Artificial Intelligence (AI) has changed the marketing world in a way that can’t quite be explained. The explosion of AI in marketing, including copywriting tools, like Jasper and Copy.ai, has been monumental, but tack on the ChatGPT phenomenon by Open AI, and it really is a whole new world. If you’ve been busy with actual work and haven’t been bombarded by all the news and applications of ChatGPT, don’t worry; we’ll cover it in a bit.
What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
So what exactly is AI? AI, which stands for “artificial intelligence,” is a field that uses computer science and large data sets to help solve problems. This field includes the subfields of machine learning and deep learning, which are also often brought up when talking about AI. Make sense? I hope so, especially since the last two sentences, including the reference link, were written and provided by AI. Who better to define AI than AI itself? Not sold yet? Okay, let’s move on.
How has AI Developed Over Time?
The history of AI can be traced back to the 1950s, with early research focused on creating intelligent machines. Even though progress was slow at first, the field has come a long way thanks to improvements in computer technology and the availability of large amounts of data. Today, AI is being used in a variety of industries and has the potential to revolutionize the way we live and work, and it’s unfolding right before our eyes.
These AI-created text prompt image depictions show just how far the processing power itself has come. To clarify, all of the below are 100% unique and were created with detailed text prompts!
Why the Sudden Hype?
As you can see, AI has been around for a while, so what’s the big deal now? It seems to be the thing on everyone’s mind (especially in marketing)—just scroll through your favorite LinkedIn marketing guru’s feed. I’m pretty sure you’ll be exhausted with the numerous ChatGPT topics and the constant flow of introductions to new and exciting AI-powered tools, such as Synthesia and Pictory for videos and Midjourney and DALL-E for text-to-image generators. All are very impressive software models that take advantage of the newfound AI craze.
But is the hype worth it? Are you too late? And is there real substance behind it all?
The Benefits of AI in Marketing
I don’t think it’s hard for most of us to see AI use cases in marketing. As was said above, we already have AI-powered content writers and text-to-image creators.
Enhanced Customer Experience
I don’t think it’s difficult to imagine AI-powered chatbots handling customer service requests. A conversational AI chatbot called Drift has been around for a few years and has shown us some of the amazing things that can be done with automation, machine learning, and improving the customer journey.
Yes, in my opinion, Drift was a trailblazer—after all, weren’t their configurable playbooks incredible? But will they continue to build to keep pace with the wave of AI chatbots that are undoubtedly in the works and ready to introduce us to something we probably couldn’t have imagined a few years ago? My guess is yes! I love Drift and look forward to its next iteration and upcoming innovations.
Improved Data Analysis and Decision Making
This is where I think we will see the most impact with AI, at least in the short term—from data to strategy. Those of us that have had the pleasure of looking at large data sets and trying to come up with some targeting preferences know how time-consuming and oftentimes subjective this can be based on how we personally translate the data. Yes, I said it: not all data-driven strategy is objective; there are people still involved in this process.
But when you add a new, more objective master into the mix, you move quickly past the “ummm” and “I think” phases to more valuable insights, perhaps (not tested personally).
Here’s a scenario I just played around with:
I just copied this entire trend data table, courtesy of kaggle, and prompted ChatGPT to suggest the type of music I should use for my next set of Instagram reels.
Here’s what is spit out in all of 10 seconds:
It was able to sift through all that data and suggest, in a very polite way, some video styles and song options to consider based on “recent” trends. This type of analysis might have taken me a few hours or more.
You can see how this AI-assisted data analysis saved me enough time to make a sandwich, watch an old episode of Breaking Bad, and play with my dog. This is definitely motivation to include it in my workflow.
Let’s explore some marketing tools that incorporate AI into their offerings.
AI-Powered Marketing Tools
If you’re anything like myself, you love software and marketing tools. But the sudden rise in popularity of AI has led many people, including me, down a rabbit hole of useful information and random use cases that make it hard to stay on track.
- Start an Etsy store with Print on Demand items
- Use AI to create an eBook I can sell on Amazon
- Offer copywriting services in bulk on Fiverr
- Generate bulk SEO pages to target all the cities and services in the country
I’ve stayed up late signing up for trials of this tool and that tool, looking for any kind of advantage, and to be honest, I felt a lot of the FOMO that everyone talks about. I didn’t want to be late for the party. It was exhausting, and I finally took a breath and said, “How can all this technology help me with my current processes in what I already know how to do?” Saving Grace, indeed.
Quick PSA, we are still very early to the party, but it’s important that we stay current with the growth of this space and the new applications to stay competitive.
