How to Use AI for Marketing

There is a lot of buzz surrounding AI and ChatGPT lately. Some believe AI will have catastrophic consequences, while others see it as a game-changer for businesses. ChatGPT was launched in November 2022 and has since gained enormous popularity and usage. This application area is evolving rapidly and will have a major impact on how marketing content is created and judged by others. Marketers should be aware of the pros and cons of using generative AI and adhere to rules surrounding attribution and avoid plagiarism. 

This article will explore AI and how marketing professionals can use it to improve productivity and enhance creativity.  

How ChatGPT Works

Since ChatGPT is available for anybody to use (go to OpenAI.com) with a free account, it’s easy to test and experiment with the tool to see how it works. Note that the free preview tool is based on a huge database of search results and data compiled up to September 2021. The newer versions and paid editions are more current. 

It’s easy to use ChatGPT. Simply ask a question, and within seconds you will receive an answer. The answers appear accurate and insightful and are written in a neutral, fact-based tone. Since the answers are fueled by a compiled data warehouse, it does not provide any links to sources.

ChatGPT Prompts

If you’re not sure what questions to ask ChatGPT, you can reference numerous blog posts or websites that provide ChatGPT prompts. Prompts help you jumpstart the AI engine to generate text based on the database of information collected in the machine learning engine. Advanced technology is used to search the data and generate responses based on complex algorithms and learning based on previous questions. The AI engine constantly updates the library based on its past experience and the success of its choices. You can ask ChatGPT any question, but it helps to learn what other users have asked to give you ideas and speed up the creative process.

There are a number of resources on the web, but one blog post to look at is posted by HubSpot, 190 ChatGPT Prompts Marketers Should Use.

Here is a partial list of marketing prompts:

• "List [number] ideas for blog posts about [topic]."
• "Write a minute-long advertisement script about [product, service, or company]."
• "Create a 3-month social media campaign calendar for our product with the goal to [insert goal] and mention the channels we should focus on."

AI for Writing Marketing Content

ChatGPT is a great tool for researching a new topic for content writing. You can use it to generate a base article, then you can research the results and add in additional details, edit for accuracy, voice, and tone to match your writing style. 

Here is an example related to a popular pop singer.

Prompt: Who is Taylor Swift?

The first paragraph of the answer:

Taylor Swift is an American singer-songwriter and one of the most popular contemporary artists of our time. She was born on December 13, 1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania. Swift began her career as a country music singer and gained recognition with her self-titled debut album in 2006, which produced several successful singles.

AI also creates new and interesting content. For instance, if you write a prompt in an AI image generator, you’ll get an interesting result

Prompt. Describe a yacht that is purple.

One free AI image generator is called Hotpot and it will generate an image based on a single keyword. There is a free version and you can also purchase credits for more powerful features like generating headshots and removing objects from an image. To create an image, you enter a keyword or phrase, select the style of illustration, number of images, and output medium, and click the generate button. 

Strength is the keyword used to generate the image below.

Image created by Hotpot.

What is Generative AI?

That’s the question we asked ChatGPT. Here’s the answer:

Generative AI refers to a branch of artificial intelligence that focuses on creating models and algorithms capable of generating new, original content such as images, text, music, or even videos. Unlike traditional AI models that rely on pre-defined rules or patterns, generative AI models learn from large datasets and use that knowledge to create new, unique outputs.

AI Writing Tools - Grammar Checkers

When writing using applications like MS Word and Google Docs, you can use their built-in spelling and grammar checkers to ensure your content is free of errors. Additionally, some products utilize AI technology to suggest ways to improve your writing and correct any mistakes. These products can be downloaded or plugged into your web browser to check entire documents.

GrammarlyGO is a new generative AI feature included with all levels of Grammarly (Free, Premium, and Pro). It takes grammar checking to a new level by using generative AI to create text or generate ideas. Below is an example of ideas generated by the GrammarlyGO free plugin.

Another cool feature of GrammarlyGO is the ability to select the voice for your writing suggestions and revisions. 

AI for Creating Video Content

There are several AI tools now available for creating and editing videos for training and marketing purposes. Synthesia is a tool that allows you to create videos using avatars. You can select from a library of different avatars or create a custom avatar using your own image. You can also translate the video and captions into 60 different languages. 

Another interesting tool is murph.ai, a text-to-speech generator you can use to generate video voiceovers, broadcast commercials, and audiobooks. Murph.ai includes a library of realist computer-generated voices in 20 different languages. Some of the voices sound very human while a few of the voices have a tinny, computer sound. You can upload a script and have a voice-over in minutes. For larger projects, murph.ai offers white-glove editing and proofreading services.  

It’s not time to panic, yet

Like any new technology, many skeptics predict it’s the end of the writing/marketing profession. But don’t panic! These tools will not replace your creativity, soul, or intelligence, but they will save you time and money if you need to generate volumes of content or need to eliminate repetitive tasks. Luckily, most of these tools have free or free-trial versions so you can try them before you buy. Please note, the applications mentioned in this article are examples of new applications and are not endorsements. 

These tools might work well if you are doing a lot of in-house work or you have a limited budget. But if you need help generating marketing strategy or professional content, then you should turn to a trusted and experienced marketing agency.