There has been much chatter around ChatGPT and how this new Artificial Intelligence (AI) could change the marketing landscape. In just a few months since its launch, people have already started to see its potential far beyond the role of the chatbot.
So how can ChatGPT help marketing teams? And should you be embracing it as part of your marketing efforts?
What can ChatGPT be used for in a marketing context?
Its ability to return original text rather than website articles makes ChatGPT a revolutionary step forward in the world of technology. ChatGPT can generate content for:
- Customer service responses
- Marketing content
- Product descriptions
- Blog posts
- News articles
- Press releases
- Product reviews
- Web pages
- Emails
- Social media posts
It sounds great, right? With the option of generating so much content in just a few clicks, why pay for a content writer?
Will AI kill off the copywriter?
Video didn’t kill the radio star and a bot won’t kill off content writers.
AI can offer a great starting point for some generic text. But it can’t craft unique, stand-out content that matches your brand’s tone of voice and aligns with your SEO strategy.
A bot hasn’t met the people who make your business tick. Or the customers who love your brand. It hasn’t tested your products, pulled late nights to meet a deadline or fulfilled an order against the odds.
There’s no heart, sweat or blood in a bot (or its words).
A bot also doesn’t allow for nuances. It can only return information it’s already been fed. This might make its words too extreme – or even too woke. Would you trust a robot over a copywriter with your brand’s reputation?
Bots and books
Think about the growth of Kindles over the last ten years.
Thanks to this electronic reading device, anyone can write and publish a book at zero cost. They can sell it to the world for pennies or even give it away.
However, while the Kindle revolution has opened up the publishing world to all, it hasn’t killed off professional writers.
Quality still matters. It will do even more in the future as we are flooded with AI-generated content. Content produced by an actual writer will be even more valuable than it is now.
What benefits could ChatGPT bring to marketing?
There are some ways that marketers could save time and benefit from ChatGPT.
Speed up the creative process
Stuck for a title for your next blog post? Simply ask ChatGPT to give you some suggestions. Turn to a bot for an instant brainstorming session.
Product research
Productivity boosts will be one of the main benefits that come from this type of AI. If you’re faced with writing a product description of – for example, a formal shirt – you can simply ask the bot for five examples. This gives you a starting point, without having to browse through five alternative websites to get ideas and inspiration.
Keyword targeting
ChatGPT can be a great asset for marketers doing keyword research. For instance, if the root keyword is ‘bespoke kitchens’, ChatGPT can provide alternate synonyms such as custom kitchens, unique kitchens, or personalised kitchens. You can use these terms to optimise landing pages, blog posts and Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns.
A/B testing ideas
Split testing or A/B testing involves placing different copy in front of different audiences to see which performs better. With ChatGPT you can write your copy once and then ask it to come up with alternatives that could be used for testing.
Build content calendars
If you’re asked to create a content calendar for an industry you know little about, ChatGPT could help to identify relevant industry topics to be explored for social media posts.
What might the drawbacks to AI in marketing be?
Bots base their content on the data they have been fed. Imagine 50 content writers all needing an article on Harry Kane becoming England’s top goal scorer. The bot is likely to come up with 50 very similar articles, as the information it draws on will be the same.
Worse still, its own answers will start to become the data for future answers. This will create a cycle, where future articles will be less original than those written before.
As digital marketing makes a big impact on our environment, we all need original and useful web content. In fact, we think we have a responsibility to only publish content that’s valuable. It’s up to you to decide if a bot’s words are worth it.
Need copywriting support?
Get in touch with AB today and find out how our Content Specialists can help you.