There has been a lot of chatter about AI recently. Enough that a search for AI leads to almost 9.5 trillion results in under half a second. As a content marketer, hearing about AI like ChatGPT creating decent content in a matter of seconds is initially jarring, if not slightly worrying. (I went into full fire drill mode.)
What could take me and my peers 30 minutes/an hour/sometimes even longer, now is done instantly with a properly-worded prompt. “Write me a 1,000 word article on the impact of personalized marketing.” Typing that sentence alone takes as long as ChatGPT takes to write it.
Terrifying.
But, as with any progression through the stages of grief, after briefly panicking about my job being replaced by algorithms, I landed at acceptance. To be clear, this isn’t acquiescence. It’s an acceptance that AI’s role in marketing is not really a replacement, but rather an enhancement. It’s a starting point for ideas. An efficiency booster. A time saver. A collaborator.
So, I figured rather than trying to swim upstream, I’d see what it’s all about and hear it from the source. I asked ChatGPT what it thinks its role in marketing is and got…surprising results. I’d even go so far as to say the answers are measured and logical. From an algorithm! Who would’ve guessed?
An Interview With ChatGPT
What is AI’s role in marketing?
Artificial intelligence (AI) can play a significant role in marketing by helping companies automate and optimize various tasks, such as personalizing content and offers, identifying patterns in customer data, and predicting future behavior. This can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing campaigns, leading to better engagement and conversion rates. Some specific examples of AI applications in marketing include natural language processing (NLP) for chatbots and voice assistants, computer vision for image and video analysis, and machine learning (ML) for predictive analytics and personalization.
(The focus of “efficiency and effectiveness” here is crucial to understanding how we as marketers should be approaching AI. No rip and replace here [*phew*]. Just force multipliers, to borrow a buzzy term.)
How would you recommend marketers use ChatGPT?
There are several ways marketers can use ChatGPT:
- Content creation: ChatGPT can be used to generate high-quality, unique content such as blog posts, product descriptions, and social media posts.
- Chatbot development: ChatGPT can be used to build conversational chatbots that can engage with customers and provide them with information or assistance.
- Personalization: ChatGPT can be used to personalize communication with customers by generating tailored responses based on their preferences and behavior.
- Lead generation: ChatGPT can be used to generate leads by engaging with potential customers in a conversational manner.
- Sentiment analysis: ChatGPT can be used to analyze customer feedback and reviews, to identify patterns and sentiments that can be used to improve products or services.
- Product suggestion: ChatGPT can be used to suggest products to customers based on their search and browsing history.
- Email Campaigns: ChatGPT can be used to generate personalized, automated email campaigns that can be triggered by certain actions or conditions.
Marketers should be aware that ChatGPT is a machine learning model and thus will require a certain level of technical know-how and data to be used effectively.
(Like anything, it takes some adoption to really harness the power. But the wide variety of use cases here is encouraging. Remember how bad we all were at Googling things 15-20 years ago? That’s where we’re at with AI right now. It’ll take practice and experimentation.)
Where do you see the future of AI in marketing?
I see the future of AI in marketing as being very promising. Here are a few ways AI is likely to impact the field of marketing in the future:
- Personalization: AI will enable marketers to personalize communication with customers on an unprecedented level, providing them with highly relevant and targeted content and offers.
- Automation: AI will automate many of the repetitive and time-consuming tasks that marketers currently have to do manually, such as data analysis and email campaigns.
- Optimization: AI will be able to optimize marketing strategies in real-time, using data and machine learning algorithms to identify the most effective tactics and adjust them as needed.
- Predictive analytics: AI will enable marketers to predict customer behavior and preferences, which can help them identify new opportunities and make better decisions.
- Deep learning: AI will enable marketers to harness the power of deep learning algorithms, which can help them to analyze and interpret large volumes of data more effectively.
- Voice assistants and chatbots: AI-powered chatbots and voice assistants will become more sophisticated and will be able to provide customers with more personalized and responsive customer service.
- Influencer marketing: AI will help to identify and target the most effective influencers for a particular campaign, and automate the process of reaching out to them.
- Measurement and attribution: AI will enable marketers to accurately measure the ROI of their campaigns, and allocate budget more efficiently.
Overall, AI is likely to revolutionize the way marketers work by automating many of their tasks and providing them with powerful new tools and insights that will help them to reach and engage with customers more effectively.
