ChatGPT exploded into the public eye when a free, accessible version was released to the public on November 30th, 2022. Within days, millions of users had spent time on the site, conversing, questioning, and entertaining themselves with this technology. Just this month, a new version was released with even more utility. Its capability to generate content with simple instructions presented obvious game-changing applications, particularly in any space requiring creative, original writing. Bill Gates said, on the internet, “Content Is King,” and in marketing, that continues to be the wisdom. This begs questions about the role of ChatGPT in marketing. Here’s what we think.
What is ChatGPT really?
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence technology developed by OpenAI known as a “generative pre-trained transformer” (GPT). Culling information from data drawn from the internet, ChatGPT is designed to respond to user prompts. Unlike a search engine, ChatGPT does not generate responses directly from the internet. Instead, it uses a stored version of the internet to respond in language and content that mimics human language and creativity. ChatGPT builds on its interactions with users to further customize its responses to that person. All interactions with ChatGPT are filtered through other technology to ensure it does not generate offensive content. So, for example, racist and sexist prompts are not supported by the response.
Can ChatGPT be used for marketing?
Marketing is the communications made by a business to promote and sell products or services. Since communications generally include words, ChatGPT can be engaged to furnish those words. It could be used to write content in many forms, including web copy, blogs, and social media. So, the simple answer to this question is yes, ChatGPT can be used for marketing. Need a blog post this month? ChatGPT can furnish a topic, write a post, and even use a specific writing style (e.g., funny, technical, journalistic, etc.). ChatGPT can draft a mission statement, a product description, a value proposition, or a social media post for any type of business. Presently, it is free and unlimited to use. And ChatGPT is not alone in the new AI tools available for marketers. For example, profile picture maker will generate an amazing profile picture, beautiful.ai will create presentations, and synthesia.io will convert plain text into video.
While Google used to penalize pages with AI-generated content, it has changed its parameters, so only spammy content will get dinged.
Does This Mean You Can DIY Your Marketing
So, will ChatGPT and similar technologies replace humans in marketing? This is also a simple answer: no. For the time being, too many factors of good marketing require techniques and nuances beyond the capabilities of ChatGPT. Here are some examples:
Keywords: ChatGPT draws its information from a dated copy of the internet, which means you can’t get current, accurate information about the right keywords for search engine optimization. This requires using other technology and a specific grounding in keywords and SEO that will allow the user to accurately locate the right keywords for a particular business. This is part science but part art, and ChatGPT doesn’t have the artistry.
Buyer Persona: Every business has a target market, and marketing requires a firm understanding of how to construct the buyer persona – the ideal client. ChatGPT can take direction from a marketing expert to create the content, but generating the persona takes research and expertise that require a human touch.
Hyperlinks: Virtual marketing is partly driven by the content’s ability to be found in a search. Search engines look for things like hyperlinks in the content. Not only is ChatGPT unable to generate hyperlinks, but it also doesn’t have the capacity to research and confirm that the selected hyperlink is to a reputable, appropriate source.
While ChatGPT presents some amazing opportunities to assist marketers in their work, its technology, and purpose are only partially compatible with the many techniques essential to effective marketing. At Moin Agency, we continually strive to stay on the cutting edge of marketing so that our clients get the best possible outcomes. We will utilize ChatGPT, but we anticipate that it will not be able to replace human expertise and techniques. To learn more about how we can help with your marketing needs, contact us today.