How to Use Generative AI to Improve Your Digital Marketing Efforts
How to Use Generative AI to Improve Your Digital Marketing Efforts
The latest from Margs x Mktg, a partnership between The Heronry and Coastline Marketing
If you’ve been paying attention, you know that I recently partnered with Ashley Baker and Coastline Marketing to bring you even more insights on digital marketing. During our debut webinar in January, we discussed our 2024 marketing forecast, which included a section on artificial intelligence (AI). (If you missed it, the replay is now available.)
This special edition of the newsletter expands upon that with ways you can use generative AI to improve your digital marketing efforts. Give it a read, and watch for links to posts on Coastline Marketing’s blog for more information on effectively using AI for your business.
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How to Use Generative AI to Improve Your Digital Marketing Efforts
As AI creeps more and more into digital marketing, many business owners have become skeptical of its ability to create good content that converts. Coincidentally, they assume the technology can replace employees as a more cost-effective way to implement marketing tactics.
The true answer—and one businesses and marketers should work towards—is somewhere in between. Instead of relying on artificial intelligence and your ability to copy and paste what it creates, we should use AI as a collaborator for our knowledge and creativity.
Let’s explore generative AI for business and how you can use it to improve your digital marketing efforts.
What is Generative AI?
AI, in its simplest form, is a set of technologies that enable machines to simulate human intelligence. When it comes to marketing, professionals often use generative AI to create engaging content, ranging from email marketing copy to website copy.
But here’s the catch… AI is most effective when it complements human creativity—not when it operates in isolation.
When we use AI as a tool, we can sift through large amounts of data and make better connections. We can create outlines as a jumping off point, or refine the content we’ve already written.
Digital marketers, whether internal or external, will innately understand your industry, your brand’s unique voice, and your ideal audience. You can teach some AI models to mimic this information (more on that in a bit), but the deft touch of a marketing expert will ensure your marketing materials are data-driven while resonating with your audience.
Getting Started with Generative AI Marketing Strategies
When it comes to adding AI into your marketing efforts, take it one piece at a time. If there’s something you’re really passionate about and excited to write, kick AI to the curb. But if you find yourself struggling to get started or unsure of how to approach a written piece of content, lean on AI copywriting tools to kickstart the process.
On the other hand, perhaps you’re already quite confident with your writing skills and ability to produce high-quality content. Use AI for data analysis to improve targeted marketing campaigns or to create variations of ad copy for your team to fine tune.
There are myriad artificial intelligence tools that can perform any size task these days. The key to incorporating AI into your marketing efforts is to find one that works for you and your business’s needs.
Your chosen AI tool(s) should not be a substitute for your employees. Instead, they should enhance your team’s creativity, data analysis, and ability to produce high-quality content that connects with your audience.
When you introduce AI content generators for B2B to your team, be sure to give them instructions on how to use it—not only in a technical sense via training, but also in a way that explains how you want to utilize AI in the business. Emphasize the ethics of AI, its pitfalls, the importance of fine tuning the output, and so on.
>> More to read: How To Structure an AI Prompt for the Best Results
Maximize AI’s Potential While Retaining Brand Essence
One of the greatest strengths of your brand is its unique voice and message. They set you apart from your competitors and solidify why your target audience should choose your products or services.
AI, as intelligent as it is, doesn't inherently understand voice, tone, and language. You could ask a tool such as ChatGPT the same prompt every day for a week and get varied tones with each result. The first may be casual, while the next is ultra professional, and perhaps another is a bit cheeky. Depending on how specific the prompt is, you may get informationally accurate results, but they may not “feel” like your brand.
Therefore it's crucial to guide AI copywriting tools to align with your brand's essence. You will need to provide clear, brand-aligned examples and guidelines for AI to learn from.
>> More to read: The Best AI Prompts for B2B and B2C Business Owners
You should always review AI-generated content to ensure it meets your standards. If not, tweak the inputs as needed. This ongoing process is not just about quality control; it's about training your AI to be an extension of your marketing team's creative process.
Some AI content generators offer a data bank in which you can add details about your brand’s voice, tone, and language, along with specifics about your target audience. For other tools, you may have to reiterate brand details with each prompt.
Here’s a pro tip: After typing your prompt, but before hitting send, include a question such as “Before you begin, do you need additional information?” The AI tool may then ask you a handful of questions to better guide its results.
Remember, AI excels in handling data and structure; but your team brings in the emotional intelligence and brand understanding that will resonate with your audience.
How Will You Incorporate Generative AI?
As we navigate the ever-evolving landscapes of digital marketing and technology, AI stands out as a powerful ally. For medium to large B2B brands, it offers an opportunity to enhance marketing efforts, making them more efficient and targeted.
However, the true magic happens when AI tools compliment the creativity and insight from the humans who know your brand inside and out.
Embrace AI as a valuable addition to your marketing toolkit. Let it handle the heavy lifting of data processing and initial content generation, but always have the final say grounded in human insight and creativity. This balanced approach will ensure effective marketing efforts that also authentically represent your brand's unique voice.
Ready to explore how AI can revolutionize your marketing strategy while keeping your brand’s essence intact? Schedule a 1-on-1 consultation with me to learn more about integrating AI into your marketing efforts!
Be one of the first to sign up for our next webinar: How to Find Your Brand Voice.
Join Ashley Baker from Coastline Marketing and Ray Whin from The Heronry as we expertly guide you through…
Understanding your brand identity
Questions to ask to guide your brand voice process
Maintaining a cohesive brand voice across various channels
Real-world examples from successful brands that have mastered the art of brand voice