(We’re getting a bit repetitive now. Same topics, without personality. At this point, the human element of creativity and tone of voice becomes a question…)
Does AI limit creativity?
AI can be a powerful tool to assist and augment human creativity, but it is not without its limitations. There are a few ways in which AI may limit creativity:
Algorithm-based thinking: AI relies on algorithms and data to generate content and ideas, which can lead to a more formulaic and predictable output. This can limit the scope for creative experimentation and originality.
- Lack of context: AI may struggle to understand and interpret the cultural, historical, and social context of a creative project, which can limit its ability to generate meaningful and relevant content.
- Lack of emotional intelligence: AI may lack the emotional intelligence to understand and express the human experience, which can limit its ability to generate content that resonates with audiences on an emotional level.
- Dependence on data and training: AI’s performance is limited by the quality of the data and training it receives. Therefore, the AI output may be biased or limited in scope due to the data it’s been trained on.
- Lack of human touch: AI may lack the human touch and intuition that is often essential for creating truly memorable and impactful creative work.
It’s important to note that AI is still in its early stages of development and as the technology advances, we may see AI being able to overcome some of these limitations. Additionally, the best approach to use AI in creative endeavors is to use it as a tool to assist and augment the human creative process, rather than replace it.
(Oh no…it’s already self aware!)
Don’t Fear the (AI) Reaper
Yep. Definitely in the acceptance stage. Couldn’t have said the above any better myself! Although maybe with a bit more personal flair and pizzazz.
There’s a lot to unpack above, but the biggest takeaway is that AI is simultaneously versatile beyond measure, but not without its limitations.
Human connection in marketing requires humanity, and empathy, and authenticity, and colloquialisms that an AI algorithm can’t quite replicate. It’s why we talk about the Activation Gap at Iterable. You have the data, and you may even have AI tools to help you use it. But to actually engage with customers, you have to understand them as the individuals they are.
Iterable’s AI Optimization Suite helps you close that gap while saving time and resources to focus on that human connection. Schedule a demo to learn more. In the meantime, I’m going to go back and ask ChatGPT what’s in store for my future. Wish me luck.
And, as an added piece of fun, here’s a ChatGPT original blog post:
Can you write me a 500-word blog post about how ChatGPT helps marketers?
ChatGPT is a powerful language model developed by OpenAI that has the ability to generate high-quality, unique text. This makes it an incredibly valuable tool for marketers, as it can help them to create content, build chatbots, personalize communication, generate leads, and analyze sentiment.
One of the key ways in which ChatGPT helps marketers is by enabling them to generate high-quality, unique content quickly and efficiently. Whether it’s blog posts, product descriptions, or social media posts, ChatGPT can help marketers to create compelling and engaging content that resonates with their target audience. This can help to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to a website, and ultimately, boost sales.
Another way in which ChatGPT can help marketers is by building chatbots. ChatGPT can be used to create conversational chatbots that can engage with customers and provide them with information or assistance. This can help to improve the customer experience, increase brand loyalty, and ultimately drive sales. ChatGPT-powered chatbots can be used to handle customer inquiries, provide product recommendations, and even handle sales transactions.
ChatGPT can also be used to personalize communication with customers. By analyzing customer data and preferences, ChatGPT can generate tailored responses that are highly relevant and targeted to each individual customer. This can help to increase engagement and drive sales, as customers are more likely to respond positively to personalized communication.
Another way in which ChatGPT can help marketers is by generating leads. By engaging with potential customers in a conversational manner, ChatGPT can help to identify and nurture leads, increasing the chances of converting them into paying customers.
ChatGPT can also be used to analyze customer feedback and reviews, which can help marketers to identify patterns and sentiments that can be used to improve products or services. This can help to increase customer satisfaction and ultimately boost sales.
In addition, ChatGPT can be used to suggest products to customers based on their search and browsing history. This can help to increase conversion rates and drive sales, as customers are more likely to be interested in products that are tailored to their individual preferences and interests.
Finally, ChatGPT can be used to generate personalized, automated email campaigns that can be triggered by certain actions or conditions. This can help to increase engagement and drive sales, as customers are more likely to respond positively to personalized communication.
In conclusion, ChatGPT is a powerful tool that can help marketers to create high-quality, unique content, build chatbots, personalize communication, generate leads, analyze sentiment, suggest products, and generate automated email campaigns. By harnessing the power of ChatGPT, marketers can increase engagement, drive sales, and ultimately, boost their bottom line.
