AI marketing tools like ChatGPT are revolutionizing digital content … but just how hard should you lean into them?
Like many of my fellow marketing professionals, I’ve spent significant time wrapping my head around AI.
After attending an AI-themed summit hosted by my friends over at The Higher Ed Marketer podcast, I was inspired to share what I learned about these powerful tools.
That’s just what these applications are — not bots that are replacing humans but tools for humans to use.
And like any physical tool, you need to understand how to use these AI marketing machines to get the most out of them.
Here are five things I’ve learned so far. Hope this helps!
1. AI Tools Like ChatGPT Are Great Idea Generators
Each one of us has only so much mental bandwidth, right? We’ve all been there.
God knows I’ve banged my head on the desk a few times trying to brainstorm new material.
When those ideas run dry, apps like ChatGPT are great for generating topics and outlines. But if you rely on it to churn out the final product landing on your website, it’ll lack any nuance in your brand’s voice.
So a human editor is still critical to injecting personality and brand-specific tone into your messaging.
2. Refine Your Prompts to Get the Best Results
A lot of people believe prompt proficiency with AI marketing tools will be an essential skill for future content creators, and with good reason.
I’m going to hop in the wayback machine here for a metaphor. So growing up, I loved the TV show The Pretender.
It was about an incredibly gifted man who could perform any job or task immediately after observing someone else do it.
But that was his limitation … he couldn’t just do anything out of thin air. He needed someone to show him how to do it first.
ChatGPT is like that guy.
AI marketing tools are versatile, but they need you to get them on course and keep them there.
So your instructions (or “prompts”) for keywords, goals, and brand guidelines should always be as clear and specific as possible.
3. AI Marketing Tools Are Great for Internal Communication
When you’re pumping out content for internal use, then you and AI might become besties.
The pressure’s off to refine text that isn’t public-facing. You can relax that golden human touch for menial housekeeping tasks.
Talking points for speeches? Meeting agendas? That Monday morning memo that someone will inevitably forget about?
With a bit of prompting, AI can help you refine all of it in minutes so you can focus more on creating content for your external audience.
4. Fact-Checking Is a Must
AI tools just get stuff wrong.
Actually, when it comes to niche feedback or technical answers, they get stuff wrong a lot.
They’re powerful, but they’re not infallible.
Always review your AI-generated marketing output with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Your independent research and knowledge of the subject matter will still be vital to the integrity of your content.
5. AI Marketing Tools Lack Real-Life Experience
When it comes down to it, AI’s biggest disadvantage as a content marketing machine is an absence of emotional depth.
These tools process and generate content based on ones and zeros.
AI tools can’t think critically or creatively.
People know a lifeless website when they see it. Only humans can replicate our need for authenticity and relatability.
AI Marketing May Be Inevitable, but We’re All in the People Business
This blog post isn’t some camouflaged hit piece against AI.
On the contrary, I think it has incredible potential … when used responsibly.
That’s why I see us as an “AI-assisted” content marketing agency. We’re all about embracing the latest tools, but we also recognize their limits.
We’re still anchored in the fundamentals of marketing — emotive storytelling and connecting with a human audience.
So if you’re looking to work with someone who uses cutting-edge technology hand in hand with good old human insight, reach out today!