7 Ways I Used ChatGPT In My Marketing Job This Week, With Varied Results

Who isn’t talking about ChatGPT? You might find an empty room asking that question. Since its launch in November 2022, ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. 

Artificial intelligence isn’t new. There are over 1,000 AI tools on the market in all kinds of creative industries, from copywriting to development to video and image creation. 

But ChatGPT, developed by Open.AI, is different because it has a unique human-like conversation element to it that has made it accessible to the masses, and many are finding it valuable. It now attracts more web traffic than Bing and it’s helping millions of us research, ideate, write, and think.  

Some say its usefulness now is a product of the oversaturation of the internet. Some super users go further and even describe ChatGPT as a “companion” with its human-like abilities. Regardless of your “relationship” with ChatGPT, it’s growing and here to stay. 

As the owner of a digital marketing agency, my inbox is flooded with emails about ChatGPT: Search Engine Journal is writing about it. Neil Patel is talking about it. HubSpot has an integration for it. And Udemy has a course out now “Using ChatGPT for SEO in 2023”. 

 

But is ChatGPT worthy of all the hype? 

For those that haven’t experienced it firsthand, here’s a glimpse into the day-to-day applications of the tool.  

Here are seven ways I used ChatGPT last week:

1. Use Case: I asked ChatGPT, what day the war in Ukraine started? (I was referencing the 1-year anniversary in a recent post.) 

Results: ChatGPT didn’t have the answer, and told me it started in 2014. 

Verdict: ChatGPT has its current event limitations (data from summer 2021) and also often replies “I can’t predict the future.”

 

2. Use Case: I used it as a research tool during a working session with our Content Strategist. 

Results: As we mapped out content for clients every month, it was incredibly valuable as a quick-hit look at the types of things people are researching online. We opened it up and worked with it together, cherry-picked through ChatGPT’s output, and used it as a tool for blog post topics and skeletons.  

Verdict: It’s an excellent research and ideation tool. If you know what to ask for (see prompt engineering and priming) and can use your human brain to sift through the output, it can make your content strategizing more efficient.

 

3. Use Case: I asked, What are some good hashtags for a series of social posts we are planning?  

Results: It was helpful, but not amazing. (See above for current event limitations.)

Verdict: There are better hashtag research tools, in my opinion. 

 

4. Use Case: I used it to design an FAQ section for a web page I’ve been working on.  

Results: It was like having a brain to pick, someone to bounce ideas off of – an audience that is interested in even the most mundane topics like nuances in how we communicate shipping times.  

Verdict: ChatGPT is useful for people like me who sometimes need listening ears to force ideas into coherent phrases. Bonus: I’m sure our copywriters will benefit from not needing to be so involved in more mundane communication efforts and get better quality drafts to review.

 

5. Use Case: I asked, What is a good icebreaker event for our 1-hour virtual monthly marketing team meeting?

Results: It had pretty terrible ideas, the best being “3 Truths and a Lie” which wasn’t what I was going for, and can only be done so many times.

Verdict: Answers are not original, even after I spent 5 minutes trying to coax better ideas out of it.  

 

6. Use Case: I asked it to help me summarize blog posts for sharing in email and social media. 

Results: It genuinely helped me with character limits and hitting all the keywords I wanted to.  

Verdict: This function is fantastic – when the input quality is high it’s very useful to amplify the message given set parameters.

 

7. Use Case: I asked, What recipes can I make with frozen salmon and frozen vegetables in the air fryer?

Results: The output was a coherent simple recipe: Oven at 375 C, season with oil & spices, cook the vegetables for 5 minutes first, then add in salmon for 8-10 minutes more. Assemble. 

Verdict: Great. That’s all I wanted to know and it saved me from sifting through painfully SEO-optimized online recipes, scrolling through the author’s intimate connection with their ingredients and kitchen utensils until my mind goes numb to find what I was actually looking for: What temperature and how long? Saved me 5 minutes. 

 

Our Verdict

From using it at work, it clearly has its strengths and weaknesses. As a data and tech-centric marketing firm, our position is that technology is here to stay so we find ways to be smart about using it:

• Its implementation in the workplace is a marathon, not a sprint, and it has a place in our marketing team’s toolset along with others (Answer the Public, Feedly, Grammarly).
• Everyone on our team is encouraged to use it, with some caution (Read: why you need to fact check ChatGPT). 
• Everyone is encouraged to share good prompts and examples they come across. 

Overall verdict from these 7 examples? While it’s not going to automate our jobs, ChatGPT is a worthwhile investment to get your team acclimated to the tool, understand its limitations, discern its outputs, and generally follow this conversation as it quickly evolves. We even recommend adding “experience with AI tools” to job descriptions, as valuable experience for members of your marketing team. 

We’ve seen what ChatGPT can do but what does it mean? Check out our blog post “ChatGPT Implications for Marketing and Content Creation” where we address this question.

Book a call with us if you’re interested in learning how ChatGPT can help your marketing initiatives.

 

About Centric Squared

Centric Squared was founded in 2017 by Sara Kappler to bring data-centric and customer-centric marketing to small businesses. The company has grown 30% YoY, celebrated countless small business successes, and attracted top marketing talent from around the globe. At Centric Squared, we believe small businesses are sitting on a golden ticket: their customer relationships. We partner with small business owners to help them get the most out of their CRM, which includes understanding their customer data and email marketing.