But in the spirit of sharing all that I discovered in my lonely rabbit hole party, I have listed some amazing tools that might be worth considering below:
Video Editing and Marketing Tools:
Synthesia: One of the most popular AI-powered platforms for video editing that allows users to create videos from simple text. What really sets them apart, is that they allow you to use AI Avatars to speak in your videos, so you don’t even have to show your face (perfect for those that are camera-shy) (https://www.synthesia.io/)
Pictory: Video creation software that allows you to repurpose long-form blog content and break it down into short-form videos. It turns sales scripts and demo meetings into video marketing assets and adds captions with the click of a button. (https://pictory.ai/)
Content Writing Marketing Tools:
Jasper: Probably the most hyped artificial intelligence copywriting tool, but also the most expensive. It has a lot of big names behind it, and it just cleared a huge funding round valued at over $1.5 billion. It’s a great addition to any content marketing program, especially for short-form content, topic ideas, marketing messages, subject lines, and key takeaways from a snippet. (https://www.jasper.ai/)
Copy.ai: Hands down the best AI copy tool at the moment. Great suggested topics, advertising copy, hashtag generator, and pretty much everything you need to keep the ideas flowing to avoid writer’s block. You’ll thank me later with this one (https://www.copy.ai)
Writesonic: An AI content tool to help with pretty much everything from product descriptions to email cold outreach scripts, to instant article writers. The quality of the output is impressive, and they have a ton of options to choose from. They also have great pricing tiers. They’ve also incorporated ChatSonic, which bills itself as a more recent version of ChatGpt. ChatGpt clearly states that it only has information up to 2021, while ChatSonic states that it pulls the latest information from Google. Interesting to try out, to say the least. (https://writesonic.co
Text to Image Generator:
Midjourney: I simply don’t have the words to describe the quality, ingenuity, and overall application of this tool. It uses an in-house training model, which is leaps and bounds past the others in this space. Using text as commands, which can become quite complex, you can create stunning images that simply wow. They are only available in a Discord group at the moment but offer a free trial that really allows you to play with their tool. The paid plans are quite reasonable given the jaw-dropping quality. I just had to drop a few examples of images created with Midjourney below.(https://midjourney.com/)
DALL-E: This is the Open AI text-to-image product that offers simple creation options. I haven’t personally used it, but I’ve heard it’s great for certain natural landscapes but lacks the processing power of Midjourney. (https://openai.com/dall-e-2/)
Programming:
Copilot: According to them, they are ‘Trained on billions of lines of code, GitHub Copilot turns natural language prompts into coding suggestions across dozens of languages.’ Copilot is a great tool to suggest code based on the type of logic you are looking for. (https://github.com/features/copilot)
Spellbox: This is another natural language input to process and suggest code. They focus on helping to solve complex coding issues in seconds. They currently offer beta pricing that is priced quite low. (https://spellbox.app/)
There are hundreds of tools I could cover, each one more interesting than the last and addressing different industries. But eventually, questions come up about bias in algorithms, privacy, plagiarism, and how to use AI in marketing in a responsible way.
Challenges and Ethical Considerations of Using AI
Bias in algorithms
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to completely transform the marketing sector, but as with any new technology, there are obstacles to be overcome and moral questions to be answered. Bias in algorithms is one of the most difficult challenges of using AI in marketing. Algorithms are only as unbiased as the data they are trained on, and if the data used to train the algorithm is biased, the algorithm will also be biased. This can lead to results that are unfair or inaccurate, like focusing on certain groups of people based on stereotypes or providing personalized suggestions that reinforce biases that are already there.
Privacy concerns
Concerns about privacy are another significant issue. When AI is used in marketing, it is often necessary to gather, store, and analyze a lot of data. This data can include sensitive personal information like the sites you’ve visited, what you’ve bought, and where you are. It is crucial that businesses have appropriate security measures in place to protect this data and that they are transparent with customers about how their data is being used.
Plagiarism concerns
So how exactly does AI create this content? It seems to be free from grammar mistakes, reads well, and is oftentimes authoritative. Yes, it’s true, some of the content can be really good, but remember that AI is only able to reference existing pieces of text, so nothing it produces is truly unique. Most likely, it’s just a regurgitation of something that has already been said. It will also trigger plagiarism checkers and AI detection tools if used, so I suggest using AI as a guide for structure and flow, but using your own words to create text.
Where AI-generated content really comes in handy and saves a lot of time for things such as email templates, headlines, social media blurbs, etc.
