
We weren’t just deciding how to grow. We were deciding:
Where should we focus our limited marketing budget—startups, mid-sized companies, or both—to get the most cost-effective growth?
And we had to decide now. The team had to allocate next quarter’s spend, and we couldn’t afford to hedge with a scattered plan.
Prompt:
“We’re deciding where to focus growth efforts for our web scraping tool: startups, mid-sized companies, or both. Why now: limited budget, next quarter's plan is due. Summarize the core decision and urgency in one sentence.”
Identify core values
AI helped us list what mattered most. For this team:
Efficiency — no budget wasted on low-converting segments
Simplicity — don’t spread too thin across too many segments
Sustainable growth — quick wins are good, but we need loyal customers
Prompt:
“Help us articulate core values that should shape our growth decisions. Prioritize efficiency, simplicity, and sustainability.”
Generate creative options
AI helped us go beyond the obvious “spend more on ads” ideas. It outlined options like:
Startup-first freemium play — attract small teams, upsell as they grow
Mid-size targeted outreach — fewer leads, higher contract value
Hybrid model — use different channels for different segments, with strict cost controls
Prompt:
“Suggest 3 distinct growth strategies that balance cost-effectiveness with our values. Include one high-volume, one high-value, and one hybrid approach.”
Gather useful data
We fed AI what we had:
Conversion rates for startups vs mid-size leads
CAC for each segment
Retention data
Industry benchmarks
AI flagged gaps:
“You lack data on lifetime value for startups that upgrade over time. You also don’t have solid numbers on churn rates in mid-size accounts. Consider gathering that before finalizing.”
Prompt:
“Review these metrics and benchmarks. Identify what data we have and what’s missing that’s critical to making a cost-effective decision.”
Reason logically
Once we had options and data, AI helped us map trade-offs. It created a table like this:
Strategy: Startup freemium
Cost per acquisition: Low
Revenue potential: Medium (delayed)
Fit with values: Strong
Risk: Slower revenue ramp
Strategy: Mid-size focus
Cost per acquisition: Higher
Revenue potential: High (upfront)
Fit with values: Medium (less simple)
Risk: Fewer leads, bigger stakes
Strategy: Hybrid
Cost per acquisition: Medium
Revenue potential: Medium-high
Fit with values: Medium
Risk: Complexity in execution
Prompt:
“Create a comparison table for these growth options. Highlight cost, revenue potential, value fit, and risks.”
Commit and act
We decided on a mid-size focus with a small startup freemium test. AI helped map an action plan:
Prioritize direct outreach to mid-sized firms.
Pilot the freemium offer with tight metrics.
Reassess after one quarter.
Prompt:
“Based on the selected strategy, outline a high-level action plan for the next quarter, including priorities and milestones.”
The bottom line
AI didn’t choose for us. It helped us think through the decision, structure the mess, and build a plan we could defend.
That’s the point. The real value of AI isn’t in giving you answers. It’s in helping you ask better questions and make smarter calls.
This is part two of a series. If you’re working on positioning decisions, check out Part 1. Together, they’ll give you a complete picture of using AI as a reasoning partner.
If you’ve faced a similar decision or want help shaping AI prompts for your growth challenges, let’s swap notes. Drop a comment or reach out.
If this helped you see how AI can think with you, share it with that teammate who still believes AI is just for cranking out social posts. We all know someone. Let’s help them use it to make smarter calls, not just faster drafts.
P.S. I’d love your feedback. Cast your vote in the poll and help me keep improving.
This is part two of a series. If you’re working on positioning decisions, check out How to think with AI when solving complex marketing problems. Part 1. Together, they’ll give you a complete picture of using AI as a reasoning partner.