Companies should also set clear rules and procedures for how to use AI-generated content so they don’t break copyright laws and don’t use material that is protected by copyright without permission.
Ensuring Responsible Use of AI in Marketing
Using AI in marketing in a responsible way also means being aware of how it can be abused. Understanding that AI is a tool to help speed up repetitive processes is the key. It is not meant to replace human originality and thought. It’s also important to know the possible effects of AI decisions, like how personalization algorithms can reinforce existing biases, and to take steps to fix them.
To deal with these problems, companies need to develop and use AI in marketing in a responsible way. This includes ensuring that the data used to train algorithms is diverse and unbiased, implementing strong data security measures, and being transparent with customers about data collection and use. It also means regularly evaluating and testing algorithms for bias and being aware of the potential negative consequences of decisions made using AI.
The Current King of AI- ChatGPT from Open AI
Introducing the newest and most advanced AI model (GPT-3) on the market, ChatGPT from OpenAI. This cutting-edge AI model has taken the world by storm with its ability to write text that sounds and makes sense like it was written by a human. ChatGPT can understand and respond to a wide range of questions, prompts, and commands thanks to its advanced architecture.
It can generate complete paragraphs, articles, and even stories with ease. The unique thing about ChatGPT is that it is fine-tuned to understand different languages, and contexts, and it can also be fine-tuned for a specific task such as marketing or customer service. Its performance is just as good as that of humans, which makes it the best AI model right now.
With ChatGPT, businesses can expect to see improvements in customer service, content creation, and the automation of repetitive tasks. In short, ChatGPT is the ultimate AI assistant or marketing tool for businesses of all sizes and industries. It will make your work easier, smarter, and more efficient.
(This section on ChatGPT was written by ChatGPT, I thought it would be appropriate.)
Not bad, right? Now back to me—original human thought, that is. I have tried, experimented, and fought with ChatGPT for about a month now. It is a beautiful tool, but don’t be fooled, IT IS NOT EASY AS IT LOOKS! Imagine if everyone just asked it the same things in the same way. Then everyone would have the same response, and the generated content would be everywhere and create a sea of monotony and boredom. Everyone thinks you just ask it a question and get an answer, which you do. But is that all you want to use this tool for? Why not just use a search engine for that?
The complexity of the prompts you enter is where skill comes into play. Prompt engineering is what they call it. Imagine you want to create an email outreach template for lead generation.
Sure, you could ask ChatGPT to do that for you just like this:
Not bad, I’ll admit. But here’s where the magic comes in. ChatGPT has memory. Yes, it actually remembers previous inputs, questions, and tones. So let’s engineer a better output by building upon our original request. We don’t start over, we just engineer more specific requests to layer on top of our original request to ‘create an email outreach template for lead generation.’
Let’s ask it to make it more urgent and salesy:
Notice how it incorporated my new request into the previous response. This took all of 10 seconds; I am hoping you can see the time-saving potential starting to build.
Let’s keep going.
Next prompt modifier.
‘Modify the above, but include a few unique quotes that might convince them to act now’
Output below:
Next:
‘create a sequence using the above with follow-ups’
Now we have an email outreach sequence that we can use with our favorite email service provider for lead generation purposes. I could continue to modify the output until I got exactly what I wanted. I could also go on and on for days about how marketers can utilize the power of this tool to speed up their workflow.
History is Being Made with ChatGPT
Artificial intelligence is not new, as we’ve discussed. But why now? Why all of this now? I think it’s quite simple. Yes, the technology and training models have gotten better and more advanced. Yes, use cases have become more clear. But I think the real answer lies in the evolution of UI and UX. If the way you use AI is made easier by a platform that presents features and outputs in a way you can understand, you are more likely to not only use it but also explore other applications.
API access is wonderful, for programmers and the technically inclined, but in order to convince enterprise decision-makers to look into this type of technology for their company, they need to visualize it. They need to play with it in some fashion before they give the green light to explore it as a solution for their corporate needs.
ChatGPT does exactly this. And with the recently added Zapier integrations, I can truly see this being a staple for enterprise users.
Numerous businesses have effectively incorporated AI into their marketing campaigns.
AI Marketing Use Cases Include:
Amazon – For several years now, Amazon has included AI in its marketing plan. Customers are given product recommendations based on their browsing and purchasing patterns. Amazon has also made an advertising platform that is powered by AI and helps businesses target the right audience more effectively.
Netflix – Netflix personalizes its content suggestions for each user using AI. The business’ algorithm makes recommendations for each user based on a variety of factors, such as viewing history, search history, and ratings. This has aided the business in retaining current clients and luring in new ones with personalized experiences.
Uber – Uber uses AI in a number of aspects of its marketing strategy, including dynamic pricing, targeted advertising, and ride-hailing incentives. By analyzing user data, the company can target promotions to specific demographics and areas, resulting in more successful and cost-effective marketing efforts.
H&M – H&M’s virtual styling tool, which enables shoppers to build outfits and virtually experiment with clothing, leverages AI. This makes the customer’s browsing experience better and helps them get better suggestions, which makes it more likely that they will buy something.
Adobe – Adobe uses AI to create content for the Adobe Sensei. The technology makes it possible to automatically tag images and videos, which can make it easier for marketers to sort through and find the best content for their campaigns. It also lets pictures and videos be optimized automatically, so teams can make marketing materials more quickly and effectively.
These are just a few examples, but AI is used for a wide range of marketing tasks, such as predictive analytics, customer segmentation, and personalized communications. The technology can help businesses reach their target audiences more effectively and boost their return on investment (ROI) by making marketing more efficient, personalized, and targeted.
It’s clear that artificial intelligence is growing at a monumental rate, and marketers seem to be at the forefront of this revolution. There are simply too many applications, but oh, the excitement. But a word of caution: it’s very easy to get sucked into the hundreds of software tools; trust me on this. I suggest staying focused and finding ways to apply AI to your current process.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when considering the use of AI in your marketing process:
Are there any repetitive tasks that I spend too much time on?
Are there bottlenecks in document creation? Service agreements, content briefs, SOPs?
Are there ways to scale processes using AI?
Overall, its a very exciting time to be a marketer, and AI will only help to streamline processes that used to take far too long. Gartner has an interesting study that suggests that 6/10 marketing specialist jobs would be replaced by some type of marketing technology. I think this is bit optimistic, but they aren’t wrong about the direction of the trend. But remember, AI is most powerful at this stage when used as a supportive tool to help research, formulate your topics and outlines, and create workflow efficiencies. Use it responsibly my friends and watch it grow your business.
A: Using AI raises a number of ethical issues that need to be taken into account. Bias in AI systems, which might produce biased outputs, is a serious worry. For instance, a hiring procedure that uses a biased algorithm may prejudice against particular categories of people. The effects of AI on security and privacy are a further worry. There is a chance that personal data collected and processed by AI systems could be misused or treated improperly.
A: AI has the ability to change the employment landscape by both automating some work and opening up new employment options. There may be employment losses as a result of increased automation in several sectors, including manufacturing and transportation. However, there may be a rise in the need for individuals with expertise in fields like data analysis and AI development in other sectors, including healthcare and education. Furthermore, the application of AI may result in the establishment of brand-new job categories that do not now exist.
A: There are various ways that businesses can integrate AI into their daily operations. One popular strategy is to automate and enhance particular business processes using AI-powered tools and platforms, such as chatbots and predictive analytics. A customer care chatbot, for instance, can respond to simple client questions, freeing up human workers to handle more complicated problems. Another strategy is to leverage AI to create brand-new goods or services, such as automated trading or tailored recommendations.
A: AI has a wide range of potential uses in the future. As an illustration, consider how AI is used in healthcare to enhance patient outcomes, in transportation to minimize accidents and improve traffic flow, and in education to tailor learning experiences. Additionally, AI has the ability to assist in addressing international issues like food insecurity and climate change.
A: AI has the ability to greatly improve conventional approaches to problem-solving and decision-making. AI-powered systems can quickly and reliably evaluate massive amounts of data, allowing them to find patterns and insights that people might overlook. AI-powered systems can also function autonomously, which helps hasten decision-making and increase efficiency. AI has already surpassed human capabilities in several fields, like speech or image recognition. But it’s crucial to remember that AI cannot fully replace human judgment and decision-making because it is not a magic wand. Instead of replacing human judgment, it needs to be used as a tool. In order to reduce any potential drawbacks, it’s also critical to guarantee that AI is developed and applied ethically.
A: In some areas, AI has the ability to automate specific processes and lessen the demand for human labor. For instance, many tasks that were formerly carried out by humans have already been automated as a result of the usage of robots in manufacturing. AI won’t likely completely replace human labor in the majority of businesses, though. While AI is capable of automating some jobs, it typically falls short of human performance when it comes to tasks that call for creativity, critical analysis, and emotional intelligence. AI systems frequently need human supervision and upkeep, too. As a result, it is more likely than not that AI will complement rather than completely replace human labor in many areas.
